Acadia National Park is a major jewel in the National Park Service crown. It is located on Mount Desert Island along the rugged coast of Downeast Maine in Hancock County. Several million people visit the park each year to enjoy the great outdoors, including sea kayaking, biking the carriage trails, exploring the many hiking trails in the Park, watching the sun rise from the top of Mount Cadillac, or enjoying the stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean from the Park Loop Road. Too few, however, take advantage of the fabulous brook trout fishing on the numerous secluded ponds which are tucked away throughout the Park.
This blog focuses specifically on those small ponds less than 50 acres in size which are stocked with brook trout by the State every year. Nine ponds within the boundary of the Park fall within this category. Keep in mind that several streams that flow through the Park are also home to native brookies. These fish are typically small in size, but can be plentiful, aggressive, and quite feisty, particularly in spring. They are also typically easier to catch than the larger stocked trout. In addition, no boat is required since all the stream fishing takes place from shore! Examples of streams that support native brook trout in Acadia National Park include Richardson Brook (outlet of Betty Aunt Pond; see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 B3), Jordan Stream (outlet of Jordan Pond; see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 C3), Hunters Brook (outlet of Bubble Pond; see Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 C4), Stanley Brook (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 C4), and Little Harbor Brook (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 C3).
The nine small ponds listed below are highly regulated in order to preserve their exceptional quality, the scenic beauty of the area, and the Park experience. It is greatly recommended to carefully read the latest fishing regulations (click here for details) in order to understand all of the individual restrictions and limitations that apply to these bodies of water. Information on buying a Maine fishing license on-line can be obtained here. Note also that some of the ponds are accessible from nearby roads (e.g., Upper Hadlock Pond), whereas others are more remote and require a hike-in. Finally, the fishing action on the ponds will be fastest in the spring when the surface water is still relatively cool. Brook trout become more difficult to catch between mid-June and late-September when they move down to the bottom to seek cool water around hidden spring holes or below the thermocline.
The nine small ponds in Acadia National Park stocked with brook trout are listed below in alphabetical order.
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Bubble Pond is a 32 acre body of water located in the township of Bar Harbor (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 B4). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. The pond is stocked in the spring with an average of 5 brookies per acre, and in the fall with an average of 17 brookies per acre. It is open to fishing year round. The fishing regulations prohibit the use of internal combustion engines on this body of water. Other regulations also apply regarding seasonal tackle restrictions, number of lines that can be used, and catch/release.
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Halfmoon Pond is a 3 acre body of water located in the township of Bar Harbor (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 B3). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. The pond is stocked in the fall with an average of 42 brookies per acre. It is closed to ice fishing. The fishing regulations prohibit the use of any type of motor on this body of water. Other regulations apply regarding seasonal tackle restrictions and catch/release.
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Lake Wood is a 16 acre body of water located in the township of Bar Harbor (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 B3). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. The pond is stocked in the fall with an average of 38 brookies per acre. It is open to fishing year round. The fishing regulations prohibit the use of motorboats on this body of water. Other regulations also apply regarding seasonal tackle restrictions and catch/release.
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Lower Breakneck Pond is an 8 acre body of water located in the township of Bar Harbor (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 B3). Click here for depth map and more fisheries information. The pond is stocked in the fall with an average of 31 brookies per acre. It is closed to ice fishing. The fishing regulations prohibit the use of any type of motor on this body of water. Other regulations also apply regarding seasonal tackle restrictions and catch/release.
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Lower Hadlock Pond is a 39 acre body of water located in the township of Mount Desert (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 C3). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. The pond is stocked in the fall with an average of 19 brookies per acre. It is open to fishing year round. The fishing regulations prohibit the use of motorboats over 10 horse power on this body of water. Other regulations also apply regarding seasonal tackle restrictions and catch/release.
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Round Pond is a 38 acre body of water located in the township of Mount Desert (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 B2). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. The pond is stocked in the fall with an average of 3 brookies per acre. It is open to fishing year round. The fishing regulations prohibit the use of motorboats on this body of water. Other regulations also apply regarding seasonal tackle restrictions and catch/release.
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Upper Breakneck Pond is a 9 acre body of water located in the township of Bar Harbor (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 B3). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. The pond is stocked in the fall with an average of 31 brookies per acre. It is closed to ice fishing. The fishing regulations prohibit the use of any type of motor on this body of water. Other regulations also apply regarding seasonal tackle restrictions and catch/release.
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Upper Hadlock Pond is a 35 acre body of water located in the township of Mount Desert (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 C3). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. The pond is stocked in the fall with an average of 26 brookies per acre. It is closed to ice fishing. The fishing regulations prohibit the use of motorboats over 10 horse power on this body of water. Other regulations also apply regarding seasonal tackle restrictions and catch/release. For this pond, the daily bag limit on trout is two fish with a minimum length of 12″ and only one fish may exceed 14″.
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Witch Hole Pond is a 28 acre body of water located in the township of Bar Harbor (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 16 B4). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. The pond is stocked in the fall with an average of 42 brookies per acre. It is open to fishing year round. The fishing regulations prohibit the use of internal combustion engines on this body of water. Other regulations also apply regarding seasonal tackle restrictions, number of allowable fishing lines, and catch/release.
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 these locations.
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thank you for your guide to the ponds and streams of MDI. Since my family and I will be camping at Seawall, do you know if there is a stream/small pond that has some brookies, or even stocked fish on that part of the island? Thanks again.
The Seawall campground is located on the southern end of the western lobe of Mount Desert Island. There isn’t much trout fishing in that part of MDI. I assume that you’re planning your camping trip for the summer of 2015. Keep in mind that the trout fishing pretty much dies out during the hot summer months. The surface water simply get too warm for comfort and the brookies seek refuge around spring holes in streams or deep in the water column in ponds and lakes. That makes it much more of a challenge to find and catch them without specialized equipment, particularly on the ponds and lakes where one would need a boat, downriggers, lead core, etc. Unfortunately, my personal experience with trout fishing in streams on MDI in the summer is limited, which means that I can’t pass on kernels of wisdom on that topic. But I wish you the best of luck. Drop us a line if you have success.
I have visited MDI many times but have never fly fished on the island. Last Summer (in late July) I spotted an couple small brookies in Hunters Brook and resolved to bring a rod on my next trip. I’ll be in Bar Harbor in a couple weeks (mid Aug 2015) and figure I’ll pack a 3wt and a box of flies. Understanding that the warm Summer temps will make things tough, any thoughts on streams/flies to try around Bar Harbor? Breakneck Ponds / Brook? I enjoyed the blog post, thanks for the info.
Unfortunately, I’m not of much help here because I haven’t attempted to flyfish for brookies in the summer and therefore do not know the proper tactics. I’d be more inclined to use a submerger, a small woolly bugger, or small Mickey Fin under those conditions, but that’s just my guess.
Hi, I’m planning on visiting the Park in early June 2016. Are the trout still likely to be near the surface at this time of year or are they already going deeper? Appreciate the help.
The first 10 days of June should still be OK to consistently catch trout on the surface in the ponds of ANP, unless we get an unusually-warm spring, in which case the surface activity will be largely over by then. I certainly wouldn’t push it past June 15, at which point the surface water will be too warm and you’ll need to use lead core or a down rigger to seek trout deeper in the water column.
I visited the park a few days ago (early August 2016) and I caught 3 wild brook trout on Hunter’s Brook just upstream from where it goes under the Park Loop Road. I fished in late afternoon and I was using a size 16 Adams. The little trout were very wary of my presence on the banks but were eager to take the fly when they could not see me.
Hi all. Found this site and am thrilled to finally have some destinations to fly fish on while visiting 09/10-09/15. Camping in Blackwoods. I’m going to be bringing my 3wt rod and will try my luck while up there. I have caught wild brookies on dry flies just beyond Blackwoods Campground in Hunter’s Brook right near where it ends at the ocean. They were extremely small, however, but a nice surprise. Hope to have better luck this year and would be happy to entertain any suggestions. This wiill be our 12th trip to Acadia and Maine in the past 15 years. We are planning on moving up from CT soon.
Just an addendum to my initial message. The trout are still there! I was dropping a tiny stimulator into a pond no deeper than 1 foot with a sand bottom and a few small dark areas. Sure nuff the trout were waiting and fighting for a chance to get caught. .5 inches but there nonetheless. I also fished the north woods in early August and had a spectacular time there as well.