Mount Blue Pond is a 134-acre body of water located in Avon, Franklin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 19 B3). From Route 4 (Rangeley Road), turn on Mount Blue Pond Road and drive for 2.3 miles all the way to the public access point. The first half of this road is paved, whereas the remainder is a high-quality dirt road. From the looks of it, it appears that the entire road is plowed during the winter months up to the public access point, but no further. Plenty of parking space is available along the road shoulder by the access.
Holy mackerel, Mount Blue Pond is a popular place for the hard-water aficionados this morning!
Mount Blue Pond is a pretty and largely undeveloped lake found just to the northeast of Mount Blue State Park. The pond is managed primarily to support a splake fishery via an annual stocking program. Last year, the state released a total of about 7 splake per acre during spring and fall, which provides decent odds of catching one of those fish. Brown trout are also stocked, but less frequently and at a much lower density (typically, 1 to 2 fish per acre). My goal, therefore, is to catch splake this morning. The other “fishable” species in this water consist of smallmouth bass and white perch. The pond has a special status in the winter because – unlike most water bodies in Franklin County – the fishing rules state that it is open to ice fishing with up to five lines and the use of live bait is allowed. The pond has a maximum and mean depth of 38 ft and 17 ft, respectively. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information.
A peaceful early-morning view of Mount Blue Pond from the public access point.
I arrive at the large parking area by the public access point to Mount Blue Pond at 7 am. I layer up heavily and walk on the ice pulling my sled and gear 15 minutes later. Two other guys are getting ready too; it looks like I’m not going to be the only one on the ice today. The air temperature is a nippy 9°F and forecast to rise later today into the mid-20’s under a blazing sun in a cloudless blue sky. A persistent breeze creates a biting wind chill: I came ready and place two disposable hand warmers in my coat pockets so I can curl my cold fingers around them, as needed. Where should I fish this morning? This is my first visit and I do not know the lay-out or secrets of this place. I printed out the depth map last evening to study its details and decided to set up shop in the deepest part of the lake (> 30 ft deep) which is located to the right of the access point, passed a little peninsula. Keep in mind that a splake is a sterile hatchery cross obtained by fertilizing lake trout eggs with brook trout sperm. As a result, this hybrid fish has a double personality, with the brook trout half wanting to stay shallow/high in the water column and the lake trout half preferring more profundal areas. During past hard-water fishing for this species on Trickey Pond in Naples, Cumberland County, I have caught them right off the bottom, in mid-water, and a few feet below the ice in 30+ ft. of water. So, I will fish the same general depth profile this morning and see what happens. Also, splake action is never flaming hot; I will be satisfied if I can land one of the creatures this morning, but more is always better 😊.
This small 14-inch splake is the one and only fish I caught this morning. But it is my target species!
I use my auger to drill four tip-up holes spread across my target area. The ice is a solid – but unimpressive – 17 inches thick. I’m glad that the one inch of crunchy snow on top makes for easy walking. I deploy my traps with the 2-inch baitfish placed 2 ft off the bottom, 12 ft off the bottom, 15 ft below the ice, and 5 ft below the ice, thereby targeting the entire water column from top to bottom. I use a small sounding lead to measure the depth at each hole to place the baitfish at the proper depth. As always, I first pin a salmon egg on the hook to enhance the visual and olfactory attractiveness of my offerings. My four traps are deployed by 7:45 am, without triggering a flag. I then drill an additional dozen holes all around my 4 tip-ups to serve as jigging holes. I decide to fish the jigging lure exclusively 2 ft off the bottom to see if I can dredge up not only a splake, but also a bass. More people walk on the ice. Mount Blue Pond is becoming a busy place this morning. The flag from the trap with the baitfish placed 12 above the bottom goes off about 20 minutes later. I run to the hole, use the sharp blade of my skimmer to break apart the thin layer of ice that has reformed on top of the water, and observe the spool slowly turning with the braided line coming off at a shallow angle pointing towards the bottom. Yes! I lift the trap, unspool a few feet of extra line, and set the hook. An angry response at the other end tells me that I have connected with a fish which turns out to be a 14-inch splake. It is not much but it is my target species! Unfortunately, that is the one, and only flag, of the entire morning… I also jig for close to 3 hours and do not get a single bite. Finally, none of the baitfish are missing or maimed when I retrieve my traps at the end of my stay. I conclude that the one splake caught earlier was a lucky one-off… But I already made up my mind: I will return during spring time to troll this pretty pond and try my luck again.
The results: I landed one 14-inch splake in 3.5 hours of slooow ice 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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