This old cabin sits at the end of the rutted forest road along the shoreline of Lower East Richardson Pond
Lower East Richardson Pond is a remote 54-acre body of water located off Route 16 in the “Upper Richardson – Maine Public Reserved Land Unit” of Adamstown Township in northern Oxford County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 28 E2). To access this pond from Route 16, drive north in the direction of Rangeley, turn right on Upper Dam Road located across from West Richardson Pond, stay on that dirt road for 0.8 miles, turn left on an unmarked dirt road (no need for a 4X4 vehicle) and drive for 0.5 mile until you reach another unmarked forest road on the left. Beware that a four-wheel-drive vehicle is required to drive the 1000 ft or so on that road to the pond. So it may be best to leave your vehicle at that intersection and walk in. To our surprise, my son Joel and I find an old cabin on the shoreline that seems to belong to a local rod and gun club. Note: the link to the Google Map above points to Upper East Richardson Pond. The lower pond is the smaller body of water just to the south of it.
Such a pretty creature!
Lower East Richardson Pond is a little gem sandwiched between Aziscohos Lake to the west, Mooselookmeguntic Lake to the east, and Upper Richardson Lake to the south. It is completely undeveloped, except for the one cabin mentioned earlier. And because it is late September in western Maine, the leaf colors are peaking and the surrounding woods and hills are ablaze in multiple shades of reds, yellows, and oranges. What a glorious treat to the eye and the soul! The pond water is clear and the shoreline consists of large boulder fields. The surface water temperature feels distinctively cooler (lower 60’s), in keeping with the shorter days and colder nights of early fall. The state specifically manages this pond for brook trout. The fishery is enhanced with a sparing annual spring stocking of brookies to keep the action interesting. General fishing laws for the North Zone apply but only fly-fishing is allowed (i.e., no live or dead bait, no artificial lures, no trolling). The pond is open to fly-fishing between October 1 and November 30, but is closed to ice fishing. The maximum depth is 15 feet, with a mean depth of 9 feet, which makes the pond quite shallow. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information.
The sun is setting and the wind has finally started to die down…
We arrive at the access point for Lower East Richardson Pond by 3:50 pm and push off 20 minutes later. Joel is using his fishing float tube, whereas I rely on my trusted Sea Eagle inflatable fishing boat. We have the place all to ourselves, but will be fishing separately. The afternoon is quickly turning into evening, with only about 2.5 hours of daylight left before it gets dark. The air temperature is a pleasant mid 60’s, with a hazy sun hiding behind wispy clouds. A stubborn breeze blows out of the south until about 6:15 pm when conditions finally calm down. Joel starts fishing in the middle of the pond whereas I hide along a stretch of shoreline which is protected from the wind. I am eagerly looking out for an evening hatch, but none materializes. Nor, to my chagrin, do I see any rises. So, no dry flying this evening. I use my 4-weight fly fishing rod and reel spooled with floating line to cast out and retrieve a small Mickey Fin streamer fly right below the water surface when I hear Joel yelping from excitement when he hooks a brookie. But the fish unhooks during the struggle and things quiet down again. After 35 minutes of fruitless casting, I finally succeed in hooking and landing two small brook trout along that shoreline. It is about time because the sun is starting to set.
This beauty would make anyone’s day!!
I am looking for something else, so I row clear across the pond to fish along the opposite shoreline. I replace the small streamer fly with a white wooly bugger and start casting towards shore. I make sure to count to ten before starting the retrieve to allow the beaded fly to sink down close to the bottom. I feel resistance after about 15 minutes and immediately set the hook. Holy smokes, this fish is no small fry!! It pulls hard and swims low, refusing to come to the surface. I give it all the line and space it wants until I see a gorgeous brook trout slowly emerging from the deep. I net and measure the fish: it comes in at a very respectable 17″. What a beauty. My evening is made! I take several bragging pictures and let the creature go. Unfortunately, we now have less than 20 minutes of day light left and no more fish to talk about. Joel ended up hooking but losing two more trout this evening. He is bummed by his meager results, and salivates at the pictures of my hog…
I never tire looking at this beautiful fish!
The results: I caught 3 brook trout (largest = 17”) in 2.5 hours of fishing. Joel was skunked.
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.
Copyright protected by Digiprove