Ice fishing for brown trout on Pettingill Pond in Windham, Maine (February 10, 2018)

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The public access point to Pettingill Pond is unobstrusive and unmarked.

Pettingill Pond covers 42 acres and is located in Windham, Cumberland County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 C2). The public access to this body of water can be tricky to find under the snow in the winter. While driving on Route 302 in Windham (direction Raymond and Naples, i.e., north), turn right on Anglers Road at the traffic light just past Bob’s Seafood Restaurant. Go down that road for 0.4 miles and look for house number 48. The access point will be to your left immediately past that house (and across from house #51). It is not indicated by any signs. You have gone too far if you reach Mud Pond Road. Note that the local homeowners frown on people parking their vehicles on Anglers Road, which is quite narrow, twisty, and busy. You can either leave your vehicle by the public access point itself (it will accommodate two or three cars, but no more) or park it on a large plowed area located about 0.1 mile on Anglers Road after the turn-off from Route 302. Note that it may be a problem to pull a sled to the public access point for 0.3 miles if all the snow has been cleared from Anglers Road. I also suspect that this latter parking location may not be available for much longer because I saw a “for sale” sign next to it on my way in this morning.

 

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Ice fishing on Crystal Pond in Turner, Maine (January 27, 2018)

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The ice is glare and the light levels are low.

Crystal Pond (a.k.a. Beals Pond) covers 47 acres and is located in Turner, Androscoggin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 C4). This body of water is immediately adjacent to Route 4. Ample space is available to leave vehicles next by the pond, but be aware that this parking area is typically not plowed in the winter. During my visit, the snow was all packed down and icy due to the recent thaw, and I was able to park my car off the road. That may not be the case after a snow storm or if the snowplows have left behind a deep snowbank next to the road. In that case, vehicles must be parked in the breakdown lane of Route 4.

 

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