The unimproved public access point to Dodge Pond can accommodate small trailed boats.
This blog continues my exploration of the trout fishing opportunities in the Rangeley region. Click here, here, here, here, here, and here for other reports from this general area. Dodge Pond is a 230-acre body of water located in Rangeley, Franklin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 28 E4). The public access point consists of an unimproved boat launch located at the southern tip of the pond by the outlet on Route 4/16. The gravel ramp can accommodate small, trailered boats. Parking is rather limited at the launch itself, but several more parking spots are available along an expanded shoulder on the other side of the bridge over the outlet.
The local loon asylum comes by for a quick check.
Dodge Pond is a moderately developed body of water located a few miles from downtown Rangeley. Large chunks of its shoreline retain the intact riparian vegetation so typical of this beautiful region of the state. I pinpointed this lake as an angling opportunity using my proven search strategy. The state stocks it each spring with around 800 9- to 10-inch brookies, yielding a modest stocking density for this species of between 3 to 4 fish per acre. As part of my pre-trip research, I checked the pond’s historical summer water temperature and dissolved oxygen data, which I obtained from Lakes of Maine, to determine the presence and depth of the thermocline. This bit of information is critical to understand when targeting salmonids during the warm-water season. The narrow warm-to-cold water transition layer in this pond is found 20-22 ft. deep in September. However, it experiences low dissolved oxygen levels this time of year and lures should not be placed any deeper than 18 ft. below the surface to remain in cooler but still oxygen-rich water. The pond is quite deep, with a maximum and mean depth of 51 ft. and 25 ft., respectively. Hence, most of the pond surface area is “trollable” (i.e., areas > 25 ft. deep) due to its relatively great depth. Click here for a depth map and (dated) fisheries information Open water angling at this location occurs under the general fishing laws applicable to the north zone, except that the daily bag limit on brook trout is two fish, with a minimum length limit of 10 inches and only one of the two keepers may exceed 12 inches. Note that such a rule is designed to increase the odds for catching larger brookies.
I love the tranquility of early-morning fishing in the fog!
I arrive at the launch at 5:45 am. Sunrise is not for another 25 minutes. The air temperature is a fresh 52°F and it is wind still. The whole area is shrouded in dense fog, as is typical for early mornings near lakes in late summer when the temperature of the air drops below that of the water, causing the evaporating moisture to condense into mist (click here, here, and here for other examples). l readily admit that I love this fog “vibe”, if only because it means that we are getting closer to more exciting fall trout angling! I will be trolling from my canoe and prepare my 8-weight flyfishing rod and lead core line teamed up with three small trout spoons tied back-to-back. I also bring an ultralight spinning rod with a #2 Mepps spinner, just in case. I push off and start paddling, all the while keeping track of the depth – and surface water temperature – using my portable fish finder. I am pleasantly surprised to notice that the water temperature is a cool 65°F. OMG, that’s great! I do not need to go deep but instead can troll over shallower water along the shoreline where brookies like to forage. I remove the spinner from my ultralight rod and replace it with two small trout spoons weighed down by three split shots to place these lures 2-3 ft. below the surface. I criss-cross the two rods between my legs so that they fish to the right and left of the canoe. I release one color of lead core to place its lures 5-6 ft. below the surface. I start paddling parallel to the shoreline over 10 to 15 ft. of water and have been at it for no more than 5 minutes when I get a hard hit and hookup on the lead core. Wow, great! I tussle with a hard fighter for 15 seconds but the fish suddenly unhooks and vanishes. Damn, I missed it!
It took a lot of effort to catch this little fella!
I wish this episode were the start of serious catching, but it is not. I spend over an hour paddling all along the eastern shoreline towards the northern tip of the lake and its sizable inlet but without generating one additional hit. This situation is frustrating. The inlet area looks promising, with a substantial amount of water flowing into Dodge Pond. I anchor the canoe at the edge of the current in 4 to 5 ft. of water, switch the spoons on the ultralight back to a #2 Mepps spinner, and fan cast the whole delta area. To my surprise, all my efforts do not generate a single hit. One would think that brookies are loitering in this turbulent location waiting for food morsels to drift by but that is not the case this morning. I give up after 15 minutes of casting and start trolling again, this time along the eastern shoreline back towards the access point. 20 minutes later, I finally get a hit and a hookup on the lead core line. It’s a skinny brookie but it has an adipose fin and therefore counts 🙂 Luck strikes again 10 minutes later when I fool its skinny cousin on the ultralight spinning rod. Unfortunately, that is the extent of the catching by the time I return to the outlet at 8:30 am. I am hungry, my butt hurts, and I don’t have the energy to continue trolling after paddling for 2.5 miles. I call it good, happy to have experienced a beautiful morning. One fly in the ointment to keep in mind: Dodge Pond is oriented just so in relation to Routes 4/16 that the noise of the road traffic buzzing by is audible all the way to the other end of the pond which takes away from the experience. However, I had the place all to myself, just the way I like it!
I caught its skinny cousin shortly thereafter.
The results: I caught two brook trout (largest = 13 inches) in 2.5 hours of slow fishing.
The fog is lifting, showing the full extent of Dodge Pond.
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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