The first brookie of the morning told us we were on to something.
December 27, 2021
Location and Access to Big Eddy Pond
Where is Big Eddy Pond Located?
This small, 4-acre water body is found in the back of the Topsham Transfer Station at the end of Townsend Way, off Foreside Road in Topsham, ME. The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer does not shown the pond. My goal this morning is to catch brook trout while fishing through the ice on Big Eddy Pond.
Access
Click here for directions on how to reach this sweet spot.
This brookie grabbed the bait fish and triggered the flag as soon as the trap was lowered into the water. The trout couldn’t wait to feed!
Big Eddy Pond Features, Stocking, Depth Profile, and Angling Rules
General Characteristics
Big Eddy Pond is high on my list of early ice-fishing ponds which I anxiously want to check out this season. I wader fished it in the fall of 2020 and was quite impressed with the quality of the pond, the quiet surroundings, and the fishing results.
Annual Stocking
In the fall of 2021, the state stocked this little gem with 500 9-inch brookies, 75 14-inch brookies, and 20 18-inch brookies. Do the math with me for a moment: that yields an astonishing total of 149 brookies per acre!
More specifically, it also means an incredible stocking density of five 18-inch brookies per acre which, by my calculations, represents one of the highest stocking densities of brood stock brook trout anywhere in the state of Maine for the 2021-2022 ice fishing season!! You understand now why I’m so eager to get going this morning…
Depth Profile
A depth map is not available for this location.
Fishing Regulations
Ice fishing at this location takes place under the general fishing laws applicable to the South Zone, i.e., up to five tip-ups, bait fish are allowed, and a two-trout limit per person per day.
This brood stock trout read the memo and made my morning!
Fishing Through the Ice on Big Eddy Pond
Arrival and Conditions
I reach the small parking lot next to the transfer station at 7:10 am with my 13 year-old grandson Geovani.
The air temperature is in the low 20’s and forecast to rise into the 30’s with bright sunshine later today. We dress up warmly, off-load the equipment into the sled, walk to Big Eddy Pond via the local trails, and reach it by 7:30 am.
Even though I see signs of prior ice fishing activity, I use my spud to check the thickness of the ice, just to be safe; the ice is a solid 3 to 4 inches, and is covered with two inches of fresh snow. Perfect!
We make a run for the southern shoreline which will stay deep in the shadows as the sun rises above the horizon behind the local tree line. I am also pleasantly surprised that no one else is fishing even though school is out all of this week. In fact, we do not see another soul until we leave shortly after 10 am. That is just the way I like it.
Technique for Fishing Through the Ice on Big Eddy Pond
I fire up the auger for the first time this season and start drilling holes to set up our traps along the shoreline in water 2 to 8 ft deep with 2-inch bait fish placed about halfway down the water column.
As always, before pinning the bait fish, I first garnish each hook with a scented salmon egg to add an extra olfactory and visual dimension to my offerings. The first flag pops up as we are working on setting up the third trap. Great, the fish are active and feeding this morning! I let G handle it and he yelps from excitement when a fat 14-inch brookie flops on the ice.
Jigging works this morning but only yields smaller 9-inch brookies. Notice that the shoreline is still in the shadow at about 9:30 am. The sun has been rising for over 2 hours and is flooding the rest of the pond with its harsh light.
Results of Fishing Through the Ice on Big Eddy Pond
The action over the next hour or so is essentially non-stop. We succeed in setting up three more traps but have to constantly interrupt our work to tend about ten flags, yielding another four 13 to 15-inch brook trout. Boy, this is so much fun!
And then the action slows down drastically as the early-morning activity winds down in response to the increasing light levels (click here, here, and here for prior examples). We set up the remaining two traps and also drill a dozen jigging holes.
A Lunker Trout at the Other End!
A flag pops up and it is my turn to tend the trap. The line is rapidly spinning off the reel (always a pleasure to see!) when I arrive. I carefully lift the trap out of the hole, allow the swimming fish to remove the line slack, and firmly set the hook.
It is immediately clear that I caught one of the brood stock fish!! The creature puts up a spirited fight. I give it all the line it wants. At the end of the fight, G puts his two hand through the hole and scoops out the fish. We high-five each other in pure excitement. Ice fishing does not get any better than this moment. The fish is photographed and quickly released back to the water to be caught by another lucky angler.
Time to Bring out the Jigging Rods
The flag action has now totally died out, but the jigging action is hot! Over the next hour or so, I catch nine brookies and G catches four. We use the Powerbait Power Nymph and jighead combo (enhanced with crayfish juice) and a tiny 1.5-inch Rapala Jigging Rap lure.
Surprisingly, every one of those fish is of the 9-inch variety. It is like the larger trout from this morning checked out to allow the little guys to feed.
Regardless, our morning of ice fishing on Big Eddy Pond was a complete success, particularly catching the large brood stock trout.
The outcome of fishing through the ice on Big Eddy Pond: We landed 19 brook trout (largest was 18″) in 3 hours of awesome ice 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.
~ ~ ~ ~ ><« ({(« º >
