The boat launch by the outlet of Hancock Pond is wide and spacious. Remember to leave your vehicle at the parking area across the road behind the mailboxes.
September 4, 2024
Location and Access to Sand Pond
Where is Sand Pond Located?
This 256-acre water body is found in Denmark, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 B3. NOTE: both the Gazetteer and Google Maps refer to it as Walden Pond). My goal this morning is trolling for trout on Sand Pond.
Access and Boat Launch
This pond does not have a public launch area. Instead, access is via the hard-topped municipal boat launch found at the outlet of nearby Hancock Pond. Both ponds are connected via a short but shallow (< 1 ft. deep) thoroughfare. Keep in mind that the Hancock Pond launch is not deep and that trailered boats need to be backed out a way before they will float off.
Also, a local homeowner tells me that vehicles should not be left behind in the launch area itself but instead must be parked in the open area across Wabunaki Road behind the mailboxes. The launch area does not provide any signs clarifying that important detail. Beware that, in the past, some vehicles parked at the launch have been towed away by the town at the owner’s expense…
It is so peaceful this morning, and I have the place all to myself!
Sand Pond Features, Stocking, Thermocline, Depth Profile, and Angling Rules
General Characteristics
Sand Pond is pretty, only moderately developed, and surrounded by several low, wooded hills. It consists of three shallow lobes that are connected by a deeper area in the center. I selected this water body as an angling target using my proven search strategy.
Annual Stocking
The State stocks Sand Pond each fall with 300 12- to 13-inch brown trout, which results in a sparse stocking density of about 1 fish per acre. That is the going rate for this species. Hence, I do not expect “fast” fishing action….
The Thermocline
As part of my pre-trip research, I checked the historical temperature and dissolved oxygen data for this pond, which I obtained from Lakes of Maine, to determine the depth of the thermocline. The data show that this narrow warm-to-cold water transition layer occurs between 16 and 23 ft. below the surface in early September.
Normally, that is the depth I would troll for brown trout. However, a peculiar feature of the data piques my interest: not only does the cold water below the thermocline experience a severe oxygen deficiency in late summer, but so does the thermocline itself! The information shows that I need to troll 16 ft. down, but not one foot deeper, in order to stay in oxygenated water.
This pattern means that the brown trout and their local food source (i.e., landlocked alewives and rainbow smelt) are forced to stay in a very narrow band of water marginally too warm but containing enough oxygen. The fish cannot spend any time in the well-oxygenated but warmer water above or in the colder but oxygen-deprived water below.
This key factor makes it much easier to find the brown trout because it removes much of the guesswork from the catch equation! It also shows the critical importance of fully understanding the local water temperature and oxygen profiles when targeting brown trout at depth in the summer. It would be so easy to troll at the bottom of the (anoxic) thermocline 23 ft. below the surface and catch… absolutely nothing.
Depth Profile
Sand Pond has a mean and maximum depth of 12 ft. and 44 ft., respectively. Hence, it is relatively shallow. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. I printed out this map and traced the 25 ft. depth contour. It shows that most of the water >25 ft. deep occurs in the center of the pond where the three lobes meet. Bingo! That is where I need to concentrate all my trolling efforts.
Fishing Regulations when Trolling for Trout on Sand Pond
Open water angling at this location occurs under the general fishing laws applicable to the South Zone. However, anglers can fish between October 1 and December 31 but only with artificial lures. In addition, they must release all trout alive and at once. Click here for the full regulations pertaining to Sand Pond.
I just love it when all my triangulations produce the desired results!
Trolling for Trout on Sand Pond
Arrival and Conditions
I arrive at the Hancock Pond boat launch at 5:30 am and buzz off 15 minutes later. I move around the corner and through the shallow thoroughfare and am ready to troll in the center of Sand Pond by 6:00 am.
Sunrise occurs in another 10 minutes. Great. I am still within the “Golden Hour”, which lasts from 30 minutes before sunrise until one hour after sunrise when light conditions are low and the trout are actively chasing breakfast.
The weather is also to my liking: air temperature in the low 50’s and expected to rise into the mid 70’s, lite fog, no wind, and a cloudless sky.
Technique for Trolling for Trout on Sand Pond
I deploy my usual trolling paraphernalia: a portable downrigger teamed with a spinning rod, and lead core line teamed with an 8-weight fly fishing rod. The spinning rod uses three Mooselook spoons tied back-to-back, and the fly rod fishes with three small one-hook smelt imitators tied back-to-back. I place both set of lures 16 ft. below the surface, and not one foot deeper.
I have been fishing for less than 10 minutes when a ferocious hit strikes my streamer flies! Boy, do I LOVE that feeling, particularly since I am holding the rod and therefore intimately feel the strike. The fish struggles hard for three seconds but then suddenly unhooks. Darn!! Although this unexpected loss deeply frustrates me, confirming that I placed my lures at the correct depth satisfies me. Proper depth control is always in the back of my mind when trolling close to de-oxygenated water in the summer.
The brown trout spits out this juvenile landlocked alewife. It reminds me of the importance of matching lure size to bait size!
Results of Trolling for Trout on Sand Pond
Thirty minutes go by without any action. By now, the sun has started its ascend into the cloudless sky and the fog is burning off. Another fish slams the lead core line, and this time it doesn’t get away! Ooh, this is a nice fighter. The creature takes several strong runs, ripping copious amounts of line off the reel. I give all it wants, while making sure that the tension remains constant.
A brown trout slowly emerges out of the depths, and I soon understand its tenacity: the hook caught the fish in the tail, making it fight “head first.” ! I have had that experience several times (click here and here), and it results in incredible fights! I net, measure, and photograph the creature, and promptly release it back to its watery world.
After the trout swims away, I notice a small silvery fish on the bottom of my boat. OMG, it is a juvenile landlocked alewife! I realize that my Mooselook spoons on the downrigger have done nothing for me this morning. Hence, they need to be swapped out. I replace them with three smaller and more compact Thomas Boyant T101 1/6 ounce trout spoons.
A nice “bycatch”
That switch pays off because my spinning rod shakes violently 35 minutes later and I set the hook on a brute. It turns out to be a hard-fighting smallmouth bass which leaps several times out of the water.
After about two hours of trolling, a quick glance at the gas tank reveals a problem: it is nearly empty. Damn, I forgot to fill the thing. With only about 30 minutes of gas remaining, the trip back to the launch has to begin soon. Before heading in, one last circle around the deep area produces another solid hit on the lead-core line. The fish strikes, but once again, the hook fails to find its mark.
Regardless, the results of this morning delighted me: I caught my target species, landed a nice ‘bycatch’, and had two additional hits. It beats going home skunked!
A very nice “by-catch”!
The outcome of trolling for trout on Sand Pond: I caught one brown trout (19 inches) and one smallmouth bass (18.5 inches) in 2.5 hours of trolling.
The local loon gang drops by for a visit.
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.
Tight Lines, y’all.
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