The boat launch by the outlet is hard-topped and provides plenty of parking.
Bryant Pond (a.k.a. Christopher Pond) is a 278-acre body of water located in Woodstock and Greenwood, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 10 B5). To access this pond, drive on Route 26 and turn off on Old County Road. Drive for about 1 mile before turning left on Rowe Hill Road. The public access point will be immediately to your right and is clearly marked with a blue sign. It is located in a small municipal park next to the pond’s outlet. The boat launch is hard-topped and provides plenty of parking area.
The local asylum of loons comes by for a chatty visit.
Bryant Pond is a really attractive lake! It is moderately developed and surrounded by multiple wooded hills. It is also dotted by half a dozen romantic rocky islands. I find the general lay-out of the place to be quite pleasing and peaceful. I identified this water body as an angling target using my proven search strategy. The State stocks this pond each spring with 325 9- to 10-inch splake and 100 7- to 8-inch landlocked Atlantic salmon, which results in a sparse stocking density of about 1 splake per acre and one salmon every 2-3 acres. I am not expecting angling fireworks based on these low numbers…The pond also receives a modest spring and fall stocking of brook trout, but that species is not the focus of my efforts today. As part of my pre-trip research, I checked the available temperature and dissolved oxygen data for this pond, which I downloaded from Lakes of Maine, to determine the depth of the thermocline. The monitoring data show that this narrow warm-to-cold water transition layer is located anywhere between 17 to 23 ft. below the surface in August. That wide range reflects different conditions across years. The cold water below the thermocline in this pond also experiences a severe dissolved oxygen deficiency, which is a feature I specifically seek when looking for places to troll for salmonids in the summer. The reason is that between July and September, all salmonids present in lakes that contain cold but deoxygenated bottoms are effectively confined to the thermocline, unable to spend any time in the oxygenated but overheated water above or in the cold but oxygen-deficient water below. This key factor makes it so much easier to target salmonids in the summer and removes much of the guesswork out of the catch equation! Bryant Pond has a maximum and mean depth of 63 ft. and 32 ft., respectively. Click here for a depth map and more (dated) fisheries information. Beware that the depth map for this pond is only roughly accurate. It misses some islands and shows continuous expanses of deep water (> 40 ft. deep) which are actually interrupted by several shallower areas (< 30 ft. deep), which took me by surprise. Open water angling at this location occurs under the general fishing laws applicable to the south zone, except that a) there is no size or bag limit on bass, b) specific rules apply to taking smelts and c) fishing is allowed between October 1 and November 30 using artificial lures only and all salmonids must be released alive and at once.
I love the vibe: no wind, low cloud deck, and hazy. I have the place all to myself!
I arrive at the Bryant Pond boat launch at 5:40 am and push off 15 minutes later. The conditions are perfect: a low cloud deck, no direct sunlight, and little or no wind. Rain is also forecast for later this morning. The air temperature is in the low 60’s whereas the surface water temperature is 74°F; the hottest part of summer is already behind us and the water temperature is starting to drop. I troll using my spinning rod on the downrigger and my 8-weight flyfishing rod with lead core line. I use three small trout spoons tied back-to-back with the spinning rod and three one-hook smelt-imitating streamer flies tied back-to-back on the fly rod. I keep the latter in my hand and constantly rip the line to impart erratic movement to the flies below (note: the spoons on the downrigger create their own movements). I place my offerings 20 ft. below the surface over 40+ ft. of water. I spend the first hour trolling around the island located at the end of the shallow channel that connects the boat launch to the rest of the lake. That island came as a surprise because it was not shown on the depth map… I get one hit on the downrigger within 20 minutes. That gets my blood flowing because it means that I am fishing at the right depth. However, nothing else happens over the next 40 minutes as I circle several times around the island in the hope of a repeat. It is time to leave this spot and move farther into the pond.
The fishing is slow but I do catch my target fish species! All the triangulations bore fruit.
I follow my proven rule of swapping out lures if they have not produced within an hour. I am soon trolling with a new set of three larger Mooselook spoons and a new set of three larger two-hook streamer flies. That strategy yields results because I get a hit followed by a hookup on the downrigger about 20 minutes later. Great, I finally have some action! The fish is not huge and turns out to be a 16-inch brown-tinted landlocked salmon. The creature gets photographed, measured, and quickly released. No matter: it’s my target species caught at the right depth and using the right lure. By now, I am trolling all the way at the northern end of Bryant Pond where I find a 50+ ft. deep area right along the western shore. I get a third and final hit on the lead core line but once again fail to connect with the fish below. It is frustrating to miss such opportunities considering how few occur and how much time and effort it takes to be on the water. It is past 9 am by now and I have been trolling for over 3 hours. I feel the first anticipated raindrops. I call it good, glad not to be skunked, but disappointed – although not surprised – by the slow action. Fortunately, the gorgeous setting and quiet morning turns the event into an enjoyable experience for mind and soul. I highly recommend it!
The results: I caught one landlocked salmon (16 inches) in 3.5 hours of slooow 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.
Tight Lines, y’all.
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