Category Archives: Open Water Fishing

Fishing for brook trout and rainbow trout on Crystal Lake in Gray, Cumberland County, Maine (October 15, 2023)

Posted on by
Reply

 

 

The launch is hard-topped and spacious. Plenty of parking is available across the road.

 

Crystal Lake (a.k.a. Dry Pond) is a 189-acre body of water located in Gray, Cumberland County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 B3). Access to this pond is via a hard-top boat launch located at the southern tip of the lake on Mayberry Road right after it splits off from Noth Raymond Road. The town of Gray also maintains a public beach and swimming area right next to this ramp. A spacious parking lot able to accommodate dozens of vehicles is located across from the launch.

 

Continue reading →

Fishing for brook trout on Beaver Pond in Township D, Franklin County, Maine (October 1, 2023)

Posted on by
Reply

 

 

Beaver Pond is a 20-acre body of water located in Township D, Franklin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 18 B4). Access to this pond is super easy because it is found right next to Route 17 which funnels traffic to and from the town of Rangeley 10-12 miles further north. In fact, this road hugs the entire northern shoreline of the pond. The launch is unimproved and down a steep gravely slope and can only accommodate hand-carried craft. A spacious parking area is available off the road next to the launch.

 

Continue reading →

Fishing for brook trout on Spencer Pond in Township D, Franklin County, Maine (September 30, 2023)

Posted on by
Reply

 

 

View of Spencer Pond from the put-in.

 

Spencer Pond is a 15-acre body of water located in Township D, Franklin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 18 B4). To get to the public access point, drive on Route 17 until you reach a well-maintained gravel road that leads towards the pond (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map for the exact location). Drive for 0.6 miles down this road before turning right on another good gravel road and driving for an additional 0.2 miles up to a locked gate. Park your vehicle, walk for about 200 ft. passed the gate, and turn right by the “trail” marker down a short foot path through the woods that leads to the pond. Only hand-carried craft can be launched from this location. Beware that the access point by the pond is rather soft, wet, and marshy.

 

Continue reading →

Digiprove seal Copyright protected by Digiprove

Fishing for brook trout on Loon Lake in Dallas Plantation, Franklin County, Maine (September 29, 2023)

Posted on by
Reply

 

 

While driving on Loon Lake Road, turn left at this sign to reach the public access point.

 

Loon Lake is a 192-acre body of water located in Dallas Plantation, Franklin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 28 D5). To reach the public access point, drive on Routes 4 and 16 towards Rangeley, turn left on Loon Lake Road, and drive for 3.5 miles before turning left on the gravel road indicated by the blue public access sign. Note that this gravel road is gated (the gate was open). I suspect that the gate is closed during mud season in the spring. Drive on this well-maintained gravel road for 0.9 miles until you see the clearly marked foot path that gets you to the western end of the lake after an easy two-minute walk. Vehicles can be parked on the side of the road. Only hand-carried craft can be launched from this location.

 

Continue reading →

Digiprove seal Copyright protected by Digiprove

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

Posted on by
Reply

 

 

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.

 

Continue reading →

Fishing for brown trout on Worthley Pond in Peru, Androscoggin County, Maine (August 12, 2023)

Posted on by
Reply

 

 

Worthley Pond is a 354-acre body of water located in Peru, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 A3). The public access point is located on East Shore Road and is clearly indicated by a blue boat launch sign. This well-maintained hardtop launch is spacious and offers plenty of parking spaces. It also provides a convenient porter potty during open-water season.

 

Continue reading →

Digiprove seal Copyright protected by Digiprove

Fishing for rainbow trout on Little Sebago Lake in Windham, Cumberland County, Maine (August 7, 2023)

Posted on by
Reply

 

 

I feel so alive when contemplating a view such as this one!

 

Little Sebago Lake covers 1,898 acres and is located in Windham and Gray, Cumberland County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 C2). To reach the public boat launch, drive north through downtown Windham on Route 302 (Roosevelt Trail) in the direction of Raymond, turn right on Anglers Way at the light by Bob’s Seafood restaurant and Franco’s Bistro, drive past Pettingill Pond, and just follow the blue boat launch signs. The distance between Route 302 and your destination is exactly 1.3 miles. The hard-top boat launch is spacious and has plenty of parking. It also offers a convenient porta potty.

 

Continue reading →

Digiprove seal Copyright protected by Digiprove

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

Posted on by
Reply

 

 

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.

 

Continue reading →

Digiprove seal Copyright protected by Digiprove

Fishing for brook trout on Grassy Pond in Baxter State Park, Piscataquis County, Maine (August 2, 2023)

Posted on by
Reply

 

 

The trail to Grassy Pond is easy and pretty.

 

My 16-year-old nephew Matt flew in from away to spend time in Maine learning how to fish. He expressed an interest in catching native brook trout after hearing some of my tall tales on the subject. But where can a novice angler go to catch native brookies in early August?? I need to find a place where a) the water temperature stays cool enough in the summer to draw trout to the surface, b) these trout can be caught using artificial lures (not fly fishing), and c) proper lure presentation is optional (not stream fishing). I settle on Grassy Pond in Baxter State Park (BSP). This 26-acre water body is found right off the Appalachian Trail about 1 mile south of the Katahdin Stream campground off the Park Tote Road (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 50 D4). Access is via a well-marked trail that starts at the parking area on the Tote Road. It takes about 20 minutes of easy walking to reach this destination. Note that the pond does not fall under the “special fishing laws”, meaning that it can be fished under the “general fishing laws” which are less restrictive.

 

Continue reading →

Digiprove seal Copyright protected by Digiprove

Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Androscoggin River in Livermore, Androscoggin County, Maine (August 1, 2023)

Posted on by
Reply

 

 

Matt catches the very first smallmouth bass of the afternoon!

 

My 16-year-old nephew Matt flew in from away to spend some time in Maine learning to fish with his uncle. He is a total novice at the sport and I need to ensure that he catches and stays engaged! He cannot properly cast, nor can he aim with any degree of accuracy. I must therefore find a place where he can cast without the need to be accurate and where the fish are abundant and aggressive. I set my eyes on putting him on smallmouth bass on the Androscoggin River in front of the Otis hydropower station in Livermore, Androscoggin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 A5). I have had good luck at this location in the past. Click here, here, and here for earlier blogs on this spot and for directions on how to reach it. Keep in mind that you will need a canoe or kayak to fish this section of the river.

 

Continue reading →

Digiprove seal Copyright protected by Digiprove