Don’t forget to fill out the permit form available at the little wooden kiosk by the parking lot.
Otter Pond #4 is a 6-acre body of water located in Standish, Cumberland County, Maine (see The Maine Map and Gazetteer map 5 D1). Click here for information on how to reach this pond. Make sure to follow those directions because you will pass several ponds on the way in, only two of which contain brook trout (i.e., Otter Ponds #2 and #4). Also, do not forget to fill out the short permit form provided at the little wooden kiosk by the parking lot, and leave a copy on your vehicle’s dashboard. It takes less than a minute to provide the requested information and provides a way for the Sebago Lake Land Preserve to keep track of day usage on their property. The parking lot is regularly checked by the preserve people and non-abiders will receive a kind warning to fill out the form (I know…).
Access to Otter Pond #4 is by the sandy beach area at the southern end of the pond.
Otter Pond #4 is a hidden little gem that is heavily stocked annually with brook trout to support an extremely popular regional hard-water fishery in the winter. The place is essentially deserted in the fall even though the trout actively bite before all this ice-fishing action occurs later in the season. All the Otter Ponds began their lives as gravel pits that were abandoned eons ago. Their surface waters, which are an expression of the local groundwater table, are crystal clear and clean. None of the ponds have inlets or outlets. The surrounding land is wooded and totally undeveloped, except for a picnic area and a handful of small primitive cabins used to house kids as part of a local summer camp. Otter Pond #4 was stocked earlier this fall with 75 13-inch brook trout. Those are not the main reason I am here this morning. My real targets are the ten 20-inch brookies that were also stocked earlier… Catching one of those 3-pouders on my ultralight rod would sure make my day! Fall fishing at this location occurs under the general fishing laws for the South Zone, except that the pond is open to angling between October 1 and November 30 using artificial lures only and with the stipulation that all brook trout must be immediately released back to the water. The pond has a mean and maximum depth of 9 ft. and 21 ft., respectively. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information.
The first fish of the morning is a beautiful male brookie stocked several weeks ago.
I arrive at the large parking lot next to Route 35 at 6:30 am. I have the place all to myself as expected for this time of the year. I fill out the day-use form, don my waders, walk down to the old railroad tracks, and march ten minutes towards Otter Pond #4. The morning is a nippy 36°F. A nasty cold breeze blows in from the northwest and generates a definite windchill. The entrance point is by the sandy beach at the southern tip of the pond. It is best to fish on the right side of the beach when wader fishing. The reason is that the shoreline to the left is steep and the water gains depth quickly. The wading conditions on the right are also perfect: a firm and sandy bottom, no submerged obstructions such as boulders or logs, and no aquatic vegetation. The only fly in the ointment this morning is that the wind has blown a million oak leaves against the southern shoreline just to the right of the beach, creating a dense, 10-foot-wide leaf pack. Waders are definitely required in order to fish passed these leaves!
The bite is slow but steady. Unfortunately, I do not encounter one of the three pounders I was hoping to catch this morning.
I use my ultralight spinning rod teamed up with a small spinning reel spooled with 6-pound monofilament line and a magic #2 Mepps spinner. I cut off the third hook of the treble and flatten the barb on one of the two remaining hooks to facilitate lure removal and minimize damage to the fish. I start fan casting by the beach, letting the lure sink to the bottom (one thousand one, one thousand two, …) before starting the retrieve. I do not generate one nibble in the first 15 minutes. Damn, I am going to have to look further to locate my target fish. I start slowly wading and casting to the right of the beach and finally get a hookup. The fish is a fat 14-inch male brookie in all its gorgeous spawning colors. I catch another five 12- to 14-inch brookies over the next hour or so, all withing 100 ft. of the beach. I wish I could say the same thing about the 3-pounders which are nowhere to be found this morning… My odds of catching those exceptional fish would increase if I could stay longer, but I unfortunately must leave to start my workday. On the other hand, I landed six smaller trout so life is good anyway!
The results: I caught six brook trout (largest = 14 inches) in 1.5 hours of fun but cold fishing.
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.
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