Fishing for brook trout on Symmes Pond in Newfield, York County, Maine (October 22, 2023)

 

 

The public access point can accommodate small trailered boats. Note the “bowl” in the background.

 

Symmes Pond is a 36-acre body of water located in Newfield, York County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 A2). The public access point is located by the outlet at the eastern tip of the pond. The launch, which is found right off Route 11 (a.k.a. Water Street), is unimproved and can accommodate small, trailered boats. Limited parking is available for a few vehicles. Keep in mind not to park in front of the fire truck water intake structure to avoid a ticket or an unexpected tow…

 

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Fishing for brown trout on Square Pond in Acton and Shapleigh, York County, Maine (September 2, 2023)

 

 

The boat launch for Square Pond is spacious. Note the large culvert under West Shore Road at the right edge of this photo.

 

Square Pond is a 910-acre body of water located in the towns of Acton and Shapleigh, York County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 B2). The public access point is located along the western shore of the pond, off West Shore Road. The entrance to the public launch is clearly marked by a blue sign by the road. However, beware that the launch does not face the pond, but is located by its outlet across the road. Boaters need to navigate through a large and wide culvert underneath West Shore Road to reach the pond itself. The boat launch is spacious, has a huge parking area, and provides a convenient porter potty during the warm season.

 

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Fishing for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass on Long Pond in Parsonsfield, York County, Maine (August 5, 2023)

 

 

We are starting relatively small…

 

Long Pond is a 275-acre body of water located in the town of Parsonsfield, York County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 D2). Access to this pond is via a hard but steeply inclined boat launch located on Road Between the Ponds, off Joe Berry Road. This launch is at an awkward 90° angle (i.e., perpendicular) to the narrow Road between the Ponds which therefore requires a tight turn when backing the trailer into the water. And one needs to aim straight because the edges of the launch are quite steep, as I found out the hard way today… Fortunately, this road only has light local traffic. The depth at the launch is also rather shallow (< 2 ft.) for 25-30 ft. out. I brought my hip boots to get into the water at the end of the trip and help guide the boat back on the trailer.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Long Pond in Parsonsfield, York County, Maine (October 22, 2022)

 

 

It is chilly but wind-still this morning, and the brookies are biting!

 

Long Pond is a 275-acre body of water located in Parsonsfield, York County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 D2). The public access is at the southern tip of the pond and consists of a narrow and poorly maintained hardtop boat launch located on Road Between the Ponds, off Joe Berry Road. This pond is moderately developed and embedded in a forested region in the northwestern corner of York County, a couple of miles from the NH border. It is open to angling between October 1 and December 31 but using artificial lures only and with the stipulation that all salmonids must be released alive and at once.

 

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Fishing for smallmouth and largemouth bass on Long Pond in Parsonsfield, York County, Maine (September 17, 2022)

 

 

It is fun to troll through the early-morning fog.

 

Long Pond is a 275-acre body of water located in Parsonsfield, York County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 D2). Access to this pond is via a hard but poorly maintained and steeply inclined boat launch located on Road Between the Ponds, off Joe Berry Road. Note that the launch is at a 90° angle (i.e., perpendicular) to the narrow Road between the Ponds which therefore requires a tight turn when backing the boat into the water. Fortunately, this road only has light local traffic. Also, keep in mind that the depth at the launch is shallow (< 2 ft.) for 25-30 ft. out. I am glad I brought my hip boots to get into the water at the end of the trip and help guide the boat back on the trailer.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Round Pond in Lyman, York County, Maine (November 20, 2021)

 

 

The entrance to Round Pond is gated but the public is welcome to pass through.

 

Round Pond is a small, 6-acre body of water located in Lyman, York County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 B5). The public access point to this pond is located where Mast Road joins Route 35 (a.k.a. Goodwins Mills Road), right next to the York County Fish and Game Association (YCFGA) building and across from the association’s shooting range. Beware that fishing can become noisy when the shooting range is active, which is fortunately not the case during my visit. The access point is gated by the YCFGA to block vehicles, but anglers are welcome to walk to the pond via a 200-ft. gravelly trail. Hand-carried craft can be launched from the tiny sandy beach by the water’s edge. Plenty of parking is available along the shoulder of Mast Road.

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Fishing for rainbow trout on Little Pond in Wells, York County, Maine (October 9, 2021)

 

 

The launch is spacious and unimproved but can readily accommodate small trailered boats. Keep in mind that engines over six horse power are not allowed on this pond.

 

Little Pond (a.k.a Ell or L Pond) is an 32-acre body of water located in Wells, York County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 D4). The public access point is found at the very end of Ell Pond Road (off Horace Mills Road) down a short (200 ft.) drivable dirt road. The launch is unimproved but spacious, and can accommodate small trailered boats. Plenty of parking is available along the sides of the access point. Keep in mind that boats with engines above six horsepower are not allowed on this pond.

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Ice fishing for brook trout on Knights Pond, South Berwick, York County, Maine (January 10, 2021)

 

 

Vehicles can be parked on both shoulders of Knights Pond Road. I estimated that about 60 people were fishing when I left this morning!

 

Knights Pond is a pretty 49-acre body of water located in South Berwick, York County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 E3). The pond is next to Knights Pond Road and the public access point is via an old railroad grade that runs along its eastern shore. Lots of parking space is available on both shoulders of the road in the vicinity of the public access. Although I do not know what the parking situation would be after a big snowstorm when the road plows are done with their work.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Cold Water Brook Pond in Kennebunk, York County, Maine (June 14, 2020)

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Parking is in front of the WMA sign off Route 99

 

Cold Water Brook Pond is a small 3-acre body of water located next to Route 99 (Webber Hill Road) in Kennebunk, York County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 D5). The pond is embedded within the 1,756-acre Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Access to the pond is via a wide sandy road which starts at the WMA parking lot next to Route 99. This sandy road is gated because no motorized vehicles are allowed within the WMA. It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the parking area to the pond. I decide not to transport my canoe on the canoe wheels because of the distance, the sandy road, and the need to walk through a forest trail to reach the pond. Instead, I carry my light-weight and back-packable fishing float tube. Unfortunately, I cannot give precise directions on how to get to the pond. At some point you will need to enter the woods down an unmarked trail in order to reach your destination. I used my phone’s GPS to keep me moving in the right direction without getting lost or disoriented. Before leaving for my trip, I also created a mental picture by visualizing the general location of the pond using Google Maps.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Spicer Pond in Shapleigh, York County, Maine (June 12, 2020)

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Spicer Pond is embedded within the Vernon S. Walker Wildlife Management Area. This sign is by the parking area.

 

Spicer Pond is an 11-acre body of water located off Route 11 (Shapleigh Corner Road) in North Shapleigh, York County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 A2). The pond is embedded within the 5,617-acre Vernon S. Walker Wildlife Management Area (WMA) which sprawls over the towns of Newfield, Limerick, and Shapleigh. Access to the pond is via a wide and well-maintained ATV trail which starts at the WMA dirt parking lot off Route 11. The trail is gated such that no cars can drive within the WMA. It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the parking area to the pond. I decide not to transport my canoe on the canoe wheels because of the distance and the sandy trail, but instead carry my light-weight and back-packable fishing float tube.

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