View of the boat launch at the northern tip of Echo Lake. The Taylor Pond outlet is to the right of this picture.

Echo Lake (a.k.a. Crotched Pond) is a 1,105-acre body of water located in Fayette, Kennebec County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 12 A2). Access is via the public boat launch found just downstream of the low dam at the northern tip of the lake, off Desert Pond Road. Beware that the put-in above the dam on the opposite side of the road is for Taylor Pond, which is an impoundment of Hopkins Stream. The Echo Lake launch is spacious and hard-topped, and offers a large parking area with a permanent outhouse.

The male brookies are eye candy this time of year!

Echo Lake is a moderately-developed water body found in the northwestern corner of Kennebec County. It is stocked annually with brook trout, splake, and landlocked Atlantic salmon (and some years with lake trout) to support an impressive four-species salmonid fishery! The brookies are my target for this afternoon. The fishing rules stipulate that the lake is open to fall fishing between October 1 and December 31 using artificial lures only, plus all salmonids must be released alive and at once. It is also open to ice fishing during winter. Click here for a depth map and additional fisheries information.

The female brookies fight just as hard as the males but lack their bright spawning colors.

I arrive at the Echo Lake boat launch around 4 pm. I have about one hour to make something happen here before moving on. A veiled sun provides some late-October warmth, but a northwest breeze creates a distinct chill in the air. I layer up and done my waders. I could be fishing from my boat but like the simplicity and “intimacy” of being close to the (cold…) water this time of year. The flip side is that my range is severely limited by access, overhanging trees, submerged obstructions (e.g., slippery boulders, sunken wood), substrate composition, depth, and slips and falls, plus the sheer physical effort of walking around in water in waders. I come armed with my weapon of choice for this type of fishing: an ultralight fishing rod, a small spinning reel spooled with 6 pounds monofilament, and a #2 Mepps spinner. The thin fishing line allows me to cast the lure way out, and the marvelous Mepps blade lets me slow down the retrieve so the lure can linger longer in the strike zone. In the zipped front pocket of my waders, I carry my phone, nail clippers to cut line, a little box with lures, and a small set of pliers to quickly remove hooks out of a trout’s mouth. To limit harm, I cut off one of the hooks from the treble and flatten the barb on one of the two remaining hooks. I do not even carry a backpack because the bottom of it always ends up wet when I wade out in deeper water.

I return to shore after catching each brookie to avoid spooking the others and to take pictures on dry land in case I drop my phone…

I enter Echo Lake at the boat launch and wade out and to the left. The bottom is surprisingly flat, firm, and unobstructed. The water is only 3 ft. deep, which is unexpected and unusual. I start casting and retrieving my spinner, all the while moving further and further out. I am soon several hundred feet from shore but still in 3 ft. of water. How bizarre is that… Actually, I do not like this lay-out, even though the wading conditions are perfect. The reason is that the uniform depth and lack of structure is unlikely to hold brook trout. I do not get a single hit in 20 minutes and decide to turn around and try my luck to the right of the launch, specifically in the short section of the Taylor Pond outlet between the dam and the Echo Lake put-in. At first, the water in the outlet remains shallow but then forms a deeper pool surrounded with aquatic vegetation closer to the dam. Ahah, this area looks more promising. And sure enough, that is where I find the brookies. I hook and land four of them over the next 30 minutes. The males are in resplendent spawning colors, which is eye candy this time of year. I would stay longer to continue exploring the outlet area but must disengage to head out. I am glad that I was able to figure out the conditions and connect with a couple of target fish this afternoon. I drive away a satisfied and happy angler.

The results: I caught 4 brook trout (largest = 14 inches) in in one hour of fun fishing.

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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