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!

TOP Brook Trout Ponds for the 2016 Spring Fishing Season in Androscoggin County, Maine

Posted on by
Reply

This blog identifies the TOP ponds in Androscoggin County, Maine that provide the best odds of catching brook trout during the spring of 2016. A pond is considered TOP due to its trout stocking density: after all, everything else being equal, the more brook trout that are stocked per acre of pond, the greater the chances of catching those fish! Trout activity typically peaks between late April and early June, after which the fishing slows down in response to rising surface water temperatures.
More details are provided in the stocking reports compiled by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Click here for the latest law book about special fishing rules that may apply on these ponds. Click here for the latest stocking report. Note that the list of TOP brook trout ponds excludes “kids only” ponds.
The TOP brook trout ponds for the 2016 spring fishing season in Androscoggin County are listed below in alphabetical order:

Continue reading →

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove

Ice fishing for brook trout on Sand Pond in Baldwin, Maine (February 27, 2016)

Posted on by
Reply

View Map

Glare ice and unlimited sunshine on Sand Pond

Glare ice and unlimited sunshine on Sand Pond

Sand Pond is a 61-acre body of water located in the town of Baldwin, Cumberland County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 D4). The access point, which contains a sturdy boat launch, is located by the town-owned beach at the southern end of the pond next to Sand Pond Road off Route 107 (Bridgton Road). I’m selecting this pond because it is relatively small and therefore contains safe ice even though we’ve had a warm “El Ninjo” winter, but also because it was stocked last fall with larger trout (click here for details). Sand Pond is typical of the many popular put-and-take lakes scattered around the region. Heavier trout are stocked each fall in these waters to support a winter and spring fishery with the understanding that these fish do not survive the summer because the ponds are too shallow and the water column gets too warm. Sand Pond has a mean and maximum depth of 9 ft and 20 ft, respectively. Click here for more details on the fishing rules that pertain to this pond. Click here for a depth map and additional fisheries information.

 

Continue reading →

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove

Ice fishing for brook trout on Deer Pond in Hollis, Maine (February 7, 2016)

Posted on by
Reply

View Map

Christian is jigging. Notice the ice shacks by the boat launch.

Christian is jigging. Notice the ice shacks by the boat launch and the sloppy slush on the ice.

Deer Pond is a 32-acre body of water located in the town of Hollis, York County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 A5). The town-owned access point, which is not shown on the map, can be found at the southern end of the pond right off busy Route 117 (Cape Road). Driving east on Route 117, look for a long brown wooden fence on the left. This access point, which is not posted, is situated on the left at the end of that fence. Parking is mostly on the shoulder of Route 117. I’m targeting Deer Pond for ice fishing this morning for two reasons: (a) I had great success catching trout while trolling this pond last November (click here for details), and (b) the pond was nicely stocked by the state last fall with larger trout (click here for details). My goal/hope is to catch some of those larger fish through the ice. In addition, Deer Pond is unusually deep (maximum depth of 60 ft) for its small size. The large volume of cold, highly oxygenated water allows the trout to survive from year to year, and grow big. As a result, this pond has restrictive ice fishing rules to protect the high quality of its trout fishery. Specifically, only two lines are allowed per person. Click here for more details on the fishing rules. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information.

 

Continue reading →

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove

Kids ice fishing for brook trout on Round Pond in Lyman, Maine (January 30, 2016)

Posted on by
Reply

View Map

Christian and Antony are both jigging for trout

Christian and Geovanni are both jigging for trout

Round Pond is a small 6-acre body of water located in Lyman, York County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 B5). The pond is found at the intersection of Route 35 (Goodwins Mills Road) and Mast Road on property belonging to the York County Fish and Game Club. (YCF&GC; click here for details). Public access is through the gate by the small parking area off Mast Road. Note that Round Pond is a “KIDS ONLY” pond, but only during the hard-water season. It is fishable through the ice under Special Regulation code S-9 (i.e., open to fishing only to persons under 16 years old; restricted to two lines per person; daily bag limit for trout is two fish). The pond, which has a mean and maximum depth of 14 ft and 36 ft, respectively, sits in a distinct bowl surrounded by woods. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. The only human structure visible from the ice is the YCF&GC club house sitting on top of the hill on the southern end. The state stocks this pond each fall with an abundance of brookies to create fast fishing action on the ice for kids.
 

Continue reading →

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove

Kids ice fishing for brook trout on Lower Hinkley Pond in South Portland, Maine (January 23, 2016)

Posted on by
Reply

View Map

We set up camp close to the dam

We set up camp close to the dam

Lower Hinkley Pond is a small 2-acre body of water located in South Portland, Cumberland County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 73 H5). The pond is situated in Hinkley Park right off Highland Avenue and is the first pond closest to the parking lot. Plenty of parking space is available. Note that Lower Hinkley Pond is a “KIDS ONLY” pond with a Special Regulation code of S-9 (i.e., open to fishing only to persons under 16 years old; restricted to two lines per person; daily bag limit for trout is two fish). The pond, which has a maximum depth of 8 ft, is a shallow reservoir created by the impoundment of Kimball Brook. A depth map is not available. The state stocks this pond each fall with a boatload of brookies to create fast fishing action for kids. Keep in mind that Hinckley Park is well used by the local community of dog owners. The dogs typically run around without a leash, and some of the animals invariably amble on the ice to pay a visit.

Continue reading →

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove

Ice fishing for brook trout on Thompson’s Ice Pond in South Bristol, Maine (January 9, 2016)

Posted on by
Reply

View Map

Christian's first brookie of the day is a nice one!

Christian’s first brookie of the day is a nice one!

***IMPORTANT UPDATE (January 12, 2016)***: The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) appears to have made a key error publishing the rules pertaining to this pond. The hard-copy version of the 2016 fishing rules, which I used to select this pond, does NOT specifically mention Thompson’s Ice Pond under its “Special Rules” section for Lincoln County, indicating that the pond falls under the general law fishing provisions. However, the on-line version of the self-same 2016 fishing rules stipulates that Thompson’s Ice Pond is a “KIDS ONLY” pond with a two-trap limit.  I would now assume that the on-line version prevails. Please beware of this deep inconsistency!! Thank you, Herb, for pointing out this problem.

 

 

 

 

Thompson’s Ice Pond is a miniscule 1-acre body of water located in the town South Bristol, Lincoln County (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 7 C3, but the pond is not shown due to its small size. Click on the Google Map above to get an exact location). The pond is situated at the intersection of Route 129, which runs between Damariscotta and South Bristol, and McFarlands Cove Road. A depth map is not available. Thompson’s Ice Pond is a small reservoir associated with Thompson’s Ice House, which is on the National Registry of Historic Places (click here for details). Plenty of parking is available next to the pond. Why bother with such a small potato? A review of the 2015 stocking report issued by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife shows that this tiny pond was stocked in the fall of 2015 with 150 8” brookies, 100 13” brookies and ten 20” brookies!! Do the math. That works out to an astonishing 260 brook trout per acre! My real focus this morning is on trying to catch one of those huge 20” – 4 lbs brookies.

Continue reading →

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove

Best ice fishing ponds for catching large trout in York County, Maine (winter of 2016)

Posted on by
Reply

This blog highlights the ponds in York County which provide the best odds of catching larger stocked trout during the 2016 ice fishing season. About a dozen and a half ponds open to ice fishing in this county are stocked with trout each fall. Most of these fish are relatively small (7” to 12”), but plentiful, in order to provide fast action. The state also spiced up some of the ponds with larger trout, which are defined here as fish measuring 13” or more, and weighing at least 1 pound.

Continue reading →

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove

Best ice fishing ponds for catching large trout in Washington County, Maine (winter of 2016)

Posted on by
Reply

This blog highlights the ponds in Washington County which provide the best odds of catching larger stocked trout during the 2016 ice fishing season. About a dozen and a half ponds open to ice fishing in this county are stocked with trout each fall. Most of these fish are relatively small (7” to 12”), but plentiful, in order to provide fast action. The state also spiced up some of the ponds with larger trout, which are defined here as fish measuring 13” or more, and weighing at least 1 pound.

Continue reading →

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove

Best ice fishing ponds for catching large trout in Waldo County, Maine (winter of 2016)

Posted on by
Reply

This blog highlights the ponds in Waldo County which provide the best odds of catching larger stocked trout during the 2016 ice fishing season. About ten ponds open to ice fishing in this county are stocked with trout each fall. Most of these fish are relatively small (7” to 12”), but plentiful, in order to provide fast action. The state also spiced up some of the ponds with larger trout, which are defined here as fish measuring 13” or more, and weighing at least 1 pound.

Continue reading →

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove

Best ice fishing ponds for catching large trout in Somerset County, Maine (winter of 2016)

Posted on by
Reply

This blog highlights the ponds in Somerset County which provide the best odds of catching larger stocked trout during the 2016 ice fishing season. About a dozen and a half ponds open to ice fishing in this county are stocked with trout each fall. Most of these fish are relatively small (7” to 12”), but plentiful, in order to provide fast action. The state also spiced up some of the ponds with larger trout, which are defined here as fish measuring 13” or more, and weighing at least 1 pound.

Continue reading →

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove