Tag Archives: Raymond

Smallmouth bass fishing on Crescent Lake in Raymond, Maine (June 18, 2016)

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The Crescent Lake boat launch is wide and spacious but comes right off busy Route 85

The Crescent Lake boat launch is wide and spacious but comes right off busy Route 85

Crescent Lake is a 716-acre body of water located in Raymond, Maine (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 B2). It is part of an interconnected waterway consisting of four lakes (namely Raymond Pond, Crescent Lake, Panther Pond, and Sebago Lake) and three streams (namely an unnamed and non-navigable stream connecting Raymond Pond to Crescent Lake, the navigable Tenney River connecting Crescent Lake to Panther Pond, and the navigable Panther Run connecting Panther Pond to Jordan Bay in Sebago Lake). The public access point to Crescent Lake is located at its southern tip next to Route 85. The launch is hard-topped and can accommodate big boats. Parking is on the shoulder of Route 85. However, beware that maneuvering the boat to get it down the ramp occurs on busy Route 85 itself.

 

 

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Brook trout fishing on Panther Run in Raymond, Maine (April 21, 2016)

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We launch the canoe in the large pool across from the retaining wall

We launch the canoe in the large pool across from the retaining wall

Panther Run (a.k.a. Jordan River) is formed by the outlet of Panther Pond in Raymond, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 C2). The river starts at the dam on Mill Street and flows for one or so convoluted mile towards Jordan Bay in Sebago Lake. The big pool along the retaining wall by the dam is an accessible and popular brook trout fishing hole (click here for details). The river in the immediate vicinity of the dam flows briskly in early spring and has a substrate consisting of coarse sand, gravel and cobbles. In fact, the water flow and substrate composition are such that landlocked Atlantic salmon migrate up from Sebago Lake every fall to lay their eggs in this stretch of the river. But don’t be fooled… The character of the river changes dramatically no more than about 1000 ft downstream of the dam: the current slows down considerably, the banks widen up and become severely eroded, the water deepens in many places, and the substrate is made up entirely of fine white sand. The bottom is also carpeted with branches and other woody debris.

 

 

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Lake trout fishing on Sebago Lake, Cumberland County, Maine (November 1, 2015)

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The sun playing with shadows and the shoreline of Sebago lake

The sun painting shadows along the shoreline of Sebago lake

Sebago Lake is the Crown Jewel of southern Maine’s lake region. The two key salmonid species in this system are the landlocked Atlantic salmon and the lake trout. My goal this afternoon is to help my 12-year old nephew Christian catch a salmon! I haven’t introduced him yet to salmon fishing, but we’ve talked many times in the past about the exhilaration of hooking one of those beauties: the bite, the fight, the jumps, and the excitement of it all. I’d love for him to make that experience, because he’s more than ready for it. I’ve trained him for a while now to fish with lead core line for white perch and bass. He has clearly shown the tenacity and shear doggedness required to troll the big water for landlocked Atlantic salmon.

 

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Smallmouth bass fishing on Panther Pond, Raymond, Maine (September 5, 2015)

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The fog over Panther Pond is being burned off by the rising sun

The fog over Panther Pond is being burned off by the rising sun

Panther Pond is a 1,439-acre body of water located in Raymond, Maine (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 C2). Access is via an unimproved dirt launch located right before the outlet dam on Mill Street. This launch, which can accommodate larger power boats, is rather steep with a surface consisting of sand and rocks. It can be useful to use a 4X4 vehicle to launch and retrieve motored vessels from this location. Parking for trailered vehicles is “rough” on the side of the road; space is available for only a handful of cars or trucks. A small parking area is located on the opposite side of the dam but can only hold vehicles without trailers. An alternative access option is to release a boat at the official hard-top launch on the southern tip of Crescent Lake (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 B2) and navigate into Panther Pond via the Tenney River.

 

 

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Smallmouth bass fishing on Panther Pond, Raymond, Maine (May 8, 2015)

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The eastern shoreline of Panther Pond, with Betty's Neck in the left background.

The eastern shoreline of Panther Pond, with Betty’s Neck in the left background.

Some of the best smallmouth bass fishing on Maine lakes occurs in mid-spring when the fish are moving in-shore to prepare to lay their eggs. Typical smallmouth bass spawning habitat consists of a clean, rocky and bouldery shoreline in 2 to 10 ft of water, with easy access to nearby deeper water. The fish start moving in these shallows when the water temperature reaches the low 50’s in early May. Actual spawning typically starts towards the end of May when the water temperature hovers between the high 50’s and mid 60’s. The smallmouths feed aggressively in May in order to fatten up in preparation for the spawn. The goal, therefore, is to position oneself at the right place and the right time, using the right lure and the right fishing technique, in order to take advantage of this short window of opportunity.

 

 

 

 

 

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Brook trout fishing on Panther Run, Raymond, Maine (April 28, 2014)

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View of Panther Run from the dam

View of Panther Run from the dam

Panther Run (a.k.a. the Jordan River) is the outlet of Panther Pond. It starts at the Panther Pond dam by Mill Street and runs for roughly 1.5 river miles until it flows underneath Route 302 into Sebago Lake in Raymond. In early spring, melt water from the Crescent Lake and Panther Pond watersheds pours out into Panther Run via a long shute in the dam. This action creates a raging, roiling pool at the foot of the dam which attracts lots of brook trout. Note that the State stocks Panther Run each spring with several hundred brookies once in April and twice in May. Click here for the latest fish stocking data.

 

 

 

 

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Ice fishing for pickerel on Panther Pond, Raymond, Maine (January 26, 2014)

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Panther Pond covers 1,439 acres and is located in Raymond, Cumberland County (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 B2). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. My 11-year old nephew Christian calls me up in the late morning to ask if I want to go ice fishing with him. I wasn’t planning on it because I’ve been toiling since 6 am to complete a project for work. On the other hand, I’ve been locked up for too long and need to breathe in some fresh air. I tell him that I can spare a few hours to go pickerel fishing with him on Panther Pond. Our target is the large shallow bay just south of the peninsula called Betty’s Neck. The bay, which has a maximum depth of about 4 ft, is a reliable area for catching pickerel, yellow perch, and even an occasional largemouth bass through the ice. Access to the bay is via a snowmobile trail which starts at Giselle Lane, located off Route 121 just before the pond appears on the right (going north).

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Bass fishing on the Tenny River, Raymond, Maine (June 22, 2013)

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General view of the Tenny River: broad and very shallow.

General view of the Tenny River: broad and very shallow.

The Tenny River connects Crescent Lake to Panther Pond in Raymond, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 B2). Calling this body of water a “river” is somewhat of a misnomer. It is essentially a 1.5-mile long, shallow thoroughfare. However, the current definitely flows in a southerly direction, from Crescent Lake into Panther Pond. The Tenny River is wide (60 to > 100 ft) but very shallow (1 to 3 ft for the most part). Both banks of the river are lined with trees and woods, providing a nice and “remote” feel. The substrate consists mainly of coarse sand and gravel/pebbles, interspersed with larger rocks. The bottom is either bare or covered with aquatic submerged plants. The water is crystal clear. The limited bass habitat, consisting of weedy shallows and submerged wood, is all congregated along the shoreline. The rest of the river is otherwise pretty featureless and does not provide attractive habitat.

 

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