A gorgeous view of First Davis Pond from the boat launch. And, oh, that is another reason for calling it the Golden Hour!
First Davis Pond is a 128-acre body of water located in Guilford, Piscataquis County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 31 B5). To reach this pond from Guilford, drive north on Route 150 (Blaine Avenue) and turn right on Davis Pond Road. Drive for 0.3 miles until you reach the public boat launch located on the western side of the pond. The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer does not show this access point. The cement launch can accommodate trailered boats, but is sandwiched between two properties. Parking is very limited to two – maybe three – vehicles with trailers. It is not possible to turn a vehicle with a trailer in that limited space without entering one or the other adjacent private properties. The alternative is to back up several hundred feet to where the short road to the launch splits off from Davis Pond Road and turn over there. Keep those limitations in mind when planning a fishing trip at this location. Fortunately, that is not my problem this morning because I am fishing from my canoe.
I am not here to catch fat white perch, but this fish tells me that I have targeted the right depth.
First Davis Pond is moderately developed, mostly along its western shoreline. It is nicely framed by several wooded hills along the eastern horizon. I used my special approach to identify this place as a target for catching salmon and trout in the summer. A key parameter for success is to identify the depth of the thermocline and to determine its oxygen status. Unfortunately, the Lakes of Maine website only provides water quality data for a single sampling event that occurred on this pond in August 2018. It shows that the thermocline that year was found at a relatively shallow depth of 17 to 20 ft., with a temperature ranging from the high 50’s to the mid 60’s, but with a severe oxygen deficiency. Assuming that this pattern applies across years suggests that all the salmon and trout living in this pond are forced to swim as close as possible to the thermocline in August, but not in it, to find cooler water with enough oxygen. For me it means that I need to be careful how deep I place my lures to avoid fishing in water a) that is cool but oxygen deficient and therefore devoid of any fish, and b) that contains enough oxygen but is too warm and therefore devoid of salmonids. Angling at this location occurs under the North Zone rules, except that the pond is open to ice fishing, live bait is allowed, and the daily bag limit on trout is two fish, with a keeper minimum length of 12 inches, and only one keeper fish can exceed 14 inches. I like the latter rule because it means that this pond is managed specifically to grow larger trout. Click here for additional rules. The pond is stocked annually with three species of salmonids, namely landlocked salmon, splake, and brook trout, which provides quite a selection. Finally, the pond as a mean and maximum depth of 22 ft. and 54 ft., making it relatively deep for its size. Click here for a depth map and more (dated) fisheries information. I printed out the depth map and circled the area of 30+ ft. of depth which represents my hunting grounds for this morning.
This largemouth bass had me fooled: it fought hard and low and never jumped out of the water, just like a trout…
I pull in at the First Davis Pond boat launch at 5:15 am with the goal of fishing the “Golden Hour”. It represents the early-morning period stretching from 30 minutes before sunrise (occurring at 5:35 am this morning) until about an hour after sunrise during which predators are actively chasing baitfish for breakfast. The air temperature is a pleasant 65°F and the wind is absent, which makes for easy paddling. I only use lead core line this morning since I am trolling from my canoe and need both hands to paddle. I use three diminutive, smelt-imitating Mooselook Wobbler spoons tied to each other back-to-back based on the reported presence of rainbow smelt. I paddle out to my target depth, lower the lures three full colors (about 15-17 ft. below the surface) down, and place the fly rod between my legs. I get a hit and a hookup within 15 minutes, which is a fantastic sign given my anxieties about fishing the correct depth in this pond. I am tussling with a hard-fighting and tenacious fish, which turns out to be a big, fat white perch. I do not care to catch this species but am nonetheless impressed with its fighting abilities. This catch also puts me at ease because it confirms two important points: a) the lures are attracting attention down below, and b) I am not fishing too deep in oxygen-deprived water. Over the next hour or so, I get three more hits which yield another white perch and a largemouth bass. I have often encountered these two species when trolling at depth in the summer (click here, here, here, and here for examples). I have also noticed in the past that this kind of feeding activity ends once the sun starts climbing in the sky. And this morning is no different. The bites stops around 6:30 am, which represents the end of the Golden Hour. Darn it, and I did not catch any salmonids…
It took a lot of paddling, but I finally caught the salmonid I was aiming for.
Now would be a good time to switch to a new set of lures. But I decide to stick with the current ones since they clearly attracted much attention earlier this morning. I am also sticking to the same trolling depth as I do not want to place my lures higher up in warmer water or lower down in oxygen-deficient water… I traverse the 30+ft. area of First Davis Pond back and forth but find no new customers. I am starting to despair when I suddenly get a hit and hookup at 7:15 am. Yes, finally!! I hope that the fish has an adipose fin, which turns out to be the case when it reaches the surface and shows itself to be a skinny brook trout. This fish is not well fed, but counts. It gets photographed and quickly released. Although my butt is hurting and my legs are stiff from sitting and paddling for the last two hours, I stick around for another 45 minutes in the hope of more action. Unfortunately, that is not the case, and I return back to the boat launch anxious to get up and do some walking… I consider this morning a success: I had action and caught one of my target salmonid species. Life is good indeed.
I fished all morning with these three diminutive smelt-imitating Mooselook Wobbler spoons.
The results: I caught one brook trout (14 inches), two white perch, and one largemouth bass in 3 hours of 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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