Shirley Pond is a 60-acre body of water located in the town of Shirley, Piscataquis County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 41 E2). To reach this location, drive north on Routes 6/15 (Greenville Road) towards Greenville and take a left on Upper Shirley Corner Road. Drive towards Shirley Mills for less than 2 miles. The pond will appear to your right after passing two stop signs. The public access point is by a small public park right before the outlet. Space is available to leave a few vehicles by the park. Access to the water is down a steep slope.

View of Shirley Pond from the public access. I walk passed the small island to the point further down.

Shirley Pond is a small impoundment on the east branch of the Piscataquis River. It is quite picturesque and lightly developed, with about a dozen houses concentrated along the southern shore by the dam. The rest of the shoreline is wooded and undeveloped. The pond, which supports a native brook trout population that drops down from the river further upstream, is also stocked annually with hatchery trout to augment the fishery. It receives 600 10-inch brookies (about 10 fish per acre) in early spring, and around 300 13-inch brookies (about five fish per acre) in October. It is the latter one-pounders that are my target today. The pond is open to ice fishing as soon as the ice is safe to walk on, the use of live baitfish is allowed year-round except between October 1 and November 30, and the daily limit for brook trout is two fish. However, anglers can only ice fish with two lines, instead of the typical five lines. I am not expecting fast action due to the relatively low stocking densities and the two-line limit. Click here for more information on the applicable angling regulations. The pond is very shallow for its relatively large size, with a mean and maximum depth of only 4 ft. and 14 ft., respectively. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. This shallow depth is a real bonus given the screwy “winter” of the last 3-4 weeks, characterized by above-freezing day temperatures, rain, and widespread regional flooding. I am looking for safe ice to walk on, and a shallow pond will more easily provide this key ingredient under the current less-than-optimal conditions.

This first little brookie tells me that I am fishing in the right location.

I arrive at the access point at 7:15 am and am glad to see that that I am the first – and ultimately only – angler on Shirley Pond. The temperature is a pleasant 26°F but a stiff breeze blowing out of the northwest generates a biting wind chill. The forecast this morning calls for overcast skies, wind, and temps in the high 20’s. I use my trusted spud to check the conditions as soon as I step on the ice. I find an inch of half-frozen slush on top of 5 inches of solid ice. Great, it is safe to proceed! I walk past the little wooded island towards the tip of the peninsula that juts halfway into the pond from the opposite shore. I am setting up my operation around that tip. I notice that my gasoline-powered auger is not working properly: the engine runs for only about 5 seconds before it shuts down. Crap, this is not the time! It takes me 45 minutes to drill 8 holes. Even though the ice is only 6 inches thick, I have to restart the auger half a dozen times before I can complete one hole (dirty carburator…). I deploy one trap at the tip of the peninsula in 7 ft. of water with a 2-inch baitfish placed halfway down the water column. I always enhance the attractiveness of the baitfish by adding a salmon egg first before attaching the minnow to the hook. That tip-up has done nothing by the time I finally complete my other holes and start jigging. I check the baitfish, just to be sure. The darn thing is gone, showing me that something is actively feeding down below… Nothing happens over the next 45 minutes and I am starting to think that I may be wasting my time.

This big boy fell for a small shiner.

Then the flag of my one trap suddenly pops up. Finally!! I just love that sight. I run over and notice that the spool is not turning but the line is angled sideways. I slowly bring in the line but feel no resistance. The bait is gone but the thief was not pricked and should still be hanging around the hole. I send down my scented Power Nymph and jig head combo and get a hit almost instantly but miss the fish without hooking it. I shake the jig in place and get a hit 5 seconds later, which yields a little 10-inch brookie. Good, there is trout life down there after all. I rebait the trap, continue jigging, but everything remains quiet for the next 45 minutes. Boy, the fishing sure is slow this morning… Three guys are on the pond checking for ice thickness and one walks my way. He brings me luck because the flag goes up when he is within 40 ft. from the trap. This time, the spool is turning fast. I lift the tip-up, let go of some line, wait for the slack to be removed by the fish, and set the hook. I land one of the coveted larger trout! This one measures 14 inches. I chat with the guy and his friends about fishing in the area and then they move on. Nothing happens over the next hour and I’m thinking of calling it good. Another person comes by for a chat. He lives in one of the houses by the dam and regularly fishes Shirley Pond. He confirms that this water body regularly yields two-pound brookies through the ice and in the spring. I file that intel for future reference…

This skinny fish was truly a “last minute” brookie!

It is now 10:30 am and time to head back home. I leave my one trap in place and walk around to gather my gear which is spread all over. I am so hoping for one more flag… I am stashing everything in my sled and start walking to the trap when its flag goes up. No way!! I let go of the sled, run towards the action, see the spool turning, and set the hook. Yes siree, I caught me a third (13-inch) brookie. I am satisfied with my morning, even though the action was slow. I landed three brookies which were all released; two were my target size. Surprisingly, I had no competition from other anglers, which is always the way I like it.

The results: I caught three brookies (largest = 14 inches) in 3 hours of slow 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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