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Witch Hole Pond can be shorefished for brook trout from multiple locations along the carriage road in early spring when the water is cool and the aquatic plant life subdued

Witch Hole Pond covers 28 acres and is located in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island (MDI) in Hancock County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 B4). I reach the pond by walking for about 1.5 miles on the 16 foot-wide and well-maintained carriage road from the small parking lot located off Route 233 across from Eagle Lake. Be aware that you’ll need a pass to legally park your car anywhere inside the Park, including here. The pass can be purchased on-line or at the Park’s main visitor center on MDI, among other places. I reached the Route 233 parking lot earlier this morning and have fished Lower Breakneck Pond, Upper Breakneck Pond, and Halfmoon Pond along the way. After hitting these three spots, I replace my canoe on my “canoe wheels” and continue on to my last destination for today. I’ll state here for the record that I should have returned to the Route 233 parking lot after fishing Halfmoon Pond, loaded up my gear in/on my car, driven to the Hulls Cove visitor Center, and then walked from there the half mile to Witch Hole Pond. The reason is that the carriage road drops by a surprisingly steep (but barely perceptible) 85 ft between Halfmoon Pond and Witch Hole Pond. That loss of elevation does not present any problems when going downhill with the canoe. However, it demands a strenuous – and very perceptible – effort to continuously push the canoe back uphill for half a mile! It takes me a solid 40 minutes of huffing and puffing (and several snack refueling stops) to make it back to the Route 233 parking lot at the end of the day.

This big ol’ beaver lodge sits along the southern shore of Witch Hole Pond

Witch Hole Pond is by far the biggest of the four ponds I have fished today. The carriage road runs along much of its western shoreline, whereas the rest of the pond is surrounded by wide and marshy areas, providing nice open vistas. Don’t expect a “remote” experience while fishing here, however, because the carriage road is frequented by hikers, joggers, bicyclists, families with small children, horseback riders, etc. Fortunately, I have the place pretty much to myself because it is still very early in the tourist season. The pond’s surface water is quite clear but the substrate consists mostly of sand and muck covered with aquatic vegetation. It is definitely possible to fish for trout from shore in early- to mid-spring (before the water warms up too much and the aquatic vegetation becomes a nuisance) using a small artificial lure from multiple locations along the carriage road. I proved that to myself by catching a brookie from shore using a #1 Mepps spinner.

This little trout fell for a Mepps spinner

Witch Hole Pond is stocked each fall with around 1125 brook trout measuring 8”, which yields a respectable 40 fish per acre. I suspect that some of these small trout will be gone by the following spring because the pond is open to ice fishing (but only using one line and artificial lures). An additional 50 brookies of 13” are stocked in the spring to sweeten the pot. The pond has a mean and maximum depth of 12 ft and 31 ft, respectively, and is therefore relatively deep. Click here for a depth map and more fishing information. Spring fishing at this location falls under the general rules, except that only artificial lures can be used and motorboats are prohibited on the water. Click here for the open-water fishing rules.

I was hoping for bigger trout, but all four fish caught in Witch Hole Pond were about this size

I reach Witch Hole Pond around 5 pm. The brutal wind from earlier in the day has largely subsided. The sun has also started to come down, throwing much of the western shoreline into the shadows. After placing my canoe in the water, I note that much of this shoreline is rather shallow (say 3 to 8 ft deep). I forego trolling in the deeper off-shore waters and instead focus my attention on using my flyfishing rod to cast small, one-hooked streamer flies and my ultralight spinning rod with a #1 Mepps spinner. My fly fishing efforts produce no hits but the spinner fishing yields three small brook trout over the next 2 hours. I’d love to stay longer to fish more of the evening but need to head back towards my car. That’s another good reason for parking at the visitor’s center instead of Route 233 when fishing this pond later in the day…

The results: I landed four 8” brook trout in two hours of fun and relaxing fishing.

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