We set up camp close to the dam
Lower Hinkley Pond is a small 2-acre body of water located in South Portland, Cumberland County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 73 H5). The pond is situated in Hinkley Park right off Highland Avenue and is the first pond closest to the parking lot. Plenty of parking space is available. Note that Lower Hinkley Pond is a “KIDS ONLY” pond with a Special Regulation code of S-9 (i.e., open to fishing only to persons under 16 years old; restricted to two lines per person; daily bag limit for trout is two fish). The pond, which has a maximum depth of 8 ft, is a shallow reservoir created by the impoundment of Kimball Brook. A depth map is not available. The state stocks this pond each fall with a boatload of brookies to create fast fishing action for kids. Keep in mind that Hinckley Park is well used by the local community of dog owners. The dogs typically run around without a leash, and some of the animals invariably amble on the ice to pay a visit.
Ariana’s brookie, before it was stolen…
I reach Lower Hinkley Pond around 8 am with my son Joel, 13 year-old nephew Christian, 8 year-old granddaughter Ariana, and Joel’s two sons (7 year-old Giovanni and 5 year-old Antony). The three youngest kids are all excited because it’s their first ice-fishing trip of the season. It’s nippy (15°F) but bearable because the wind is quiet. We set up camp next to the dam at the downstream end of the pond. Joel quickly deploys his portable ice shack to provide a warm shelter, if needed. The sky is also completely overcast and should remain so for the rest of the morning, which is great because it’ll keep the light levels low. Only one other party is on the ice when we arrive, but that will likely change because the pond is a popular destination. I fire up the auger but the thing stalls out after I finish drilling the second hole through about 8” of ice. Darn it, I didn’t allow the engine to warm up enough. Then the rip cord breaks as I pull on it to get the auger started again. Sh*t!! That’s not good given all the effort it took us to get here this morning with our gang of kids.
Antony is so proud of his fish!
I walk over to the other party to see if they would mind helping me drill some more holes. They are as dejected as we are because their auger won’t even start at all… I chat with Joel to review our options. He reckons that some of the old holes in the area around us were drilled yesterday. If so, then they may be skimmed over by just an inch or two of fresh ice that we should be able to easily chisel out using the small chisels at the end of our two ice scoopers. Sure enough, the holes are from yesterday! We have six tip-ups deployed twenty minutes later in 6 to 8 ft of water. All the hooks are baited with small 2” minnows. The other party gives up soon after and leaves but is quickly replaced by new people who have a working auger. They kindly drill our two remaining holes.
Geovanni’s trout still boasts its fall spawning colors!
The fishing action is slow for the first 45 minutes or so, yielding four flags that result in only a 9” brookie for Ariana. We notice that the trout are finicky this morning: they mangle the baitfish but then drop the offerings and swim away. Fortunately, the kids are entertaining themselves by running around, sledding down the hill, playing with the walkie-talkies, and munching on snacks. We are now joined by about 15 boy scouts and their parents, which livens up the scene but doesn’t seem to affect the fishing. The action picks up noticeably between 9 and 10 am, when we get about 10 flags which yield a 9” brookie each for Geovanni and Antony. The poor creatures are unceremoniously yanked out of the water to great acclaim and lots of excited screaming by the kids! Joel and I also notice that the trout are repeatedly stealing our bait, too often without even triggering the flags. How do they do this trick without getting themselves hooked? We certainly don’t know, but it forces us to constantly check all eight traps to ensure that the hooks stay baited. A dog suddenly runs towards our area, sniffs around, grabs Ariana’s trout which is sitting forlornly on the ice and takes off with it, never to return!!
Christian catches the largest trout of the morning
The feeding flurry markedly slows down by 10 am. Boy, have we seen this pattern before! But we decide to hang around until 10:30 am in the hope that Christian also catches a trout. He gets three chances, with the last flag resulting in a fat 13” brook trout, which is also the largest fish of the lot. Mission accomplished! All four kids tended multiple flags and each is bringing home a trout for lunch, except for Ariana who’s all upset about her fish going AWOL on account of the canine thief. Joel and I are also pleased with the results and the fact that the kids had such a good time, which of course is the purpose of the whole exercise. We pack up our gear and give away our remaining baitfish to nearby scouts, some of whom quickly claim our holes. Life is good indeed 🙂
The results: Each of the four kids caught one brook trout after 2.5 hours of fishing, which resulted in about 20 flags and lots of stolen bait.
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 >
Copyright protected by Digiprove