The boat launch for Bryant Pond. The dock is gone for the winter. The outlet is at the back of this picture towards the right. The grassy berm is also visible.
Bryant Pond (a.k.a. Christopher Pond) is a 278-acre body of water located in Woodstock and Greenwood, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 10 B5). To access this pond, drive on Route 26 and turn off on Old County Road. Drive for about 1 mile before turning left on Rowe Hill Road. The public access point will be immediately to your right and is clearly marked with a blue sign. It is in a small municipal park next to the pond’s outlet. The boat launch is hard-topped. Plenty of parking spaces are available.
The view from the grassy berm is quite spectacular.
Bryant Pond is an attractive lake which is moderately developed and surrounded by multiple wooded hills. I successfully trolled it for salmon last August. This place calls me today because it was recently stocked with 300 12-inch brook trout. I want to try to catch a few of these fish from the shore in my waders. The fishing rules state that the pond is open to angling between October 1 and December 31 using artificial lures only; all salmonids must be released at once.
It took me over an hour to find this first brookie!
I arrive at the Bryant Pond launch at 12:45 pm and enter the water 10 minutes later. The sky is partially overcast, the wind is quiet, and the air temperature is in the high 50’s. These conditions are great for wader fishing. My weapons of choice are an ultralight spinning rod, a small reel spooled with 6-pound monofilament, and a fabulous #2 Mepps spinner. The magic trick with this lure is to let it sink for a few seconds, get the blade to spin, and reel it in slowly while constantly twitching the rod tip to cause the blade to flutter. Those erratic pulsations trigger the killer instinct of the trout below. I take a moment to look for activity on the surface of the water (e.g., rises, jumps) to orient myself but see none. I start wading and casting to the right of the launch, keeping the grassy berm to my back. The water depth increases gradually, and the substrate is firm. However, wading is a chore because the bottom is carpeted by large boulders. They are not slippery but constantly obstruct safe walking, which is a pain. I am slowly making my way towards the outlet while constantly casting and retrieving, but do not get a single hit in 45 minutes. Clearly, the trout are not in this area!
The second brookie is a big male that gives a splendid fight!
I get out of the water, walk back to my starting point, and start wading to the left of the boat launch. The substrate conditions are like those described earlier. I have been casting for 20 minutes when I see my first rise a little to the left. Finally, signs of life! Soon thereafter, I hook and land a 12-inch brook trout. It’s a skinny female. Unfortunately, I am unable to connect with another fish after slowly wading along that section of shoreline for 200-300 ft. I turn around to spinner fish my way back to the launch. Along the way, I observe a big rise about 30 ft. to my right. I cast the spinner past it, start the retrieve, and immediately hook a substantial fish. Oooh, this one is not a 12 incher! It fights low and hard, making several strong runs that rip line off my spool. Boy, do I love fighting brookies on an ultralight spinning rod! It is just so much fun. The fish tires out, comes to the surface, and gets netted. It’s a male in full spawning regalia that measures a respectable 15 inches. These are the only two fish – and hits – I experienced this afternoon. But I fully enjoyed my time in the water, did not get skunked, and had the place all to myself.
The results: I caught two brook trout (largest = 15 inches) in 2 hours of slow but peaceful fishing.
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Tight Lines, y’all.
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