Best ice fishing ponds for catching splake in Maine (winter of 2015)

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Stan

This blog describes a select group of ponds in Maine that provide the best potential for catching splake through the ice during the winter of 2015. A splake is a “hybrid” fish created by crossing a lake trout with a brook trout. It has the advantage of being sterile, growing fast, and feeding on forage fish shunned by brook trout. Splake are also easier to catch through the ice than rainbow or brown trout. Around 55 ponds in Maine are managed as splake fisheries. Many of these ponds are open to ice fishing and are stocked with this species each spring and/or fall.

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Best ice fishing ponds for catching rainbow trout in Maine (winter of 2015)

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Stan

This blog describes a select group of ponds in Maine that provide the best potential for catching rainbow trout through the ice during the winter of 2015. Around 20 ponds, most of them located in southern Maine counties, are managed as rainbow trout fisheries. Many of these ponds are open to ice fishing and are stocked with bows each spring and/or fall.

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Best ice fishing ponds for catching brown trout in Maine (winter of 2015)

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Stan

This blog describes a select group of ponds in Maine that provide the best potential for catching brown trout through the ice during the winter of 2015. Around 110 ponds throughout the state are managed as brown trout fisheries. Most of these ponds are open to ice fishing and are stocked with brown trout each spring and/or fall.

I only present ponds that were stocked in 2014 with a minimum of 1 brown trout per acre. As a rough yardstick, the average stocking density for landlocked salmon in Maine ponds and lakes is about 0.3 to 0.5 salmon per acre, which equals 1 salmon every two to three acres.

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Best ice fishing ponds for catching large trout in York County (winter of 2015)

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Stan

This blog highlights the ponds in York County where fishermen have the best odds of catching larger stocked trout during the 2015 ice fishing season. About a dozen and a half ponds open to ice fishing were stocked with trout in the fall of 2014 in this county. Most of these fish are relatively small (7” to 12”), but plentiful, in order to provide fast action. The state also spiced up some of the ponds with larger trout, which are defined here as fish measuring 13” or more, and weighing at least 1 pound.

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Best ice fishing ponds for catching large trout in Washington County (winter of 2015)

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Stan

This blog highlights the ponds in Washington County where fishermen have the best odds of catching larger stocked trout during the 2015 ice fishing season. About a dozen and a half ponds open to ice fishing were stocked with trout in the fall of 2014 in this county. Most of these fish are relatively small (7” to 12”), but plentiful, in order to provide fast action. The state also spiced up some of the ponds with larger trout, which are defined here as fish measuring 13” or more, and weighing at least 1 pound.

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Best ice fishing ponds for catching large trout in Waldo County (winter of 2015)

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Stan

This blog highlights the ponds in Waldo County where fishermen have the best odds of catching larger stocked trout during the 2015 ice fishing season. About 10 ponds open to ice fishing were stocked with trout in the fall of 2014 in this county. Most of these fish are relatively small (7” to 12”), but plentiful, in order to provide fast action. The state also spiced up some of the ponds with larger trout, which are defined here as fish measuring 13” or more, and weighing at least 1 pound.
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Best ice fishing ponds for catching large trout in Somerset County (winter of 2015)

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Stan

This blog highlights the ponds in Somerset County where fishermen have the best odds of catching larger stocked trout during the 2015 ice fishing season. About a dozen and a half ponds open to ice fishing were stocked with trout in the fall of 2014 in this county. Most of these fish are relatively small (7” to 12”), but plentiful, in order to provide fast action. The state also spiced up some of the ponds with larger trout, which are defined here as fish measuring 13” or more, and weighing at least 1 pound.

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Best ice fishing ponds for catching lunker trout in Maine (winter of 2015)

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Stan

The state releases part of its trout brood stock every fall to create some real and unexpected excitement on the ice. In most cases, though, too few of these huge fish are present such that catching one of them falls into the category of plain-old luck. In a few select ponds, however, enough of these fish were released in the fall of 2014 that it would make sense to target them specifically.

For this blog, I define a “lunker trout” as measuring between 18” and 21”. Such a fish would weigh between 3.0 and 5.0 lbs depending on its size, which would make anyone’s ice fishing day! I also defined the minimum stocking density where it becomes worth targeting these fish as around 0.3 fish per acre of pond. This value represents the average stocking density for landlocked salmon throughout Maine.

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Best ice fishing ponds for catching large trout in Sagadahoc County (winter of 2015)

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Stan

This blog highlights the ponds in Sagadahoc County where fishermen have the best odds of catching larger stocked trout during the 2015 ice fishing season. Five ponds open to ice fishing were stocked with trout in the fall of 2014 in this county. Most of these fish are relatively small (7” to 12”), but plentiful, in order to provide fast action. The state also spiced up some of the ponds with larger trout, which are defined here as fish measuring 13” or more, and weighing at least 1 pound.

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Best ice fishing ponds for catching large trout in Piscataquis County (winter of 2015)

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Stan

This blog highlights the ponds in Piscataquis County where fishermen have the best odds of catching larger stocked trout during the 2015 ice fishing season. About a dozen and a half ponds open to ice fishing were stocked with trout in the fall of 2014 in this county. Most of these fish are relatively small (7” to 12”), but plentiful, in order to provide fast action. The state also spiced up some of the ponds with larger trout, which are defined here as fish measuring 13” or more, and weighing at least 1 pound.

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The Amazing Fish-a-Metric

Blog about fishing in Maine

Category Archives: Salmon and Trout

Best ice fishing ponds for catching splake in Maine (winter of 2015)

Best ice fishing ponds for catching rainbow trout in Maine (winter of 2015)

Best ice fishing ponds for catching brown trout in Maine (winter of 2015)

Best ice fishing ponds for catching large trout in York County (winter of 2015)

Best ice fishing ponds for catching large trout in Washington County (winter of 2015)

Best ice fishing ponds for catching large trout in Waldo County (winter of 2015)

Best ice fishing ponds for catching large trout in Somerset County (winter of 2015)

Best ice fishing ponds for catching lunker trout in Maine (winter of 2015)

Best ice fishing ponds for catching large trout in Sagadahoc County (winter of 2015)

Best ice fishing ponds for catching large trout in Piscataquis County (winter of 2015)