The rough launch at Lily Pond
Lily Pond is a pretty 38-acre water body located just west of the Maine Turnpike (I-95) in New Gloucester, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 B4). Access to this pond is via a rough boat launch that can only accommodate hand-carried craft. The launch is located at the end of a short dirt road off Snow Hill Road (looking east) right before the bridge over the pond outlet. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife stocks the pond each year with about 8 rainbow trout per acre. This stocking rate makes Lily pond one of the premier rainbow trout destinations in southern and central Maine, right after Ell Pond (click here for more details on the latter). The fishing rules on this pond are strict because of its special status as a regional rainbow trout fishery. The major restrictions are as follows: (a) the pond is closed to ice fishing, (b) use or possession of live fish is prohibited (dead bait fish, salmon eggs, and worms are allowed), and (c) motorboats are prohibited. Click here for details on the fishing regulations and for additional rules pertaining to this body of water.
General View of Lily Pond
Lily Pond is beautiful and completely undeveloped, with not a single house, camp, or dock to spoil the view. The shoreline is heavily wooded, but also includes substantial marshy areas. The shallows contain sparse lilypads. The one negative about this pond is that it is located only a couple of 100 ft from the Maine Turnpike. As a result, a constant background din of cars and trucks whizzing by interrupts your sense of quietness and solitude.
The undeveloped shoreline of Lily Pond
I arrive at Lily Pond at 4:00 pm with my 10-year old nephew Christian. He has become my fishing buddy lately. I love it how he has fallen for the sport since I started taking him with me in April. Christian is focused and super excited and, somewhat to my surprise, does not get bored sitting in a boat for hours on end. Our goal today is to catch largemouth bass. The population of largemouths in this pond is abundant but their growth appears to be stunted. The biggest fish I’ve caught in here is about 13”, although I’m told that larger ones are present.
A rain storm is gathering over Lily Pond
We start fishing with 5” soft stick baits on the right-hand side of the launch along the shoreline. The bite is steady and we catch six largemouth bass over the next hour. All are small though, as expected. The rain storm we drove through earlier to get to Lily Pond is now upon us. We don our rain gear and await the inevitable. There’s no lightening so we stay put and continue fishing through the downpours. Then the bite stops and does not return. We try buzzbaits, floating Rapallas, little torpedoes, and spinnerbaits but none of our offerings interest the fish. They’re done for today. It’s now 6:30 pm and time to head back home. We’ve been out and about since 10 am this morning and I’m beat…
The result: I landed four largemouth bass (largest 13”) and Christian caught three largemouth bass (largest 12″) in two hours of 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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We had attempted to locate this pond and were unsuccessful! Can anyone dummy breakdown the directions? 🙂
it is a dirt path off in the woods when you go past the highway on snow hill rd. go to RT100 turn on chandler mill rd, go to end, make right on snow hill rd, the dirt rd will be on ur right befor the gaurd rail. if u go over the highway you went too far. lilly pond is paddle only and wardens love to hide there but the fishing is grrrrrrreat!!! good luck to you, i lived in new gloucester fot 20 years and went there every year untill there was some one l;iving in a tent there for the summer i have not gone back yet and i now live in bath. once again good luck