View of North Pond from the dam by the outlet
North Pond is a 164-acre of water located in Sumner, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 C3). The access point is located next to a small dam by the outlet at the southern tip of the pond. Reaching that dam is a bit tricky. From North Buckfield Road, look for an unnamed dirt road sandwiched between house numbers 377 and 387. This 0.9-mile dirt road – which is really more of a wide ATV trail – is rough in places and requires a vehicle with high clearance. Four-wheel drive is useful but not a necessity. It can be confusing to stay on this road because it has several turn-offs along the way in. I used the GPS function on my phone to make sure that my truck always pointed in the correct (i.e., north) direction. The launch is sandy and unimproved. The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer shows a gate a couple of 100 ft before the outlet. This gate, which I think is owned by the Buckfield Village Corporation (Water District), was open when I reached it, but smashed by a fallen tree. So, it will remain “open” until fixed.
This first brookie tells me that I am fishing in the right place.
North Pond is gorgeous and quite a find! It is remote, surrounded by forested hills in blazing autumnal colors, and essentially undeveloped. The lake is stocked each fall with brook trout in anticipation of the ice-fishing season. The fall angling rules stipulate that this water body is open to fishing between October 1 and December 31 using artificial lures only, and that all trout must be released alive and at once. Beware that the law also prohibit the presence of motorboats with internal combustion engines within 1,000 ft of the dam, which means that the entire southern end of the pond is out of bounds to motorboats. This rule protects the quality of the water extracted by the local water district. Although not explicitly stated, it also means that a trailered boat with an engine cannot be launched by the dam… In addition, motorboats with engines above 10 horsepower are prohibited on the rest of the pond.
It just never gets old!
I reach the dam by the outlet of North Pond at 2:45 pm. Southern Maine is enjoying a glorious early fall day, with afternoon temps in the low 80’s, full sunshine, and a light breeze. I don my waders and pick up my weapons of choice: an ultralight spinning rod, an ultralight spinning reel spooled with 6-pound monofilament, and a lethal #2 Mepps spinner with one of its three hooks cut off and the barb on one of the remaining hooks flattened. This modification allows for easy hook releases after catching a fish without causing excessive injury. I enter the water and notice that it is crystal clear. The wading conditions are good: the substrate to the left of the dam is rather soft, but is firm and gravelly to the right of it. The bottom is also mostly unobstructed by sunken wood, aquatic vegetation, or boulders, but one has to beware of the overhanging trees on either side of the dam when casting. The one big negative is that the area around the dam quickly gains depth away from shore which limits wading to right against the shoreline.
Let them go and let them grow!
I only have about an hour to make something happen here, so I better get going! I enter the water by the dam, cast out the spinner (note: the ultralight equipment allows me to get that lure way out!), and let it sink for a few seconds before starting the retrieve. I make sure to consistently twitch the rod tip during the retrieve to cause the blade to flutter at the other end and attract the attention from any trout that may be hiding down below. I have a hit and hookup withing 10 minutes. Yes, the fish are at their post! The trout is a 13-inch male brookie resplendent in its fall spawning colors. What a treat. I continue wading and casting on either side of the dam and I land another four brookies, one of which is a 17-inch aggressive male which gives an unbelievable struggle on the ultralight rod. Wow, I am in Seventh Heaven: catching hard-fighting brookies on a glorious fall day in superb natural surroundings. Life cannot be any better than this moment. Unfortunately, I need to move on and reluctantly disengage to return to reality…
The results: I caught five brook trout (largest = 17 inches long) in 1 hour of fantastic fishing.
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Tight Lines, y’all.
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