One of my sons, two grandsons, a nephew and I are on our annual extended Memorial Day weekend fishing pilgrimage to Pierce Pond, located in the undeveloped wilds of western Maine in Somerset County, just east of Flagstaff Lake (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 30 A2). We are staying for four days in one of the cozy cabins at Cobb’s Camps located in Lower Pond across from Lindsey Cove. One of the many aspects I love about staying at Cobb’s – besides the camaraderie among the guests who have been gathering at this place for decades, the good food, the friendly staff, and the authentic atmosphere – is the fact that reaching camp requires a boat. Also, the lack of electronic connections to the outside world allows everyone to unplug, slow down, and focus entirely on the business at hand, which is to catch salmonids!
This 16-inch brookie fell for the Henderson dry fly!
Pierce Pond covers 1,526 acres of unspoiled nature. It is a well-known destination for targeting landlocked Atlantic salmon (stocked) and brook trout (native) with dry flies during the tremendous Henderson mayfly hatches that occur each year around the Memorial Day weekend. Unfortunately, the hatches seem to have become more sporadic and less predictable over the years. Nonetheless, the bugs continue do their thing and we as anglers aim to be present at the right time and location to take advantage of this bounty. The pond consists of three basins known as Upper, Middle, and Lower Pond which are connected via short and shallow but bouldery thoroughfares. The fishing rules are as follows: a) closed to ice fishing, b) open to open-water fishing between May 1 and September 30, c) artificial lures only, and d) the daily bag limit on brook trout is 2 fish, with a minimum length of 10 inches, and only 1 kept trout allowed to exceed 12 inches. Click here for additional rules applicable to this water body. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information.
This 17-inch brookie was fooled by the mosquito dry fly
I leave camp at 1 pm and navigate all the way up to the far northeastern corner of Upper Pond to fish Brandy Reef. This structure represents a 0.1 acre “sunken island” with its flat top no more than 1 or 2 ft below the surface. The steep-walled reef structure is surrounded by water 15 to 20 ft deep. The shallow water over the reef warms quickly and triggers reliable mayfly hatches in early afternoon, but only if the sun is out and the wind dies down. The mayfly duns sitting on the water are gently blown off the reef and fall prey to the landlocked salmon and brook trout which patrol all around the edges of the structure and constantly rise to the surface to snatch flies. I arrive on the reef at 1:30 pm to check things out. The conditions are not perfect: even though the sun is blazing high in the sky and the water temperature is 57°F, a strong nagging breeze blows in from the southwest which stirs up the water surface and suppresses hatching activity. I do not see any flies or rises around the reef, which is not a good sign. Regardless, I anchor my boat in the middle of the reef, don my hip boots, and walk towards the edge. I’m using a Hendrickson dun imitator and a mosquito dry fly tied to each other with 1 ft of monofilament line. I cast out my floating line, hoping for the best. The breeze does not relent, and I have yet to see any action 20 minutes later. And then it happens… The wind abates, the surface of the water calms down, and the fish start emerging from the depths to snack on duns. I see a rise here, another there, and then a third one. I place my offerings in the path of the feeding fish and the creature falls for the Hendrickson. I immediately set the hook and connect with a hard-fighting 16-inch native brookie. This is the life! I slowly guide the struggling fish over the reef, net it, take a picture, and quickly release it. Meanwhile, the wind has picked up again causing the rises to stop. I swap out my two dry flies for a dark-green wooly bugger which I use the dredge the depths around the reef. I find no takers when 30 minutes later, the wind dies down once again: the fish rise to the surface to feed on mayflies and I’m at my post with my two dry flies. One of those fish falls for my mosquito fly and gives a splendid fight. The 17-inch brookie finally tires after several strong runs and gets photographed and released.
This big boy fell for a one-hook smelt-imitating streamer fly trolled about 12 ft. below the surface.
The wind picks up again shortly thereafter and does not relent. It’s now 3:30 pm and time to head back to camp for happy hour at 5 pm and storytelling with my teammates. I get off Brandy Reef, store away my four-weight fly rod and start trolling with lead core line and my eight-weight fly fishing rod. I place three smelt-imitating one-hook streamer flies tied one to the other about two colors down (roughly 12 ft. below the surface) and troll over water 20 to 30 ft. deep close to the islands that dot Upper Pond. I make it a point to constantly “rip” the flies to make them move erratically and increase the odds of attracting costumers down below. I get a tremendous hit and hookup about 45 minutes into the troll. I am fighting a bulldog which insists on ripping line off my reel and staying deep below the surface. My hunch is confirmed when a gorgeous 18-inch brookie reluctantly struggles up to the surface. What a fighter!! It too gets photographed and released. I call it good for the afternoon, very happy with my success and anxious to swap stories with my team mates back at camp.
The results: I landed three brook trout (largest = 18 inches) in 2.5 hours of fun 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.
~ ~ ~ ~ ><« ({(« º >
