Tag Archives: fly fishing

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

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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.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on remote ponds in Southern Oxford County

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I admit to having a real soft spot for southern Oxford County, which I define here as the area located south of the Androscoggin River between Gilead and Livermore Falls and north of a line running between Oxford, Harrison, and Freyburg (i.e., essentially maps 10 and 11 in the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer between NH and the border with Androscoggin County). I have crisscrossed that entire sector of the state for well over a decade seeking isolated trout ponds and have always been amazed by its inherent beauty and remote character.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Little Concord Pond in Woodstock, Oxford County, Maine (June 11, 2023)

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The 3/4-mile foot trail leading to Little Concord Pond starts behind this kiosk.

 

Little Concord Pond covers 30 acres and is located in Woodstock, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11A1). To reach the pond, drive down Shagg Pond Road (note: the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer calls it Redding Road), pass the unimproved boat launch on Shagg Pond, and drive another 0.5 miles until you reach a small parking lot across from the wooden kiosk announcing Little Concord Pond State Park. The pond is another ¾ mile walk from the parking lot down an old closed-off tote road. While the first half of that trail is nice and smooth, the second half is bouldery and steep. As a result, anglers cannot use canoe wheels but must instead carry their craft on their backs. The launch by the pond is not immediately obvious. Fallen trees, floating logs, and aquatic bushes obstruct the area where the trail meets the pond. Instead, a discrete but steep foot trail along the shore to the left crosses over a small rocky knoll before reaching the actual launch which is surrounded by a dozen locked canoes.

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Fishing for brook trout on Secret Pond in Greenville, Piscataquis County (May 15, 2021).

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Geovanni is all kitted up and ready to go!

 

Secret Pond is a small but deep 14-acre body of water located a few miles outside of Greenville, Piscataquis County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 41 D3). Access is via an old logging road off the Katahdin Iron Works (KI) Road. I was able to easily find it using my phone’s GPS thanks to a strong signal coming from Greenville. The KI Road, and the side road leading to the pond, are rough in spots but quite drivable using a regular car. Hence, no need for a four-wheel drive vehicle. The pond is accessible by foot via a short forest trail. Only hand-carried craft can be launched on it.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Little Beaver Pond, Magalloway Plantation, Oxford County, Maine (September 28, 2020)

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The access point to Little Beaver Pond is rough and can only accommodate hand-carried craft.

 

Little Beaver Pond is a pretty 50-acre body of water located just to the west of Upper Richardson Lake off Route 16 in Magalloway Plantation in northern Oxford County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 18 A1). To access this pond from Route 16, drive north in the direction of Rangeley, turn right on Fish Pond Road (located between Aziscohos Lake and West Richardson Pond), drive down that gravel road for 1.0 mile, turn left on another gravel road and drive for 0.1 mile until you see a rough footpath on your right. The pond is located about 500 ft. down that path. Only hand-carried craft can be launched from the access point. Parking is along the road shoulder.

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Fishing for brook trout on Lower East Richardson Pond in Adamstown, Oxford County, Maine (September 27, 2020)

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This old cabin sits at the end of the rutted forest road along the shoreline of Lower East Richardson Pond

 

Lower East Richardson Pond is a remote 54-acre body of water located off Route 16 in the “Upper Richardson – Maine Public Reserved Land Unit” of Adamstown Township in northern Oxford County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 28 E2). To access this pond from Route 16, drive north in the direction of Rangeley, turn right on Upper Dam Road located across from West Richardson Pond, stay on that dirt road for 0.8 miles, turn left on an unmarked dirt road (no need for a 4X4 vehicle) and drive for 0.5 mile until you reach another unmarked forest road on the left. Beware that a four-wheel-drive vehicle is required to drive the 1000 ft or so on that road to the pond. So it may be best to leave your vehicle at that intersection and walk in. To our surprise, my son Joel and I find an old cabin on the shoreline that seems to belong to a local rod and gun club. Note: the link to the Google Map above points to Upper East Richardson Pond. The lower pond is the smaller body of water just to the south of it.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Upper East Richardson Pond in Adamstown, Oxford County, Maine (September 26, 2020)

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You’ve driven about 1000 ft too far if you reach this gate.

 

Upper East Richardson Pond is a remote 85-acre body of water located off Route 16 in the “Upper Richardson – Maine Public Reserved Land Unit” of Adamstown Township in northern Oxford County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 28 E2). To access this pond from Route 16, drive north in the direction of Rangeley, turn right on Upper Dam Road located across from West Richardson Pond, stay on that dirt road for 0.8 miles, turn left on an unmarked dirt road (no need for a 4X4 vehicle) and drive for about a mile or so up to a gate on your left. The trail behind that gate leads to a cabin on the shore of the pond which appears to be used by a local rod and gun club. I do not see any no trespassing signs at the gate, but a kind person at the cabin informs me that the “public” access point is actually located down a short unmarked trail off the road about 1,000 ft before the gate (diagonally across from a small open clearing). The rough footpath from the road to the shore is less than 500 ft long.

 

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Fishing for brook trout on Cold Water Brook Pond in Kennebunk, York County, Maine (June 14, 2020)

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Parking is in front of the WMA sign off Route 99

 

Cold Water Brook Pond is a small 3-acre body of water located next to Route 99 (Webber Hill Road) in Kennebunk, York County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 D5). The pond is embedded within the 1,756-acre Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Access to the pond is via a wide sandy road which starts at the WMA parking lot next to Route 99. This sandy road is gated because no motorized vehicles are allowed within the WMA. It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the parking area to the pond. I decide not to transport my canoe on the canoe wheels because of the distance, the sandy road, and the need to walk through a forest trail to reach the pond. Instead, I carry my light-weight and back-packable fishing float tube. Unfortunately, I cannot give precise directions on how to get to the pond. At some point you will need to enter the woods down an unmarked trail in order to reach your destination. I used my phone’s GPS to keep me moving in the right direction without getting lost or disoriented. Before leaving for my trip, I also created a mental picture by visualizing the general location of the pond using Google Maps.

 

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Fishing for landlocked Atlantic salmon on Pierce Pond in Somerset County, Maine (May 28, 2018)

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It’s the long Memorial Day weekend of 2018 and that means that I’m on my annual pilgrimage to gorgeous Pierce Pond in Somerset County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 30 A2). This huge “pond” is divided into three major basins (i.e., Upper Pond, Middle Pond and Lower Pond) which together cover a total of 1,650 acres. I’m fishing for four days in this special place with my sons Joel and Jon, and nephew Salvy. We’re renting a cozy log cabin at Cobb’s Camp in Lower Pond which affords us access to an indoor toilet, a hot shower, and cooked meals off the grid in the middle of nowhere! Pierce Pond is a totally pristine and unspoiled environment. The lake is completely surrounded by forests in a protected watershed. These conditions maintain the exceptional surface water quality which supports a robust and self-sustaining native brook trout population and a healthy population of stocked landlocked Atlantic salmon. The latter range in weight from 2 to 4 pounds. General fishing laws apply, except that (a) the pond is closed to ice fishing, (b) the pond opens to fishing on May 1 (but beware that ice-out can occur well past May 1 after a cold winter), (c) only artificial lures are allowed, (d) the daily bag limit for brook trout is two fish, and (e) the minimum length limit for brook trout is 10”, with only one fish allowed to exceed 12”. Click here for a depth map and click here for the fishing rules.

 

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Brook trout fishing on Nesowadnehunk Stream, Baxter State Park, Maine (September 28, 2016)

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Bushwhacking is required in order to find the secret honey holes...

Be ready to bushwhack in order to find the secret honey holes…

Nesowadnehunk Stream is a tributary of the west branch of the Penobscot River with its source located at the outlet of Nesowadnehunk Lake. This 17-mile stream flows roughly along the western and southern boundary of Baxter State Park (BSP) in northern Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 50; the outlet of Nesowadnehunk lake is on map 50 B4). About three quarters of the stream runs approximately parallel to the Park Tote Road which connects the south entrance (i.e., Togue Pond Gate) to the north entrance (i.e., Matagamon Gate) of BSP. The surrounding watershed is hilly and deeply forested with a mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees. The stream is typically 20 to 40 ft wide and has a depth ranging from < 1 ft to > 4 ft. Depending on the location, the substrate varies from soft silty mud, to coarse gravel, to exposed bedrock, to boulders. Fishing on this stream is particularly enjoyable in late summer-early fall due to the cooling surface water and the total lack of black flies, mosquitos and deer flies which can drive even the most dedicated angler to insanity in the spring and early summer. Keep in mind that open-water fishing in this part of Maine ends on September 30, whereas BSP closes for the season on October 15.

 

 

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