The TOP brook trout ponds for the 2016 ice fishing season in Androscoggin 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.
It is recommended to consult the latest law book (click here for details) 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 convoluted Maine fishing rules is accurate or correct. It is up to each reader of this blog to ensure that the ponds listed below can be fished through the ice by checking the regulations.
Note also that the list below excludes “kids only” ponds which have their own stocking regime and special fishing rules.
Your blog author with a 16″ brookie jigged through the ice.
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Beaver Park Pond #3 covers 2 acres and is located off Cotton Road in Lisbon, Androscoggin County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 6 A1; the target pond is shown on this map but is not explicitly named). This pond was stocked in the fall of 2015 with 110 brook trout per acre. All of the stocked trout measured 7”.
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Crystal Pond (a.k.a. Beals Pond) covers 47 acres and is located off Route 4 in Turner, Androscoggin County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 C4). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. This pond was stocked in the fall of 2015 with 12 brook trout per acre. About two thirds of those trout (around 6 brook trout per acre) measured 13”, and most of the remainder measured 9”. The pot was further sweetened with 50 brook trout (or about 1 trout per acre) of 16”, 50 brown trout (or about 1 brown trout per acre) measuring 12″ and 30 brown trout beauties (or 0.6 brown trout per acre) measuring 18”. To top it all off, the state also added 25 brookies measuring 20”! Crystal Lake offers good odds of catching 1.0+ pound trout during the 2016 ice fishing season.
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Worthley Pond covers 42 acres and is located off Route 122 in Poland, Androscoggin County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 A3). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. The pond was stocked in the fall of 2015 with 23 brook trout per acre. Most of those stocked trout measured 9”, but 182 of them (or about 4 brook trout per acre) measured 13”, and 35 additional brook trout (or about 0.8 trout per acre) consisted of 17” beauties. The pot was further sweetened with 75 brown trout (or between 1 and 2 brown trout per acre) measuring 12″. Worthley Pond offers good odds of catching 1.0 pound trout during the 2016 ice fishing season.
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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