The TOP brook trout ponds for the 2015 ice fishing season in York County are highlighted below (in alphabetical order). 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!
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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Deer Pond covers 32 acres and is located between Route 117 and Plains Road in Hollis, York County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 A5). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. The pond was stocked in the fall of 2014 with 22 brook trout per acre. Most of the stocked brook trout measured around 9”, but 100 of them (or about 3 trout per acre) measured 13”. The pot is sweetened further by an additional 100 brown trout (or about 3 trout per acre) measuring 13”.
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Knights Pond covers 49 acres and is located off Knights Pond Road in South Berwick, York County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 E3). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. This pond was stocked in the fall of 2014 with 21 brook trout per acre. Most of these stocked brook trout measured between 9” and 10”, but about 200 of them (or about 4 trout per acre) measured 13”, whereas another 21 of them consisted of 17” beauties.
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Littlefield Pond covers 19 acres and is located off Elm Street in Sanford, York County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 C3). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. Also, click here for one way to access this body of water. The pond was stocked in the fall of 2014 with 42 brook trout per acre. Most of these stocked brook trout measured around 9”, but 100 of them (or about 5 trout per acre) measured 13”.
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Parker Pond (a.k.a. Barkers Pond) covers 26 acres and is located off Mast Road in Lyman, York County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 B5). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. Also, click here for directions on how to access this body of water. The pond was stocked in the fall of 2014 with 53 brook trout per acre. Most of these stocked trout measured between 7” and 9”, but 100 of them (or about 4 trout per acre) measured 13”, whereas 21 of them (or close to 1 trout per acre) consisted of 17” beauties. Parker Pond provides one of the best odds in York County of catching 1.0 lb and 2.5 lbs brookies in a small pond setting during the 2014 ice fishing season.
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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