Tag Archives: trolling

Trout and salmon fishing on Pierce Pond, Pierce Pond Township, Maine (May 22 to 24, 2014)

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Upper Pierce Pond all to myself during my early-morning troll

Upper Pierce Pond is all mine during my early-morning troll

Pierce Pond is a gem of a lake nestled in the mountains of central Somerset County (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 30 A2). It consists of three basins (lower, middle and upper) connected by shallow, boulder-infested thoroughfares. The water is crystal clear and its quality is superb. This water body, which covers 1,650 acres, is completely surrounded by a protected forested watershed. Hence, civilization intrudes minimally, except for a few grand-fathered camps in Lindsay Cove. The entire shoreline is deeply wooded and not a single dock or house is visible anywhere, except for Cobb’s Camp. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information.

 

 

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Trout fishing on Otter Pond #2, Standish, Maine (November 10, 2013)

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General view of Otter Pond #2

General view of Otter Pond #2

Otter Pond #2 is a 12-acre body of water located in Standish, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 D1; note that on the Google map above, Otter Pond #2 is the pond just below the one indicated by the red pin). Read this blog for directions on how to access this pond. Otter Pond #2 is a widely popular spot for early ice fishing, but gets little or no pressure in the fall after it is stocked for the winter season. My son Joel and I arrive at the largest of the two parking lots off Route 35 by 8:15 am. As expected, we’re all by ourselves, which suits us just fine. We place his canoe on canoe wheels, load up the car battery, electric trolling engine, and our fishing gear in the boat, and haul everything down the Mountain Division Trail to our destination. I checked the stocking report on-line the day before; the State released a truckload of brookies in this pond last week which should make for good fishing.

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Trout fishing on Otter Pond #2, Standish, Maine (April 14, 2013)

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Otter Pond #2 is a 12-acre body of water located in Standish, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 D1). My son Joel and I arrive at the largest of the two parking lots off Route 35 by 7:15 am. We place his motorized canoe on canoe wheels, load up the engine and our fishing gear in the boat, and haul everything for about a mile down the Mountain Division Trail. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. We were quite successful catching trout on this pond in November of last year (click here and here for more details) and are looking for a repeat this time. The state stocked this water body on Tuesday April 9, 2012 with lots of 10” brookies, but spiced up the action with much larger 16” brookies, which are the focus of our attention today.

 

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Landlocked salmon fishing on Sebago Lake, Maine (April 7, 2013)

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Sebago Lake (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 C1) is the largest lake in southern Maine and the second largest one in the state. This body of water is well known throughout the region for its superb landlocked salmon and lake trout fishery. The fishing strategy today is to troll along the northern shore of the lake, between Thompson’s Point and Cub Cove, in the general area of Sebago Lake State Park where the Crooked River enters the lake. The north shore is a popular early-season spot to catch landlocks and lakers: these fish are eagerly chasing after schools of rainbow smelt which are getting organized in that general area to migrate up the Crooked River for their annual spring spawning runs.

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Lake trout fishing on Sebago Lake, Cumberland County, Maine (December 2, 2012)

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A cool, foggy, and drizzly morning on Sebago Lake

Sebago Lake (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 C1) is considered a prime landlocked salmon fishery in southern Maine. The state enhances the natural reproduction that occurs in its main tributary, the Crooked River, by stocking the lake with juvenile salmon annually in the spring. I arrive at East Sebago off Route 114 at 7:10 am to meet up with my son Joel. We are going to troll for landlocked salmon and lake trout above and around the sunken ridge that lays about 1.5 miles due east of East Sebago. This large structure, which rises from >100 ft deep and levels off about 35-40 ft below the surface of the water, is a well-known “fish attractor”. The morning is cool, foggy, and drizzly, which suits us just fine. The air temperature is in the low 30’s but there’s hardly any wind. We don’t see another soul on the lake. It looks like everyone else has stored their rods, even though there is still plenty of opportunity for open-water action even this late in the season… We select slender silver-and-blue DB Smelt spoons which have worked well for us on Sebago Lake in the past, and use downriggers to bring them to the right depth.

 

 

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Trout fishing on Cold Rain Pond, Naples, Maine (November 25, 2012)

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View of Cold Rain Pond from the public access point

Cold Rain Pond is located in Naples (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 B5). Access to this pond is as follows: hang a left onto Kimball Corner Road when driving north on Route 114/11 in North Sebago. Turn left on Tiger Hill Road after just over 3 miles. This road is located across from Lake House Road (look for the sculptures of three black bears). The access point to the pond, which is on the left after about 0.5 mile, consists of an unimproved launch which cannot accommodate trailered boats. Be aware that Tiger Hill Road is rough, rutted, and bouldery, and may require a 4X4 vehicle.

 

 

 

 

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Trout fishing on Otter Pond #2, Standish, Maine (November 18, 2012)

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Joel and I decide to again visit Otter Pond #2 in Standish (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 D1) after our successful trout fishing experience last week (click here on how to access this 12-acre pond). The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife nicely stocks the pond with a truckload of brook trout each spring and fall. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information.

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Trout fishing on Otter Pond #2, Standish, Maine (November 11, 2012)

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General view of Otter Pond #2, with the railroad tracks in the background

Otter Pond #2 is located in Standish (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 D1). This pond is one of four small ponds located right off Route 35 (Chadbourne Road). Access to the pond is on foot from the two parking lots located on either side of the bridge over the old railroad tracks. The shortest way in is to walk about a quarter mile on the tracks until the pond appears on the right. Joel and I instead take the long way in (> 0.5 mile), via the Mountain Division Trail which starts at the largest of the two parking lots. We are wheeling Joel’s canoe, and all our fishing gear, on this nice gravel road which passes next to Otter Pond #2. Our goal today is to troll for trout.

 

 

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Landlocked salmon fishing on Sebago Lake, Cumberland County, Maine (October 8, 2012)

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Sebago Lake (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 C1) is considered a prime landlock salmon fishery in southern Maine. The state enhances the natural reproduction that occurs in the Crooked River by stocking the lake with juvenile salmon annually in the spring. I arrive in East Sebago off Route 114 at 9:30 am and am picked up at the shoreline by my sons Joel and Jonathan who have been trolling the area since early morning. They have focused their attention above and around the sunken ridge that lays about 1.5 miles to the east of East Sebago. This ridge rises from >100 ft deep and levels off about 35-40 ft below the surface of the water. It’s a fine morning: cool (lower 40’s), mostly overcast with heazy sunshine, and a gentle southwestern breeze. Rain is forecast for late afternoon. The surface water temperature varies from 59° to 61°F, and the fish finder marks fish 15-30 ft down. We’re using downriggers to troll our lures at these depths. We present spoons of different shapes and colors to figure out what the salmon want today. Jonathan caught an 11” baby salmon on a yellow-colored Mooselook spoon before my arrival. We seriously tease him about it!

 

 

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Tips to catch more landlocked Atlantic salmon when trolling

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Many freshwater anglers view the landlocked Atlantic salmon as the King of Fish. And for good reason: pound for pound, no other species has the power, strength, and stamina of this beautiful creature. Seeing a 24” landlock arch high into the air after it is hooked is a heart-stopping experience! This subspecies of Salmo salar is a dwarf variety of the mighty sea-run Atlantic salmon. Even though the landlocked salmon remains relatively small in size, it has lost none of the superb fighting and jumping qualities of its larger anadromous cousin.

Here are some proven tips to increase your chances of catching these magnificent fighters.

 

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