Grenell Pond supports a native and genetically pure brook trout population
Grenell Pond is a small 6-acre body of water located a few miles outside of Greenville, Piscataquis County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 41 D3). Access is via an old logging road off the Katahdin Iron Works (KI) Road. I was able to easily find it using my phone’s GPS thanks to a strong signal coming from Greenville. The KI Road, and the side road leading to the pond, are rough in spots but quite drivable using a regular car. Hence, no need for a four wheel-drive vehicle. The pond is accessible by foot via a short forest trail. Only hand-carried craft can be launched on it.
A pretty view of Grenell Pond with Rum Mountain in the background
Grenell Pond sits in the middle of a small bog, with Rum Mountain looming in the distance to the north. It is completely undeveloped and untouched by human hands. The water is tea-colored. My “hand thermometer” tells me that the water temperature feels in the low-to-mid 50’s, which makes sense for this time of the year. This pond is listed as a State Heritage Fish Water: it was never stocked and contains a self-sustaining population of native brook trout. That in itself makes it a special place and well worth the effort to get to. The fishing rules prohibit the use of live baitfish to avoid the accidental introduction of competing minnow species. But otherwise, open-water fishing on this pond falls under the general fishing laws applicable to the North Zone. The pond has a maximum and mean depth of 18 ft. and 7 ft., respectively. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information.
I arrive at the launch site on Grenell Pond at 5:30 pm with my 12 year-old grandson Geovani. I am immediately enchanted by the general surroundings and the beautiful view. It also helps that the blackflies have not yet emerged to torment our lives! My original plan was to fly fish the evening hatch but the strong breeze blowing out of the southwest completely crushes that idea. The only thing to do at this point is to troll using a small streamer fly or lure, even though the pond lacks any bait fish. We will rely on our 4-weight fly fishing rods with floating lines. I will use a small Grey Ghost streamer fly with a fat split shot pinched on the line four ft. higher in order to place the fly 1-2 ft. below the water surface. G uses the same general setup but chooses to troll with a small ACME Phoebe spoon instead.
This pretty little trout fell for my Blue Ghost streamer fly.
We slowly paddle around and around Grenell Pond. It does not take long to make a full circle given its small size… We keep a keen eye out for rises or flies but see none. The trout are definitely not focused on the surface. I do get a hit 25 minutes in, which is encouraging, and finally get a hookup one hour into our fishing trip. It is a small trout but its dark coloration and obvious vigor signal its status as a native brookie. What a pleasure to hold such a creature. We continue trolling with renewed expectations. I would really like for G to catch something but the fish gods decide otherwise. We get no more hits. I want to stay until darkness sets in but G has lost interest and is becoming fidgety. So we call it good in order to keep the experience fun. I highly recommend a visit to this pretty pond, particularly to fish an evening hatch. I only wish we had made that experience today…
The results: I landed one 11″ brook trout in two hours of slow fishing.
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