The White Mountain National Forest kiosk at the large parking lot next to the access point to Crocker Pond.
Crocker Pond covers 10 acres and is located in Albany Township, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 10 C3). From Route 5 (a.k.a. Songo Pond Road), turn into Patte Brook Road. Drive for 2.9 miles before turning left – through the open US National Forest gate – into Crocker Pond Road. Stay on this well-maintained dirt road for 1.4 miles until you reach the Crocker Pond back-country camp ground maintained by the US Forest Service. Plenty of parking is available passed the entrance to the camp ground. Only hand-carried craft can be launched into the pond since it lacks a boat ramp.
View of the rough access point to Crocker Pond. Only muscle-powered craft can be launched from this point.
Crocker Pond is one of four nearby small ponds in the Maine portion of the White Mountain National Forest which are actively managed for brook trout. The other ponds are Broken Bridge Pond, Round Pond, and Mosquito Pond. It is located not only in a national forest but also in a gorgeous region of southern Oxford County that is home to multiple other small trout ponds. The shoreline is undeveloped, except for the primitive camp ground, and the surrounding watershed is fully forested. The pond is stocked each fall with about 20 brookies per acre, which is a respectable stocking rate. However, beware that the surface water is crystal clear, which can make the trout quite shy, particularly during bright sunny days. The general fishing laws for the South Zone apply except that a) the pond is closed to ice fishing, b) use or possession of live fish as bait is prohibited (but dead fish, salmon eggs, and worms are allowed), c) the pond is open to fishing using artificial lures between October 1 and November 30, and all trout must be released at once and alive, and d) the pond is closed to all fishing from December 1 to March 31. The water is relatively shallow, with a mean and maximum depth of 7 ft. and 13 ft., respectively. Click here for a depth map and (dated) fisheries information. I note that the camp ground on the shore of Crocker Pond can serve as an excellent “base” for a multi-day angling trip to explore the great trout fishing in this area of the state.
Beautiful Crocker Pond is all mine this evening!
I arrive at the large parking area next to Crocker Pond at 5:45 pm. It is a gorgeous afternoon: air temps in the low 80’s, a gentle breeze, and a setting sun. I brought two fly rods with me: a 4-weight rod with floating line to fish with two dry flies, and a 6-weight rod with a sinking tip to fish with a small streamer fly. I launch my canoe and paddle off. I am immediately taken by the number of dragon flies that flutter over the water. There are hundreds of them, and they do a great job keeping the mosquitoes away. My heart skips a beat when I see multiple small rises. But it is a false alarm: I soon realize that they are caused by big fat bullfrog tadpoles that suspend right below the surface and quickly swim down when I paddle by. I anchor myself on the opposite side of the pond in the shadow and start casting out my dry flies: an elk hair caddisfly and a mosquito fly tied one to the other. I keep looking for trout rises but don’t see any in over 30 minutes. That is not a good sign: no bugs are hatching and the trout are not feeding on the surface. I put away my 4-weight rod and start casting out my 6-weight rod with sinking tip and a small yellow-orange Mickey Fin. I do that for about 30 minutes and get no hits.
That is the only brookie I was able to coax out of Crocker Pond this evening…
I need to change my game, or I am going home skunked… I swap out the Mickey Fin for a small trout spoon that has served me well in the past. I lift the anchor and start paddling around the pond to troll with my new lure. Trolling covers more ground and hopefully increases the odds of encountering a trout. That change bears fruit because I hook and fight a little brookie about 20 minutes later. It is not much of a fish but validates my new tactic. The fish gets photographed and released. I get another hit – but no hookup – about 15 minutes later. That boosts my confidence even more, but that is the last sign of life from my scaly friends. I called it good 30 minutes later; I am not leaving skunked and the mosquitoes are out now that the dragon flies have stopped patrolling the water in response to the setting sun. I enjoyed my time on Crocker Pond and leave satisfied with my experiences this evening.
The results: I landed one small brook trout in 2.5 hours of casting and trolling.
Was the information in this blog useful? I invite you to share your thoughts and opinions. Also, feel free to discuss your fishing experiences at this location.
Tight Lines, y’all.
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