October 1, 2023
Location and Access to Beaver Pond
Where is Beaver Pond Located?
Beaver Pond is a 20-acre body of water located in Township D, Franklin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 18 B4). My goal this morning is fishing for trout on Beaver Pond.
Access and Boat Launch
Access to this pond is super easy. The carry-in is found right next to Route 17 which funnels traffic to and from the town of Rangeley 10-12 miles further north. In fact, this road hugs the entire northern shoreline of the pond.
The launch is unimproved and down a steep gravely slope. It can also only accommodate hand-carried craft.
A spacious parking area is available off the road next to the launch.
A pretty view of Beaver Pond from the public access point by Route 17
Beaver Pond Features, Stocking, Depth Profile, and Angling Rules
General Characteristics
Beaver Pond is a small but pretty water body surrounded by forested hills covered in resplendent fall colors.
A single seasonal cabin sits by Route 17 next to the launch, leaving the rest of the shoreline completely undeveloped.
Annual Stocking
The State stocks this pond each fall with 1,900 7-inch brookies, yielding a very attractive stocking density of 95 (small) fish per acre.
Depth Profile
The pond has an average and maximum depth of 5 ft. and 19 ft., respectively, and is therefore quite shallow. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information.
Fishing Regulations
Angling occurs under the general fishing laws applicable to the North Zone.
However, the pond is open to ice fishing and open-water fishing from January 1 to December 31. In addition, people are allowed to use and possess live bait fish and smelt. Finally, anglers can fish Beaver Pond between October 1 and November 30. However, they can only use artificial lures. Also, all the trout they catch during this period must be released alive and at once.
Bright blue skies and emerging fall colors make for a nice visual combination…
Fishing for Trout on Beaver Pond
Arrival and Conditions
My 14-year-old grandson Geovani (“G”) and I arrive at the launch at 10:45 am and push off in the canoe 15 minutes later.
We are enjoying fine early-fall weather with full sunshine and an air temperature in the mid-60’s. However, a nasty little breeze pesters us by blowing in from different directions.
The surface water is a cool 60°F, which is about right for this time of the year. The water also has a distinct brown color more associated with marshes and wetlands.
Technique for Fishing for Trout on Beaver Pond
We paddle to the right of the launch looking for shallower water. We quickly discover that this entire half of the pond is indeed shallow (i.e., 5 ft or less) but also overgrown by aquatic vegetation. Fishing is impossible because plants would constantly foul our hooks.
The only option is to head to the other side of the pond and fish by the deep “bowl” shown on the depth map. If it was up to me, I would troll around the edge of this bowl using small trout spoons (click here, here, and here for examples). But G complains of lower back pains and does not want to paddle.
Instead, I anchor the canoe in 8 ft. of water when we reach the target area, and we start spinner fishing and fly fishing along the edges of the vegetation (all the shallow areas around the bowl are chocking with aquatic plants).
Unfortunately, that is the only brookie we were able to coax out of Beaver Pond this morning…
We use an ultralight spinning rod with a small reel spooled with six-pound monofilament line teamed up with a #2 Mepps spinner.
We also deploy a four-weight fly rod with floating line, teamed up with a wooly bugger and a small bead-head emerger fly.
Results of Fishing for Trout on Beaver Pond
We expect great things from Beaver Pond but then… nothing happens. We have zero results after 2 hours of non-stop fishing at four different locations along the edges of the bowl: not a bite or a nibble or a rise.
It looks like this water has no trout! I have lost G at this point. In desperation, I anchor the canoe in 12 ft. of water, cast the spinner towards the deep end, let it sink towards the bottom, and slowly retrieve the lure in the hope of dredging up a fish from lower down.
I finally get a bite and tussle with a pretty 12-inch male brookie in full spawning colors. The creature gets netted, photographed, and released. That gives me renewed hope as I continue using this tactic, but it is all for nought.
In the end, I remove the anchor and let the wind drift us across the deep part of the pond while jigging with a spoon. Nothing happens and it is time to give up and move on.
Overall, the fishing this morning was disappointing even though the setting was pretty. Also, keep in mind that the traffic along Route 17 prevents a true quiet angling experience.
The outcome of fishing for trout on Beaver Pond: I caught one 12-inch brookie and G got skunked in 3 hours of slow and frustrating fishing.
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 this location.
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