Etna Pond is a 361-acre body of water located in Etna, Penobscot County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 22 B3). The public access is found on the western side of the pond. From Route 143 (Lankins Road), look for mailbox #88 next to the Penobscot Valley Calvary Chapel. Turn onto Town Landing Road and drive for 0.3 miles straight to the boat launch. The ramp is improved and can accommodate large boats. Plenty of parking is available.
Look for this sign on Newburgh Road to reach the boat launch on Hermon Pond.
Hermon Pond is a 461-acre body of water located in Hermon, Penobscot County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 22 B5). The public access point is found on the western side of the pond in Hermon Pond Park at the end of Jackson Beach Road off Newburgh Road. The cement boat launch is spacious, and the huge adjoining parking lot can accommodate dozens of vehicles.
View of Rockhaven Lake from the bridge over the outlet. I fished in my waders along the shoreline to the left of this picture.
Rock Haven Lake (a.k.a. Adams Pond) is a 210-acre body of water located in Newfield, York County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 A2). The public access point is found about 100 ft. from the outlet, across from where Route 11 joins up with Route 110. This unmarked walk-in path provides parking for a few cars along the road shoulder. Only hand-carried craft can be launched from this location because it lacks a boat launch.
View of the boat launch at the northern tip of Echo Lake. The Taylor Pond outlet is to the right of this picture.
Echo Lake (a.k.a. Crotched Pond) is a 1,105-acre body of water located in Fayette, Kennebec County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 12 A2). Access is via the public boat launch found just downstream of the low dam at the northern tip of the lake, off Desert Pond Road. Beware that the put-in above the dam on the opposite side of the road is for Taylor Pond, which is an impoundment of Hopkins Stream. The Echo Lake launch is spacious and hard-topped, and offers a large parking area with a permanent outhouse.
Songo Pond is a 224-acre body of water located in Albany, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 10 B3). The unmarked public access point is found right next to Route 5/35 (Songo Pond Road) a couple of hundred feet north of house number 754. It consists of a rough, bouldery launch for hand-carried craft and a small dirt parking area next to the road that can accommodate a few vehicles.
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 North Pond from the dam by the outlet
North Pond is a 164-acre of water located in Sumner, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 C3). The access point is located next to a small dam by the outlet at the southern tip of the pond. Reaching that dam is a bit tricky. From North Buckfield Road, look for an unnamed dirt road sandwiched between house numbers 377 and 387. This 0.9-mile dirt road – which is really more of a wide ATV trail – is rough in places and requires a vehicle with high clearance. Four-wheel drive is useful but not a necessity. It can be confusing to stay on this road because it has several turn-offs along the way in. I used the GPS function on my phone to make sure that my truck always pointed in the correct (i.e., north) direction. The launch is sandy and unimproved. The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer shows a gate a couple of 100 ft before the outlet. This gate, which I think is owned by the Buckfield Village Corporation (Water District), was open when I reached it, but smashed by a fallen tree. So, it will remain “open” until fixed.
View of Kennebunk Pond from the launch area.
Kennebunk Pond is a 224-acre body of water located in Lyman, York County, Maine (see The Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 B5). To reach this location, from Route 111 (Alfred Road), turn into Kennebunk Pond Road and drive for less than two miles. The unimproved boat launch at the eastern tip of the pond will appear to your left. This launch is associated with a small sandy beach. A spacious municipal parking lot is located across the road from the launch.
The boat launch for Bryant Pond. The dock is gone for the winter. The outlet is at the back of this picture towards the right. The grassy berm is also visible.
Bryant Pond (a.k.a. Christopher Pond) is a 278-acre body of water located in Woodstock and Greenwood, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 10 B5). To access this pond, drive on Route 26 and turn off on Old County Road. Drive for about 1 mile before turning left on Rowe Hill Road. The public access point will be immediately to your right and is clearly marked with a blue sign. It is in a small municipal park next to the pond’s outlet. The boat launch is hard-topped. Plenty of parking spaces are available.
The first brookie of the afternoon.
The Pleasant River is a relatively short stream which originates in Gray and merges with the Presumpscot River near South Windham. The stretch I am targeting this afternoon flows upstream from the bridge on Windham Center Road in Windham (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 D2). Other good fishing areas flow between Windham Center Road and the Pope Road bridge (behind the Windham high school), and the stretch downstream from Pope Road. It and I are ancient friends as I have been visiting these waters on and off for over 25 years. It is remarkable how few people have discovered this place, given its central location close to several large population centers in southern Maine. I do not remember ever bumping into more than 3 or 4 people during any one outing. In fact, I see no one else during today’s trip even though it is a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in late spring, which is prime time for trout fishing!
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