Round Pond is a 161-acre body of water located in Livermore, Androscoggin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 A5). The public access point is by the hard boat launch which is clearly indicated by a blue sign on Route 4. The launch is spacious and provides ample parking. It is also far enough from nearby busy Route 4 that the traffic noise does not intrude on the calm surroundings.
View of the boat launch at the southern tip of Pleasant Pond with the small cement dam on the right.
Pleasant Pond is a 192-acre body of water located in Turner, Androscoggin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 C5). The public access point is a hard boat launch which is not shown in my 2019 Gazetteer. This launch is located by a small cement dam and the outlet at the southern tip of the pond, right off Pleasant Pond Road. Parking is limited to a few vehicles. Beware not to park in front of the hard suction hose that gives firefighters access to lake water in case of a fire emergency.
The public access point is obstructed by cement blocks. Only hand-carried craft can be launched from this location.
Worthley Pond is a 42-acre body of water located in Poland, Androscoggin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 A3). The public access point is located at the northern tip of the pond. From route 122, turn on Worthley Pond Road and hang a right at the Y. After that split, the road has two deep dips that fill up with water after a rainstorm. They look daunting when full and when approached in a smaller vehicle but are safe to drive through because the substrate at the bottoms of these dips is solid. Note that the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer shows a trailerable boat launch. That information is inaccurate. The access point has been obstructed for years with large cement blocks which only allow passage to hand-carried craft. Plenty of parking is available by the launch area.
I am determined to fish the Golden Hour this morning!
Upper Range Pond is a 391-acre body of water located in Poland, Androscoggin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 A3). The public boat ramp is located next to Range Hill Road at the northern tip of the pond by the causeway bridge. The cement launch can accommodate large boats. Plenty of parking for vehicles with trailers is available next to the ramp or along the road shoulder.
The public launch at the northern end of Worthley Pond only allows for hand-carried craft.
Worthley Pond is a 42-acre body of water located in Poland, Androscoggin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 A3). To reach the public access point from Route 26, turn onto Route 122 towards Auburn, drive for 1.4 miles passed the signage for Range Pond State Park, and turn right on Worthley Pond Road. Drive down that road for 0.2 miles; it is rough in spots but drivable all the way with a regular car. The access to the pond is on the left. Beware that The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer – at least my 2019 version – shows that the launch can accommodate trailed boats. That was true in the past but is no longer the case. The access has been obstructed for years by two large cement blocks so that only hand-carried craft can be launched from this location.
Lower Range Pond is a 290-acre body of water located in Poland, Androscoggin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5A3). The public access point is situated at the southeastern end of the pond, within Range Pond State Park. The entrance to the park is clearly indicated by an iconic brown state park sign on Route 122. After entering the park, drive straight down the road to the huge parking area. The sandy boat launch is found towards the back end of that lot. The gate is open and the booth unattended when I enter the park this afternoon. The place is empty, except for a lone kayaker and a few walkers.
Greg’s very first fish ever! He won’t forget this moment anytime soon.
Greg, my 11-year-old great nephew, is visiting us from far, far away. He is a city kid who has never held a rod in his hands before. He has asked me five times over the last two days if I can go fishing with him… Where should one bring a child who has no clue how to cast a lure, has a 5-minute attention span, and absolutely needs to feel a scaly creature on the other end of the line? One of those winning spots is the Androscoggin River below the hydroelectric dam in Lisbon Falls. I have visited that location in summers’ past to catch smallmouth bass and did well (see here and here for examples). The public access is found about 1 mile south of downtown Lisbon Falls on Route 196 (Lewiston Road) and is called the Pejepscot boat ramp (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 6 B2). This hard-topped launch is spacious and offers unlimited parking.
Shawn is the first one to catch bass this morning.
Shawn, an angler friend from away, would like to experience the awesome smallmouth bass fishing on the Androscoggin River. I decide to check out the conditions on the river in Durham where I have fished for bronzebacks in summers’ past and did well (see here and here for examples). The hard-top boat launch next to Route 136 (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 A5) is spacious and offers unlimited parking.
Middle Range Pond is a 366-acre body of water located in Poland, Androscoggin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 A3). To access this pond, drive on Route 26 and look for Cyndi’s Dockside Restaurant located at the northwestern tip of the pond. Beware that this access point is part of a privately owned marina and that the restaurant folks charge a $20 fee to launch a boat from their ramp. If you are planning on using a motorized craft, a free alternative is to use the public boat ramp on Upper Range Pond off Range Hill Road, and motor underneath the road bridge into Middle Range Pond. That is not an issue for me this morning since I am not fishing from a boat but from waders. However, I suspect that the owners may frown upon anglers leaving their vehicles at the restaurant parking lot. I therefore leave my vehicle on the shoulder of Route 26 close to the premise and access the pond by crossing the road guard rail instead of walking on private property.
Matt catches the very first smallmouth bass of the afternoon!
My 16-year-old nephew Matt flew in from away to spend some time in Maine learning to fish with his uncle. He is a total novice at the sport and I need to ensure that he catches and stays engaged! He cannot properly cast, nor can he aim with any degree of accuracy. I must therefore find a place where he can cast without the need to be accurate and where the fish are abundant and aggressive. I set my eyes on putting him on smallmouth bass on the Androscoggin River in front of the Otis hydropower station in Livermore, Androscoggin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 A5). I have had good luck at this location in the past. Click here, here, and here for earlier blogs on this spot and for directions on how to reach it. Keep in mind that you will need a canoe or kayak to fish this section of the river.
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