Tag Archives: trolling

Fishing for brook trout on Grenell Pond in Greenville, Piscataquis County (May 9, 2021)

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Grenell Pond supports a native and genetically pure brook trout population

 

Grenell Pond is a small 6-acre body of water located a few miles outside of Greenville, Piscataquis County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 41 D3). Access is via an old logging road off the Katahdin Iron Works (KI) Road. I was able to easily find it using my phone’s GPS thanks to a strong signal coming from Greenville. The KI Road, and the side road leading to the pond, are rough in spots but quite drivable using a regular car. Hence, no need for a four wheel-drive vehicle. The pond is accessible by foot via a short forest trail. Only hand-carried craft can be launched on it.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Echo Lake in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, Maine (May 9, 2021).

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The boat launch for Echo Lake is by Ikes Point off Busy Route 102.

 

Echo Lake covers 237 acres and is partially located in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island (MDI) in Hancock County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 C2). Access is down an unnamed Park road off Route 102. Look for the “Ikes Point” sign. Drive down this short Park road, passed the parking lot, to the public boat launch at the end. The unimproved sandy launch can accommodate trailered boats. Keep in mind that boat engines over 10 HP are not allowed on this water body. Also, be aware that you will need a pass to legally park your vehicle anywhere inside the Park, including here. The pass can be purchased on-line or at the visitor center on MDI, among other places.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Lower Hadlock Pond in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, Maine (May 9, 2021)

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The access point can only accommodate hand-carried craft. The rock jutting out in the pond is a great place to fish from shore!

 

Lower Hadlock Pond covers 39 acres and is located in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island (MDI) in Hancock County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 C3). Access is a couple of 100 ft. down Hadlock Pond Road off busy Route 3/198. Be aware that you will need a pass to legally park your vehicle anywhere inside the Park, including here. The pass can be purchased on-line or at the visitor center on MDI, among other places. The launch site can only accommodate hand-carried crafts, such as a canoe or kayak. Parking is along the road shoulder or a nearby small Park-managed gravel parking lot.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Upper Hadlock Pond in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, Maine (May 9, 2021)

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The public access point by the outlet can only accommodate hand-carried crafts

 

Upper Hadlock Pond covers 35 acres and is located in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island (MDI) in Hancock County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 C3). Access is via Route 3/198 which runs parallel to the entire western shoreline of the pond. Be aware that you will need a pass to legally park your vehicle anywhere inside the Park, including here. The pass can be purchased on-line or at the visitor center on MDI, among other places. The public launch site by the outlet on Route 3/198 can only accommodate hand-carried crafts, such as a canoe or kayak. Parking is along the road shoulder or a nearby small Park-managed gravel parking lot.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Lake Wood in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, Maine (May 8, 2021).

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I did not anticipate this situation… I ended up hauling my canoe up to the pond.

 

Lake Wood covers 16 acres and is located in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island (MDI) in Hancock County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 B3). Access to this pond is via Lake Wood Road off Crooked Road. Be aware that you will need a pass to legally park your car anywhere inside the Park, including here. The pass can be purchased on-line or at the visitor center on MDI, among other places. I reach Lake Wood Road at 2:30 pm and am surprised to see that the park gate is closed. Crap… I park my truck on the shoulder of Crooked Road and walk around the gate to reconnoiter. It is about a half-mile stroll up and down a good gravel road to reach the parking lot and then the pond itself. Unfortunately, I left my canoe wheels at home because I did not anticipate this situation. And I do not want to carry my canoe all the way in. So, I head back out, put on my hip boots, pick up my ultralight spinning rod and reel, and walk back in. I start casting out a #2 Mepps spinner full of anticipation when I suddenly feel water trickling into my right hip boot. You have gotta be kidding me! The boot sprung a leak somewhere. I grit my teeth, walk back out, offload the canoe on my back, and walk back in. I then make one last trip to bring in the rest of my fishing gear. Thank goodness, I can finally start fishing one and a half hour behind schedule, and four miles later!

 

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Fishing for landlocked Atlantic salmon and brook trout in Pierce Pond, Pierce Pond Township, Somerset County, Maine (May 2, 2021)

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Cobb’s Camp, my base of operation for the weekend.

 

Pierce Pond is a 1650-acre protected gem located in Pierce Pond Township, Somerset County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 30 A2). I have visited this beautiful three-basin lake (Lower Pond, Middle Pond, and Upper Pond) annually for well over 20 years during the long Memorial Day weekend at the end of May. The goal, always, is to catch landlocked Atlantic salmon and brook trout on dry flies during the spectacular mayfly hatches that peak during that period. This year, I wanted to mix things up a bit by fishing on opening day, which on this lake is May 1. I made prior arrangements with Cobb’s Camp to stay in one of their cozy cabins for two nights and spare me the hassle of having to haul out and set up my camping gear.

 

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Fishing for landlocked Atlantic salmon on Long Lake, Naples, Maine (May 3, 2020)

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The sign for the boat launch in downtown Naples off Route 302. Beware that this access is reserved for Naples residents.

 

Long Lake is a 4,867-acre body of water located in the towns of Naples, Bridgton, and Harisson in Cumberland County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 A5). I access the lake this morning via the Naples town beach and boat launch at Kent’s Landing in downtown Naples, right off Route 302. It is only after I take a picture of the sign by Route 302 and read its fine print that I realize this access is in fact not public but available for use only by “Naples residents and taxpayers”… No one was checking when I arrived at 5:15 this morning and the entrance is not gated, so I do not know how vigorously this rule is enforced during normal operating hours. Two other boat launches are available: one at Plummer Landing in Bridgton off Route 302, and the other at the northern tip of the lake off Route 35 in Harrison. The launch at Kent’s Landing in Naples is spacious and improved, and provides ample parking, plus bathroom facilities.

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Fishing for splake on Trickey Pond, Naples, Maine (April 24, 2020)

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Trickey Pond has a nice hard-top boat launch

 

Trickey Pond is a 311-acre body of water located in Naples, Cumberland County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 B5). Public access is through a high-quality boat launch located right off Route 114 at the southern end of the pond. Ample parking is available. The pond and I are old acquaintances. I have ice fished it multiple times over the last 25 years (click here and here for recent examples) on account of its high-quality salmon, splake, and smallmouth bass fishery. In fact, I have caught my largest landlocked salmon (5.5 pounds) and splake (4.5 pounds) through the ice out of this pond. However, beware that even though the quality of the fish is high, the quantity is extremely low… One definitely has to put in the time to decipher this little gem and earn the right to land a fish.

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Fishing for brown trout and brook trout on Middle Range Pond, Poland, Maine (April 23, 2020)

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The passageway underneath Range Hill Road. Middle Range Pond is visible in the background.

 

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). This pond is the second of the three interconnected Range Pond chain-of-lakes (i.e., upper, middle, and lower). The middle and upper ponds actually share a public boat launch which is located off Range Hill Road, at the downstream end of upper pond. A narrow passage underneath this road allows boats to access middle pond. Plenty of parking is available at the launch site. Note that the stretch of water between this passageway and Middle Range Pond extends for about a third of a mile, is really shallow (1-2 ft deep), and overgrown with aquatic vegetation later on in the season. It is actually a great spot for catching largemouth bass in May and June, but that is not why I’m here for today.

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Fishing for rainbow trout on Silver Lake in Sidney and Manchester, Kennebec County, Maine (April 18, 2020)

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Silver Lake (a.k.a. Figure Eight Pond) is a 29-acre two-lobed body of water located in Sidney and Manchester, Kennebec County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 12 B5). Click here for directions on how to reach this location. I note for the record that both Baxter Drive and Community Drive have a panel nailed to a tree along the side of the road stating “dead end”. Just pass those signs and keep on going until you reach the pond.

 

View of the rough boat launch with the southern lobe in the background

 

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