Author Archives: Stan

About Stan

Hi there! I'm a four-season freshwater fishing Mainiac who chases after salmonids and largemouth/smallmouth bass year-round. This is my blog. I also maintain a web site (www.amazingfishametric.com) to help fellow anglers find great fishing spots in Maine. The site is free, fun, and full of information. Check it out; you'll enjoy it. Happy fishing!

Fishing for landlocked Atlantic salmon and brook trout in Pierce Pond, Pierce Pond Township, Somerset County, Maine (May 2, 2021)

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Cobb’s Camp, my base of operation for the weekend.

 

Pierce Pond is a 1650-acre protected gem located in Pierce Pond Township, Somerset County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 30 A2). I have visited this beautiful three-basin lake (Lower Pond, Middle Pond, and Upper Pond) annually for well over 20 years during the long Memorial Day weekend at the end of May. The goal, always, is to catch landlocked Atlantic salmon and brook trout on dry flies during the spectacular mayfly hatches that peak during that period. This year, I wanted to mix things up a bit by fishing on opening day, which on this lake is May 1. I made prior arrangements with Cobb’s Camp to stay in one of their cozy cabins for two nights and spare me the hassle of having to haul out and set up my camping gear.

 

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Ice fishing for smallmouth bass on Trickey Pond in Naples, Cumberland County, Maine (March 21, 2021)

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Trickey Pond is a 311-acre body of water located in Naples, Cumberland County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 B5). The pond is easily accessible via a high-quality public boat launch located at its southern tip off Route 114. Plenty of parking is available next to the launch. Be aware that the paved access road between Route 114 and the pond is quite steep. Also, it is not necessarily plowed and can be icy or even impassible during the winter months. That is not an issue this morning because the warmer temperatures of the last couple of days have done a good job melting much of the snow and ice on the pavement. In fact, even though it is 26°F when I arrive, the temperature is supposed to soar into the low 60’s by early afternoon. The forecast also calls for unlimited sunshine.

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Ice fishing for smallmouth bass on Panther Pond in Raymond, Cumberland County, Maine (March 18, 2021)

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The lake is accessed via permissive trespass through this open gate.

 

Panther Pond is a 1,439-acre body of water located in Raymond, Cumberland County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 B2). Access to the main basin of the lake during the ice-fishing season is via permissive trespass through a small private beach associated with Slovenski Camp. To gain access via this entry point, drive north on Route 121 (Meadow Road) towards the town of Casco  and turn right on David Plummer Road (look for the discrete Slovenski Camp sign). Drive down that road for about 600 ft. Beware that this road may be slippery in the winter. The open gate to the beach will be on your left. Drive up further for another 50-100 ft. and park your car in the available open space.

 

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Ice fishing for brook trout on Thompson’s Ice Pond in South Bristol, Lincoln County, Maine (February 28, 2021)

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The boys are having a good time horsing around on the glare ice!

 

Thompson’s Ice Pond is a miniscule 1-acre body of water located in the town of South Bristol, Lincoln County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 7 C3, but the pond is not shown due to its small size). The pond is situated at the intersection of Route 129, which runs between Damariscotta and South Bristol, and McFarlands Cove Road. I recommend searching Google Maps for “Thompson’s Ice House, South Bristol, Maine” to see its actual location. Note that a depth map is not available. Thompson’s Ice Pond is a small shallow reservoir associated with the Thompson Ice House Harvesting Museum, which is on the National Registry of Historic Places. Plenty of parking space is available next to the pond. Why bother with such a small potato? A review of the 2020 fish stocking report issued by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife shows that this tiny pond received 250 8” brookies and 50 13” brookies last fall. Do the math. That works out to an astonishing 300 brook trout per acre! Beware that between October 1 and May 31, the pond is reserved exclusively for kids under 16 years old using only two lines per person (click here for more details).

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Ice fishing for brook trout on Otter Pond #4, Standish, Cumberland County, Maine (January 23, 2021)

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The Otter Ponds are a highly-popular early season ice fishing destination. Do not be the last one in!

 

Otter Pond #4 is a small 6-acre body of water located in Standish, Cumberland County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 D1). Click here for directions on how to reach this fishing hole. My original target for this morning was actually Parker Pond in Lyman, York County. I got out of bed at an ungodly hour in order to start fishing 30 minutes before sunrise. When I stepped on the ice, I was astounded to discover that it was only 0.5″ thick! It was clear that much of Parker Pond had thawed recently in response to the warm weather and rain of last week. That is insane considering that we are deep in January and should be walking on up to one foot of ice at this point in the season… So, instead, I drive to Otter Pond #4 which has a much smaller surface area and is more likely to have safe ice.

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Ice fishing for brook trout on Knights Pond, South Berwick, York County, Maine (January 10, 2021)

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Vehicles can be parked on both shoulders of Knights Pond Road. I estimated that about 60 people were fishing when I left this morning!

 

Knights Pond is a pretty 49-acre body of water located in South Berwick, York County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 E3). The pond is next to Knights Pond Road and the public access point is via an old railroad grade that runs along its eastern shore. Lots of parking space is available on both shoulders of the road in the vicinity of the public access. Although I do not know what the parking situation would be after a big snowstorm when the road plows are done with their work.

 

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Ice fishing for brook trout on Chaffin Pond in Windham, Cumberland County, Maine (January 3, 2021)

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The place is buzzing with activity this morning!

 

Chaffin Pond is an 13-acre body of water located in downtown Windham, Cumberland County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 C2). The pond is embedded in the Donnabeth Lipman Park, right next to the Sherwin Williams paint store off Route 302 in the business district. Click here for directions. Plenty of parking is available.

 

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Fishing for brook trout and rainbow trout on Knickerbocker Lake in Boothbay, Lincoln County, Maine (November 29, 2020)

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View of Knickerbocker Lake looking to the right from the unimproved boat launch

 

 

Knickerbocker Lake is an 86-acre body of water located in Boothbay, Lincoln County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 7 C2). The public access point is located at the end of a dirt road called Access Road off Barters Island Road (just passed the Evergreen Cemetery) about a mile west of the Route 27 traffic circle in downtown Boothbay. A sign announcing “Knickerbocker Lake” used to hang at that turn-off but was missing when I visited. Drive down Access Road for about a quarter mile until you reach a small parking area. The lake is visible through the trees.

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Fishing for brook trout on Sewell Pond in Arrowsic, Sagadahoc County, Maine (November 27, 2020)

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Sewell Pond (also spelled “Sewall Pond”) is a 43-acre body of water located in the town of Arrowsic in Sagadahoc County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 6 C5). The public access point to the pond is located right next to Route 127. Parking is along the shoulder of the road or by a small dirt pull-up right by the access point.

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Fishing for brook trout on Pinkham Pond in Alna, Lincoln County, Maine (November 27, 2020)

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Early-morning view of pretty Pinkham Pond from Bog Road.

 

Pinkham Pond is a 21-acre body of water located in Alna, Lincoln County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 13 E1). The public access to the pond is located at its southern tip, right besides Bog Road. Parking is along the shoulder of the road. It would be best not to leave your vehicle at the nearby fire truck water intake as that might potentially result in a ticket or a tow.

 

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