Kingsbury Pond is a 390-acre body of water located in Kingsbury, Piscataquis County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 31 C2). The public access point is next to Route 16 at the dirt boat launch by the dam and its outlet at the eastern end of the lake. The launch provides plenty of parking.

View of the boat launch in the background and the dam on the right.

Kingsbury Pond is a moderately-developed lake. The surrounding region is ablaze with fall colors which makes the ride in and out of the area quite pleasant this time of year. The lake is stocked annually with landlocked salmon and brook trout. The latter are my target this morning. The fall angling rules stipulate that this water body is open to open-water fishing between October 1 and November 30 using artificial lures only, and that all salmonids must be released alive and at once. Note that it is crucial to always check the regulations when angling in the fall, particularly in the “North Zone” where most waters are closed to fishing by the end of September.

Kingsbury Pond is pretty, and I have the place all to myself this morning!

I reach the parking lot by the Kingsbury Pond dam at 6:45 am. I am the one and only person fishing here this morning, which is just the way I like it. The air temperature is a nippy 36°F and forecast to rise into the mid 50’s later this afternoon. A light but persistent breeze blows across the lake from the southwest and generates a noticeable windchill. I layer up and don my waders. I like wader fishing in the fall after spending the entire spring and summer fishing from my boat. By definition, this approach limits angling to the general vicinity of a public access point – which is typically a boat launch – but allows for an in-depth investigation of that area. Wader fishing also presents real challenges (e.g., substrate composition, obstructions, depth, cold water) that are quite different from boat fishing and therefore create interesting experiences. I wader fish using an ultralight spinning rod, a spinning reel spooled with 6 pound monofilament, and a #2 Mepps spinner with one of the three hooks removed and the barb on one of the remaining two hooks flattened to limit injury to the fish. This combination allows me to fish “lite” and be highly mobile!

I only succeed in coaxing this one brook trout out of the water this morning…

I enter the water by the Kingsbury Pond boat launch at 7 am and start casting out my spinner. The wading conditions are only fair. The substrate is firm but consists mainly of cobbles and boulders covered by a slick film of algae. I have to be careful when walking around to avoid slipping and stumbling in the cold water… I get a hit and hookup within the first 5 minutes. That is a great sign! I caught a feisty 13-inch brookie. I expect much more from where this one came from! And yet, I do not get a single bite over the next 1.5 hours of continuously casting my spinner all along the shoreline to the right and left of the access point. Damn, did I catch the only trout in this part of the lake? It sure looks that way… I am getting cold by now, and my fingers are freezing. I reluctantly give up the chase. It took a lot of effort to catch that one brookie but at least I am not going home skunked.

The results: I caught one 13-inch brook trout in 1.5 hours of sloow and cold fishing.

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Tight Lines, y’all.

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