These conditions are totally to my liking!
Nubble Pond covers 23 acres and is located in Raymond, Cumberland County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 B2). To reach this destination, drive down Meadow Road (Route 121), turn onto Plains Road, and drive for 1.0 mile to the red-and-white Kingsley Pines Camp sign. The wide dirt trail to the pond starts by large blocking boulders on the opposite side of the road from that sign, and runs parallel to the pond’s outlet. It takes about 5 minutes walking (one-way) to reach the rough put-in found at the southern tip of the pond. Only hand-carried craft can be launched from this location, which limits the competition. Plenty of parking is available along the shoulder on Plains Road.
I finally land this brookie after the first three fish unhooked…
Nubble Pond is unique in the Windham to Naples area (i.e., eastern shore of Sebago Lake) because it provides an authentic, semi-remote trout fishing experience in an area that totally lacks such a “vibe”. It makes me think of Clays Pond in Fryeburg or Worthley Pond in Poland. A few houses are visible by the outlet, whereas the rest of the shoreline is forested and mostly intact. The water is tea colored. It also experiences a severe oxygen deficiency 12+ ft down in the summer which may limit year-over-year trout survival, and therefore fish growth. The state stocked this water body with brook trout for the first time in over a decade in 2024, again in 2025, and then again this spring. The size of the stocked fish ranges from 10 to 14 inches. With any luck, I would expect the 14 inchers released last fall to measure up to 16 inches by now. Fingers crossed… The pond is literally shaped like a bathtub, with no shallows and a steep bottom along the shoreline that quickly reaches down to 20+ ft. It is also quite deep for its diminutive size, with mean and maximum depths of 20 and 37 ft., respectively. The South Zone fishing rules apply at this location, except that: a) the pond is closed to ice fishing, and b) only artificial lures can be used (i.e., no worms, live or dead bait, preserved fish eggs, etc.). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information.
Swapping out the spoon with the dull hooks improves the catch rate!
I reach the trail to Nubble Pond by Plains Road a little before 5 am. I lash my canoe to the canoe carrier, stow all my gear inside the boat, and haul everything up to the rough put-in. I paddle away 10 minutes later. The weather is perfect: cool (47°F), wind-still, and foggy. The forecast calls for full sunshine later this morning once the sun burns off the fog. I start fishing at the crack ‘o dawn to take advantage of the “Golden Hour” when the fish are actively feeding in early morning before the rising sun forces them deeper into the water column. I troll using my a) 9-ft/8-weight fly fishing rod with lead core line pulling three small spoons tied one to the other, and b) ultralight spinning rod and spinning reel pulling two other small spoons tied to each other and weighed down with three large split shots. Based on my experience at this pond in early June last year, I stay away from the shoreline and troll over water 25 to 35-ft. deep, with the lead core line two colors down (~10-12 ft. deep). The lures on the ultralight are only about 2 ft. below the surface; I am not sure what to expect from them…
It appears that Nubble Pond can grow some serious brook trout after all!!
I paddle to the opposite side of the pond within 10 minutes. I get a hook-up on my lead core line, but the fish escapes before I can get it to the net. That’s a bummer… But based on that signal, I focus all my trolling efforts in the upper third of Nubble Pond. The exact same thing happens two more times on the lead core line over the next 20 minutes: a trout gets hooked, fights, and unhooks. Damn!! I am missing too many fish. Part of the problem is that my two rods sit crisscrossed between my legs, and it takes a few seconds to untangle the fly rod after a hit, and fight the fish. So, I stow away the ultralight to free up the flyrod. That seems to work because the next hit results in a hook up, and my first fish of the morning in the boat. This fat brookie must be one of the stockers from last fall. I continue circling around and around in the upper third of the pond, and hook but miss two more fish. This pattern is not normal… I surmise that the hooks on the trailing spoon (the one that attracts all the action) must be dull. I exchange this small, 2-inch smelt-imitating Mooselook warbler spoon for another identical one. That swap does the trick because the next two hits result in hookups and 11-inch brookies in the boat. It is about 7:15 am by now. The sun has risen above the tree line and is beginning to flood the pond with its harsh light. My morning is coming to an end. But I suddenly get a massive hit and hookup. OMG!!! This is no ordinary fish! It fights hard and low, and takes several strong runs. I carefully cajole the creature towards my net, and I cannot believe my eyes when I see its size. The fish measures 19 inches and weighs over 2.5 pounds. Who would have guessed that a trout that size could be lurking in this little pond? I call it good after a fun morning: I hooked nine fish and landed four, one of which was unexpectedly huge. Life is good indeed.
The success of this lure shows that smelt have entered Nubble Pond via the outlet that connects it to Panther Pond.
The results: I landed four brook trout (largest = 19 inches) and hooked but missed five more in 2.5 hours of glorious early-morning trolling.
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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