The TOP brook trout ponds for the 2015 ice fishing season in Oxford 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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Halls Pond covers 51 acres and is located next to Halls Pond Road off Route 119 in Paris, Oxford County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 D2). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. This pond was stocked in the fall of 2014 with 27 brook trout per acre. Most of the stocked brook trout measured between 7” and 9”, but 100 of them (around 2 brook trout per acre) measured 13”, and an additional 21 brook trout consisted of 17” beauties. The pot was further sweetened with two batches of 50 brown trout which measured 13” and 18” each (i.e., 1 brown trout per acre for each size). Note that gasoline-powered augers cannot be used on Halls Pond per town ordnance posted along Halls Pond Road, even though this restriction is not mentioned in the state fishing regulations.
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Little Clemons Pond covers 25 acres and is located between Route 160 and Notch Road in Hiram, Oxford County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 C2). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. This pond was stocked in the fall of 2014 with 20 brook trout per acre. Most of the stocked trout measured around 9”, but 100 of them (or about 4 brook trout per acre) measured 13”.
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Little Penneseewassee Pond covers 96 acres and is located next to Route 118 (Waterford Road) in Norway, Oxford County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 10 D5). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. This pond was stocked in the fall of 2014 with 9 brook trout per acre. Most of the stocked trout measured around 9”, but 200 of them (or about 2 brook trout per acre) measured 13”. The state also stocked an additional 100 brown trout (about 1 brown per acre) measuring 13”.
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Trout Pond covers 17 acres and is located to the west of Flat Road in Mason Township, Oxford County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 10 B2). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. This pond was stocked in the fall of 2014 with 24 brook trout per acre. All the stocked trout measured 7”.
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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