Smallmouth bass fishing on Dundee Pond, Windham, Maine (July 12, 2014)

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Dundee Pond is a 197-acre body of water located in Windham and Gorham, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 D2). A public launch is located off Windham Center Road right below the North Gorham Pond Dam in Windham. This access point has parking for about eight cars but can only accommodate hand-carried craft. The stretch of water between the launch and the pond itself consists of about a quarter mile of the Presumpscot River. The current is steady and relatively strong which requires kayakers and canoeists to paddle their way back up after they’re done fishing on the pond. An alternative approach, which bypasses this flowing water altogether, is to launch an hand-carried craft from the sandy beach at Dundee Park located at the end of Dundee Road off River Road in Windham. The park is open from 8 am until sunset but charges an entry fee of $4 per adult (12 years and older) and $2 per child (2 to12 years). Click here for more information. I also attempted to access the pond at the Dundee Pond dam located at the end of Dundee Road (off Hurricane Road in Gorham) but turned around when I noticed that the road was posted as “no trespassing”.

 

 

 

 

Dundee Pond is the second of several small hydroelectric impoundments (the first one is North Gorham Pond) located on the upper reach of the Presumpscot River. This river starts at Sebago Lake Basin in Windham and empties out in the Atlantic Ocean in Falmouth. The pond is a true hidden gem located less than 10 miles from Portland. The surrounding landscape is completely forested. Only a few houses dot the shoreline. The water is crystal clear, which is no surprise since its source is mighty Sebago Lake itself. The short section of the Presumpscot River between the launch and the pond is about 30-40 ft wide and fairly deep (up to 5 ft), with a substrate consisting of coble and boulders, and lots of sunken logs. However, the bottom of the pond itself, at least those areas visible in the shallows around the shore line, is rather featureless: no boulders, no sunken wood, or other holding structure. Aquatic vegetation grows in selected spots in shallow areas but is otherwise rather sparse.

 

 

The fishing rules for bass on Dundee Pond fall under the General Law provisions. An occasional trout or landlocked salmon may drop over North Gorham Dam and make its way to the pond. However, those numbers must be insignificant since the state does not have special rules (besides General Law) for salmonids on this body of water.  The pond has a maximum depth of 41 ft and an average depth of 13 ft. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information.

 

 

 

 

 

I reach the access point at 8:30 am with my 11-year old nephew Christian. The sky is blue and bright; it is also wind still, with air temps in the low 70s but expected to climb into the mid-80s later on today. We quickly launch my canoe on the Presumpscot River and allow the current to carry us downstream towards our destination. It takes about 10-15 minutes to reach the pond, during which I catch a tiny largemouth bass (11”) and Christian lands an even smaller smallmouth bass (9”). We’re both using soft stickbaits. We follow the shoreline on the left-hand side (looking downstream), past the sandy beach at Dundee Park. We fish whatever structure or vegetation we can find. The action is slow but we do catch several smallmouths, all of which are invariably small (<12”) however. At one point, Christian whispers: “Look, uncle Stan, a large bass!” He points to the right of the canoe towards a fish that slowly swims away from us over the featureless expanse of bottom. We both cast our stickbaits in its general direction, and it is uncle Stan who’s rewarded 10 seconds later by a heavy feeling at the other end if his line, which yields a feisty 14” bronzeback! We’ve now reached about halfway down the pond and need to turn around. We decide to troll our way back up. I switch to a 6” Rapalla but Christian keeps his stickbait. That tactic yields another smallmouth bass for each of us. Christian complaints that his arms are tired just as we reach the flowing stretch… This is not time to give up, considering that we have to paddle upstream to get back to the launch. I keep on encouraging him not to give up. I love doing this outdoorsy stuff with my nephew because so many life lessons are embedded in it!

 

The results: I caught four bass (size range = 9” to 14”) and Christian caught six bass (size range = 8” to 12”) in two hours of 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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