The TOP brook trout ponds for the 2015 ice fishing season in Kennebec County are highlighted below. A pond is considered “top” based on its stocking density. Simply put, the more trout are packed per acre, the higher the chances of catching them through the ice! Note that only a handful of ponds are listed below because most of the water bodies stocked for ice fishing in Kennebec County are quite large, resulting in low trout densities.
For the purpose of this blog, I’ll define a brook trout pond as a body of water with a surface area of less than about 100 acres (with some exceptions) which is stocked in the fall with hatchery-reared brook trout to support ice fishing. These ponds tend to freeze over early in the season and are typically safe to fish well before the bigger lakes become accessible. This provides a real opportunity for hot early-season action for those of us (myself included!) who just can’t wait to catch brookies through the ice.
Keep in mind that the state typically manages these smaller bodies of water as winter “put-and-take” fisheries. As a result, they get a lot of pressure early in the season and may be largely fished out within a few weeks. But by then the bigger lakes have frozen over and the ice fishing action moves elsewhere.
Always consult the latest regulations (click here) about special ice fishing rules that may apply on these ponds. I did my utmost best to verify that a particular pond is indeed open for ice fishing, but I make no guarantees whatsoever that my interpretation of the Maine fishing rules is accurate or correct. It is up to each reader of this blog to ensure that a pond listed below can be fished through the ice.
Note also that the list excludes “kids only” ponds which have their own stocking regime and fishing rules.
Finally, feel free to use the website linked to this blog to discover how many trout and salmon are released per acre in the spring and fall in all the 600+ ponds and lakes stocked annually throughout Maine.
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Fairbanks Pond covers 14 acres and is located off Fairbanks Road in Manchester, Kennebec County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 12 B5). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. This pond was stocked in the fall of 2014 with 4 brook trout per acre. All of the stocked brook trout measured around 13”. The state also stocked 50 brown trout (about 4 brown trout per acre) measuring 12”. Fairbanks Pond offers the best odds of catching 1-pound trout through the ice during the 2015 ice fishing season in Kennebec County.
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Jamies Pond (a.k.a. Jimmie Pond) covers 107 acres and is located off Meadow Hill Road in Manchester, Kennebec County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 12 C4). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. This pond was stocked in the fall of 2014 with 8 brook trout per acre. About half of the stocked trout measured 7”, whereas the other half measured 13”. The pot was further sweetened with 100 splake (or about 1 trout per acre) measuring 14″.
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Minnehonk Lake covers 99 acres and is located next to Pond Road in Mount Vernon, Kennebec County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 12 A3). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. This pond was stocked in the fall of 2014 with 4 brook trout per acre. All of the stocked trout measured around 13”. The state also stocked 100 splake (1 trout per acre) of 14”. The pot was then further sweetened with 30 additional brook trout measuring 20”!
Was the information in this blog useful? I invite you to share your thoughts and opinions. Also, feel free to discuss your fishing experiences at these locations.
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