While driving on Loon Lake Road, turn left at this sign to reach the public access point.
September 29, 2023
Location and Access to Loon Lake
Where is Loon Lake Located?
This 192-acre water body is found in Dallas Plantation, Franklin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 28 D5). My goal this morning is fishing for trout on Loon Lake.
Access and Boat launch
To reach the public access point, drive on Routes 4 and 16 towards Rangeley, turn left on Loon Lake Road, and drive for 3.5 miles before turning left on the gravel road indicated by the blue public access sign.
Note that this gravel road is gated. However, the gate was open when we passed it. I suspect that the local authorities close the gate during mud season in the spring.
Drive on this well-maintained gravel road for 0.9 miles until you see the clearly marked foot path that gets you to the western end of the lake after an easy two-minute walk.
Anglers can leave their vehicles on the side of the dirt road. Only hand-carried craft can be launched from this location.
The public access point to Loon Lake. Only unmotorized hand-carried craft are allowed on this water body.
Loon Lake Features, Stocking, Depth Profile, and Angling Rules
General Characteristics
Loon Lake is a beautiful destination! The eastern half is lightly developed, with the northern shoreline framed by Spotted Mountain. The whole region is also deeply forested.
Annual Stocking
To maintain the fishery, the state stocks the lake each fall with between 3000 and 3500 yearling brookies, and every second year with between 100 and 200 yearling landlocked Atlantic salmon.
Depth Profile
Click here for a depth map and more information on the fishery in this lake.
Fishing Regulations
Angling at this location occurs under the general fishing laws applicable to the North Zone.
The lake is open to both open water fishing and ice fishing between January 1 and April 31.
It is also open to open water fishing between October 1 and November 30. However, during this period, anglers can only use artificial lures and have to release all salmon and trout alive and at once.
The law prohibits the use of motorboats on this water.
Finally, a sign by the access point reminds anglers that the law prohibits them from using live fish as bait on this lake
Geovani’s personal-best brook trout! What a treat.
Fishing for Trout on Loon Lake
Arrival and Conditions
My 14-year-old grandson Geovani (“G”) and I arrive at the Loon Lake public access point at 10:45 am and paddle off in my canoe about 30 minutes later.
The surface water temperature is a cool 61°F and the air temperature is a pleasant 71°F. It is also essentially wind still.
The atmosphere is choking with smoke from large forest fires raging in nearby Quebec. The haze is so thick that we are unable to discern any fall foliage on Spotted Mountain. What a pity…
Technique for Fishing for Trout on Loon Pond
We decide to focus all our fishing efforts on brook trout and therefore stay in water less than 15-20 ft deep.
We troll our way along the southern shoreline using two smelt-imitating one-hook streamer flies on a sinking tip (G) and two small 1- to 1.5-inch bronze spoons weighed down with three large split shots on my ultralight spinning rod (myself).
No fish has bitten by the time we reach the eastern end of the lake. However, we are in an area with good brook trout holding habitat. It consists of water 5 to 10 ft deep near the shore, large cobbles on the bottom, and with a dozen boulders poking their heads above the surface.
I like the lay-out and tell G that we should let ourselves drift and fish this area using a bronze #2 Mepps spinner. Since we only have one ultralight spinning rod between the two of us, I let him start with the understanding that he must hand the rod over to me after 15 minutes or as soon as he catches a fish.
I come in second with this gorgeous creature. Notice the thick haze in the background.
Results of Fishing for Trout on Loon Pond
G starts casting the spinner around. He declares 10 minutes later that he is stuck on the bottom. After shaking the rod for about 5 seconds to free up the lure, he screams that he is not stuck but has hooked something big!
The ultralight rod (with 6-pound test line) bends over violently. G is as excited as can be!! I tell him to loosen up the drag to let the fish run without snapping the line. He skillfully plays the creature which slowly emerges and circles the canoe. It is a huge brookie!
A couple of anxious moments pass as I try to net the struggling fish while keeping the canoe stable. Wow, what a beast: it measures 19 inches and weighs a little over 3 pounds. It get’s photographed and released. G is in seventh heaven because this fish is the biggest brook trout he has ever caught.
Another Big Trout!
It is my time to get the ultralight. I start casting in the same general area. Within 10 minutes, a large fish grabs my lure. It turns out to be a brook trout measuring a very respectable 17.5 inches. The fish gives me a splendid fight. It too gets photographed and released. Holy smokes, this is unbelievable!
We each catch another (smaller…) brook trout over the next 45 minutes drifting around the same general area and using the same spinner. I fly fish with dry flies when G spinner fishes, and vice versa, but the fish avoid the flies even though we see rises around us.
Sweet icing on the cake while trolling back towards the launch.
Trolling back to the put-in
Feeling satisfied with the results, we decide to troll back along the route we came in. The fish are cooperating because I catch two more brookies on the small spoons, with one of those fish measuring a respectable 15 inches.
This fishing trip was very successful. Catching those two large trout definitely made our day! G remarks that he fished with me when he caught his first brook trout ever on a dry fly, his first brown trout, and now his largest brookie ever. And that is exactly the way grampy likes it!
The outcome of fishing for trout on Loon Lake: We caught six brook trout (largest = 19 inches) in 2.5 hours of fantastic 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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