The dam separating Little Sebago Lake from Mill Pond
Mill Pond is a 10-acre impoundment formed by the outlet of Little Sebago Lake in Windham, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 C2). The downstream end of this small pond is dammed. The ouflow pouring over this dam forms Ditch Brook which flows underneath Route 115. The water in the pond is crystal clear. The substrate consists mostly of boulders and cobbles. The maximum depth is about 35 ft. Around a dozen houses dot the shoreline. Access to Mill Pond is problematic because it does not have a boat launch or public access. I get on to it via a friend’s backyard which abuts the pond. Also, keep in mind that some of the rainbow trout which are stocked annually in Little Sebago Lake wash over the outlet structure and get stuck in the pond. Those fish have grown fat and are worth targeting through the ice or in the spring and fall.
I’m spending part of the afternoon on Mill Pond fishing for largemouth bass with Lily. I decide to use one of my “bunker-buster lures”, i.e., a clunky black buzzbait with a white plastic trailer. I found out from past experience that this is a big bass bait. Bites are fewer but the fish are chunkier. Also, my son missed a monster largemouth on this pond a few weeks back, so I know that there are some big boys in this water body (click here for details). Lily fishes with a 5” soft stickbait. We target the area to the right of the outlet (looking downstream) in and around the lilypad beds and along the shoreline. The Eurasian milfoil I noticed earlier this month has definitely grown and expanded but isn’t reaching the surface of the water yet.
Lily and her catch
I get my first hit inside the lily pads within 10 minutes, but the fish gets tangled up in the vegetation and unhooks. The same thing happens with the next two hits. Darn! I’m missing fish but at least they’re biting. I hook and land about 8 bass in 1.5 hours. Lily is less lucky: she lands two fish even though she has many bites. She seems to have problems driving her hook into their mouths. Boy, the bass are active this afternoon, and the fish are also markedly bigger than those we caught earlier in June. None are smaller than 13” or 14”.
Fat Boy caught in Mill Pond
I retrieve my buzzbait along the shoreline when I suddenly see a wake shoot towards my lure from a nearby lily pad. I mutter “taake it, taaake it!!” when boum… the lure gets hit by what seems like a passing truck. I get into a vicious brawl with an enormous largemouth bass. He makes several long powerful runs, ripping line off my spool. He also jumps clear out of the water trying to throw off the lure. I adjust the drag to give him all the line he wants! I finally manoeuver the fish next to the boat and marvel at the size of the thing. It’s 21” long and weighs over 5 lbs! Unfortunately, we have to flee from Mill Pond shortly thereafter on account of an approaching thunder storm.
The results: I caught 12 largemouth bass (largest = 21”) and Lily caught 2 largemouth bass (largest = 16”) in 2.0 hours.
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