This female brookie was still full of eggs
December 24, 2017
Location and Access to Charles Pond
Where is Charles Pond Located?
This 14-acre water body is found next to Route 127 (Five Islands Road) in Georgetown, Sagadahoc County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 7 D1). My goal this morning is ice fishing on Charles Pond for brook trout
Access
Getting on the ice is super easy and convenient because the pond is located right next to the road. Anglers can park their cars on the nearby road shoulder and just walk right over. However, beware that these shoulders may be piled with plowed snow right after a snow storm.
Jigging was very productive this morning and required much less effort than tending the traps!!
Charles Pond Features, Stocking, Depth Profile, and Angling Rules
General Characteristics
This little lake is beautiful, completely undeveloped, and with a fully intact forested shoreline. That is an unusual combination in this area of the state. Route 127 also sees only light traffic Hence, the few vehicles passing by do not disturb the quietness.
Annual Stocking
The State stocked this pond in the fall with 385 7-inch and 10-inch brook trout (combined density of about 28 fish per acre), 165 13-inch brook trout (density of about 12 fish per acre), and also 15 19-inch brood stock trout. That represents a ton of catchable fish, including the potential for a 3+ pounder.
Depth Profile
This pond does not have a depth map. However, I have found no water deeper than around 7 ft., even in the middle of the pond.
Charles Pond represents your typical winter “put-and-take” trout fishery. The pond is unable to hold trout year-round because it is too shallow. Hence, any fish not caught during the hard-water season or later on in the spring will not survive the hot summer months.
Fishing Regulations
Ice fishing on Charles Pond occurs under the general fishing laws applicable to the South Zone. No additional limitations apply on this body of water.
Look at the gorgeous colors on this beauty!
Ice Fishing on Charles Pond
Arrival and Conditions
I discovered this pond last December and had a fantastic fishing experience on it then. My buddy Dmitry is from away and is visiting for the holidays. He has never ice-fished before and said he wanted to give it a try.
I choose this pond because it is well stocked and also provided me with an unforgettable experience last year. I’m hoping to replicate that kind of fishing for Dmitry.
My son Joel, Dmitry, and I leave the house at 6:15 am and carefully drive towards Charles Pond. We had freezing rain yesterday over southern Maine. The roads this morning are slick and slippery with black ice. However, the views along the way are gorgeous, with the light of the rising sun shining through the ice that coats all the branches of the trees. It is a true winter wonderland!
The temperature upon arrival hovers in the high 20’s, and is expected to rise into the low 30’s later on. The sky is also forecast to become partly sunny. All in all, these conditions are great for introducing our novice angler to the art of hard-water fishing.
One other party of two people is deploying their traps as we arrive at 7:30 am. We move past them and set up our operation about halfway up the pond. The ice is a solid 5″ thick and safe. It is also devoid of deep snow, which always makes for easy walking and fishing.
Joel hit the jackpot this morning with this beautiful 16″ brookie!
Technique for Ice Fishing on Charles Pond
Our plan is to deploy 12 tip-ups baited with small minnows, and drill several more holes for jigging. We get our first flag as we’re working on trap #5. Great!! The fish are active and biting this morning. It yields a small brookie which is released in anticipation of bigger ones to come.
Results of Ice Fishing on Charles Pond
The flag action is pretty steady from then on. We get around 20 flags over the next two and a half hours, resulting in seven brook trout, one of which is a gorgeous 16 incher, and five tiny pickerels.
At one point, the bite is so active that all three of us are tending our separate flags. But rebaiting the traps takes a lot of running around. I’m not only looking after my traps, but also Dmitry’s, while Joel is happily jigging away. And that’s where the real action is…
Jigging is the ticket
We jig up a total of eight additional brook trout. In fact, we all have the same experience I had last year on this pond: we see multiple trout swimming right underneath our feet. Unfortunately, unlike last year, the ice is too wet and slushy to lay down flat on our stomachs and look down our fishing holes.
All three of us bring back home our two-fish daily bag limit for the frying pan
The bite slows down noticeably by 9:30 am and dies out by 10 am. The sun has risen over the tree tops and floods the pond with its bright light. We entirely expected this all-too-familiar ice fishing pattern.
We call it good by 10:30 am, thoroughly satisfied with the great fishing we experienced this morning. Dmitry too is delighted to have experienced a true Maine winter adventure!
I highly recommend ice fishing Charles Pond early in the hard-water season. Not only are the brook trout fat and is the action fast, but there’s always the possibility of hooking into a 4 lb lunker fish.
The outcome of ice fishing on Charles Pond: The three of use landed 15 brook trout measuring between 12” and 16” in 2.5 hours of fantastic 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.
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One thought on “Ice fishing on Charles Pond, Maine”
Looks and sounds like you had a very good morning.