The boat launch by Crescent Lake with view of the water beyond
Crescent Lake is a 716-acre body of water located in Raymond, Cumberland County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 B2). The public access point is found at the southern tip of the lake by Route 85 (Webbs Mill Road). It consists of a hard-top boat launch with ample parking space available by the road shoulder. Keep in mind that this launch can get quite busy on weekends because it serves two lakes: not only Crescent but also Panther Pond which lacks a proper launch and is accessible via the shallow Tenny River that connects these two water bodies. The town of Raymond also maintains a small but popular public beach right next to the launch that attracts additional local folks and vehicles later in the open-water season.
View of Togue Pond from the boat launch at the end of my trolling efforts.
Togue Pond is a 388-acre body of water located in the Deboullie Maine Public Reserved Land (T15 R9 WELS) in northern Aroostook County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 63 A1). This township is situated about 27 driving miles northwest of the village of Portage (by Portage Lake), and 10 to 15 miles as the crow flies due east of the Allagash River Waterway. Access is via a series of well-maintained gravel logging roads. I was concerned about getting lost on this extensive network of roads but found excellent driving directions for Red River Camps which is located in the middle of the Public Reserved Land. It also helps that the directions are indicated by brown “RRC” (Red River Camps) and blue “State of Maine Public Reserved Land” signs at various intersections. Finally, be aware that the T15 R9 WELS township is located in the North Maine Woods. Access (coming from the south) to this region is via the Fish River Checkpoint where one must stop to obtain an entry permit and pay a nominal day-use fee and overnight camping fee. Multiple campsites are available within the Deboullie township for overnight stays. Come prepared to be self-sufficient because the closest store is at Portage.
Trickey Pond is a 311-acre body of water located in Naples, Cumberland County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 B5). Public access is through a high-quality boat launch located right off Route 114 at the southern end of the pond. Ample parking is available. The pond and I are old acquaintances. I have ice fished it multiple times over the last 25 years (click here and here for recent examples) on account of its high-quality salmon, splake, and smallmouth bass fishery. In fact, I have caught my largest landlocked salmon (5.5 pounds) and splake (4.5 pounds) through the ice out of this pond. However, beware that even though the quality of the fish is high, the quantity is extremely low… One definitely has to put in the time to decipher this little gem and earn the right to land a fish.
The blue access sign to Riley Dam is clearly visible from the road
It was so much fun catching lunker smallmouth bass yesterday on the Androscoggin River below the Jay Hydroelectric Power Plant in Jay that I decided I needed another dose of where that drug came from (click here for tips on how to catch these magnificent fighters)! My fishing effort today is on a short stretch of the Androscoggin River flowing just below the Riley Dam Power Plant which sits about one mile upstream of the Verso paper mill in Jay in Franklin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 19 E5). To reach the public access point, drive north into Jay on Route 4/17 and then turn left on Route 140. Drive for exactly 3.2 miles on this road until you reach the unnamed turn-off to the put-in for Riley Dam. That location is clearly marked by a blue sign next to the road. Plenty of parking is available. Keep in mind that this put-in can only accommodate hand-carried craft as it lacks an actual boat launch.
One of the three dams which stretches across the Androscoggin River in Jay.
My attention this afternoon is on the Androscoggin River flowing through Jay in Franklin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 19 E5). The river between the towns of Rumford in Oxford County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 19 E1) and Livermore Falls in Androscoggin County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 A5) supports a nationally-renown fishery for trophy smallmouth bass (click here for an example). My mission is to place some of those lunker fish in my boat!! Click here for tips on how to catch these magnificent fighters. Continue reading →
The TOP brook trout ponds for the 2017 ice fishing season in Cumberland 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 100 acres 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 early-action opportunities for those of us (myself included!) who just can’t wait to get the hard-water fishing season going. Click here for tips to increase your chances of catching more brookies through the ice.
Berry Pond is a 170-acre body of water located in the towns of Wayne and Winthrop, Maine (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 12 C2). The public access point is found at the northern end of the pond, next to Route 133. Only hand-carried crafts can be released from this point. Beware that the launch itself is a muddy mess consisting of a wobbly gang plank and a couple of broken wooden pallets floating on the mud. These conditions may not be as bad in the spring and fall when the water levels are higher. The parking area is extensive and can accommodate many cars. The lack of a hard-top boat launch means that the pond is lightly fished. I also notice only a handful of pontoon boats on the water, indicating that motorized boat traffic is minimal. There’s one fly in this sweet ointment, though… The traffic on Route 133 is incessant. It generates intrusive road noise which impinges on the otherwise peaceful setting.
A gorgeous view of Farrington Pond with White Mountain National Forest as a backdrop
Farrington Pond is an 89-acre body of water located in Lovell, Oxford County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 10 D1). The pond, which is just north of the lower bay of Kezar Lake, is situated off F Road, which itself is located off West Lovell Road. Beware that the sign for F Road consists only of a small ivory white placard with the letter “F” on it. Next to it is a bigger painted wooden sign that reads “Timber Bay Shores; Private Road”, which throws me off because it makes it sound like F Road is a private road. However, I check with a local resident who assures me that F Road is public, which turns out to be the case. The public access point is clearly marked and located 0.3 miles down F Road on the right (just past Lady Slipper Drive). The launch itself is about 400 ft from the wooded parking area down a rough forest trail. Only hand-carried crafts can be launched from that spot. The parking area is in the woods and can accommodate several cars.
Splashing in the water at one of the beaches at Sebago Lake State Park
The glorious July 4th weekend is once again upon us all. My family is spending the long weekend camping at Sebago Lake State Park, located at the north end of Sebago Lake (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 C5). Things are quite hectic at camp, with the grandchildren running around, and the grilling, swimming, and socializing. My son Joel and I decide to get up at 5:30 am and sneak out for a couple of hours of lake trout fishing before the bulk of the family wakes up and gets ready for breakfast. At this time of the year, the lake trout have abandoned the warm shallow waters (click here for details) and seek refuge in the ice-cold waters (< 50°F) found below the thermocline. This layer represents the sharp temperature boundary between the less-dense warmer surface waters and the denser and much colder water in the deep zone. I do not know exactly how far down the Sebago Lake thermocline is located. A high-quality fish finder should show a faint line on the screen representing the boundary where the change in water density is most abrupt; my fish finder mustn’t be sensitive enough because I can’t pick up the thermocline…. Based on the presence of numerous fish marked in 40 to 80+ ft of water this morning, I’m guessing that the thermocline is around 30-40 ft deep, which makes sense based on a review of historic summer water-column temperature data for Sebago Lake published online. Note that the thermocline, once it is fully established in early summer, might move deeper by a few feet but is otherwise extremely stable and constant until late fall (with a few limnological exceptions, which I will not bore you with…).
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). This relatively small lake is heavily developed, particularly along its western shoreline, but sustains a popular regional salmonid fishery consisting of rainbow trout, brown trout and brook trout. The state stocks the lake annually with these three species to sustain their populations. It is also the location for a popular annual ice fishing derby (click here for more details) attended by several thousand people each year. A hard-top boat ramp is located at the southern end of the lake off Mayberry Road. The town of Gray also maintains a public beach and swimming area right next to this ramp. Ample parking is available across from the launch. All in all, this lake is a busy spot but well worth a visit in the spring on account of its superb trout fishing. I’ll note here that, in the past, I have caught rainbow trout trolling on this water body well into July, which is evidence of the high quality of this fishery. Crystal Lake has a maximum and average depth of 59 ft and 25 ft, respectively. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information.
