Fishing for largemouth bass is a cherished summer activity for many fishermen in southern Maine. The desired quietness and loneliness, however, can be rudely impacted by the unwelcome hustle and bustle of jet skiers, swimmers, speed boaters, other fishermen, general shore activity, or busy road traffic.
My goal was to find, and share with you, hidden largemouth bass fishing spots scattered throughout Cumberland County. I focused on small ponds less than about 50 acres in size, located off the beaten track but still readily accessible by car (no need for 4X4 driving or hiking through the woods!). I also avoided ponds with excessive shore development. A small motorized boat could be launched on a few of these ponds, but most are fishable only by hand-carried craft, such as a canoe or kayak.
This selection process ensures that you will likely be fishing all by yourself in unspoiled, quiet, natural surroundings. The ponds are also small enough that they can be covered in a lazy afternoon or a long summer evening. Finally, I fished each one of them to ensure that they contain largemouth bass, which they did! Click here for an overview of the lures I like to use on these fish and click here to review the fishing rules that may apply on these ponds. I’ve also identified fabulous largemouth bass ponds in York County, south coastal Maine, and southern Oxford County.
And the fabulous ponds for Cumberland County are (in alphabetical order)….
Adams Pond, Bridgton, Maine
A beautiful view of Adams Pond
Adams Pond is located in the town of Bridgton (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 B4). This delightful small pond sits right next to Route 107 off Adams Pond Road. Access to the pond is via its small outlet which runs underneath Adams Pond Road. Only hand-carried craft can be launched from this point. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. Adams Pond is completely wooded on its southern and western shoreline. Adams Pond Road, which runs along the eastern shore of the pond, has a handful of houses. Much of the northern shoreline is occupied by Camp Pondicherry, a girl scout facility. The pond covers 45 acres and has a maximum depth of 51 ft and a mean depth of 20 ft. The bottom consists of clean sand interspersed with boulders and cobbles. The water is absolutely crystal clear, with visibility down to 25 ft!
A shoreline view of Adams Pond
Even though the quality of the bass habitat along the shoreline is not great, I like this pond because of its sheer beauty. The aquatic vegetation is very sparse, consisting of tine lilypads and pipewort. Both are a constant bother because lures get fouled up by the delicate stems of these plants. Sunken trees and branches (particularly along the southern shoreline) provide several good hiding spots for bass. Click here for a blog on fishing for largemouth bass on this pond.
Chaffin Pond, Windham, Maine
General view across Chaffin Pond
Chaffin Pond is a pretty 13-acre body of water located in the heart of the business district of North Windham off busy Route 302 (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 C2). When driving north on Route 302, turn right on Chaffin Pond Road right before the Sherwin Williams paint store. Ample parking is available at the end of this road. The pond does not have a boat launch and is best fished using a kayak or canoe because the shoreline is mostly swampy and/or heavily vegetated. This small water body is a little gem which is part of the Windham Parks and Recreation’s 123-acre Donnabeth Lippman Park. Click here to obtain a map of the park and its pond. A depth map is not available.
The shoreline of Chaffin Pond
The water body is completely isolated. No houses, docks, roads, or motor boats spoil the silence and natural beauty. The northern shoreline is fringed by a large bog containing many dead trees, whereas the rest of the shoreline is wooded. The bass habitat consists of lilypads along the northern and western shores and much submerged wood all around. The surface water is slightly stained. Click here and here for blogs on fishing for largemouth bass on this pond.
Holt Pond, Bridgton, Maine
General view of Holt Pond
Holt Pond is located in the town of Bridgton (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 B4). From Route 302 in Naples, turn left on Perley Road and drive for about 1.4 miles until the intersection with Chaplin Mills Road. Drive straight on Grist Mill Road (a gravel road) and turn left after about 0.2 miles. Continue until you reach a small parking area.
The Muddy River
Holt Pond can be reached via its outlet, called the Muddy River (although calling it a “river” is a misnomer since it has little or no current), by walking down the left trail that start at the parking area. It takes about three minutes to reach the outlet. Only small craft can be launched from the Muddy River because of the carry-in. It takes another 10 minutes of paddling on the Muddy River to reach the pond itself.
Acres and acres of lilypads on Holt Pond
The hassle of reaching Holt Pond is effort well spent. It is a true gem which sits at the center of a 400-acre nature preserve (click here for more details), no more than a 10-minute drive from Naples. The water body is completely isolated. No houses, docks, roads, or motor boats spoil the silence and natural beauty. The pond covers 25 acres and has a maximum depth of 10 ft. The northern and western shores are fringed by a large bog, whereas the southern and eastern shores abut woodlands. The entire shoreline is quite shallow and is surrounded by a broad expanse of lily pads and other aquatic vegetation. The surface water is darkly stained and the bottom consists of organic muck. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. Click here for a blog on fishing for largemouth bass on this pond.
Lily Pond, New Gloucester, Maine
The crude launch by 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.
Typical view of the Lily Pond shoreline
The State stocks Lily Pond each year with rainbow trout. This pond is 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 Lily Pond are strict because of its special status as a rainbow trout fishery. The major restrictions are as follows: (a) closed to ice fishing, (b) use or possession of live fish is prohibited (dead bait fish, salmon eggs, and worms are allowed), (c) motorboats are prohibited, (d) no size or bag limit on bass, and (e) open water fishing is allowed from October 1 to November 30 using artificial lures only, but all trout must be released alive at once. Click here for more information on the fishing regulations pertaining to this pod.
She looks so peaceful, but a thunderstorm is brewing…
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 low but constant background din of cars and trucks whizzing by interrupts your sense of quietness and solitude. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. Click here for a blog on fishing for largemouth bass on this pond.
Little Watchic Pond, Standish, Maine
One of the rough boat launches on Little Watchic Pond
Little Watchic Pond is located in Standish (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 D5). Getting to the water is tricky because the surrounding area is crisscrossed by numerous dirt roads used by four-wheelers and snowmobilers. The best option is to turn on Middle Road from Boundary Road and drive for 2.6 miles until reaching a gated crossroad. Check if the gate on the left is unlocked/open. If it is, then drive on that road until reaching the gravel pit after about 0.2 miles. Stay on the right of the pit and turn right on the second dirt road (the first one is currently blocked by large boulders). The pond is 0.2 miles further down. Stay right, then left, then right again at each of the splits on this dirt road. The launch by the pond is rough but can handle small trailered boats.
Little Watchic Pond is completely surrounded by aquatic vegetation
To use the alternative access point, drive on Middle Road (coming from Boundary Road) for 2.2 miles up to a forest trail on the left. The trail is marked by several large boulders on either side. Drive on this trail for just over 0.1 mile. The access point to the pond will be on the right. This last section is too rough for driving, except by 4X4 vehicles. You’ll need to carry your canoe or kayak for about 200 ft to reach the edge of the water.
How many largemouth bass could be hiding in this stuff?
Little Watchic Pond is a pretty and remote-feeling body of water consisting of a large southern lobe and a much smaller northern lobe. The two lobes are connected by a 300 ft long but narrow and weedy thoroughfare. The pond has a total surface area of 55 acres and a maximum depth of 22 ft. It is surrounded by woods and is devoid of houses or cabins. The shoreline is entirely encircled by a wide and dense band of aquatic vegetation, consisting mainly of lilypads and arrowhead/pickerelweeds. The water has a brown-colored tint. The water column 8 ft or more below the surface also experiences a severe oxygen deficiency in the summer, which means that the fishing must focus on the shallows. I have fished this pond on and off for years and have caught several largemouth bass > 20”; the largest one measured 23.5”! Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information.
Perley Pond, Sebago, Maine
The rough boat launch on Perley Pond
Perley Pond is located in the town of Sebago (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 C5). To reach the pond, turn onto Folly Road from either Route 107 (Bridgton Road) or Route 114 (Sebago Road) and drive for 2-3 miles. The pond is clearly visible from Folly Road. An unimproved sandy launch allows access for small trailered boats, as well as hand-carried craft.
A view down the shoreline alongside Folly Road
This pretty 29-acre pond has a maximum depth of 16 ft and a mean depth of 6 ft. The substrate consists of fine sand and silt covered by organic muck. The water is dark colored. Much of the pond is surrounded by an exuberant amount of aquatic vegetation, particularly along the western shoreline and in the extensive shallows on the left side of the launch. This excessive vegetation is great largemouth bass habitat but can make fishing a challenge. The surrounding watershed is completely forested. Only one small cabin is located next to the launch. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. Click here for a blog on fishing for largemouth bass on this pond.
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 any of these locations.
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Can any of these spots be fished from the shore. I do not have a water craft.
Parts of Chaffin Pond in Windham could be fished for largemouth bass from shore. Also, check out Otter Ponds #2 and 4 at the southern tip of Sebago Lake in Standish, or Pineland Farm Pond at Pineland Farm in Grey, to fish for brook trout from shore. Best of luck.
Crystal Lake in Gray, the Androscoggin River in Brunswick and Thomas Pond in Raymond are pretty great for Large & Smallmouth Bass. Woolly Bugger flies, Squirrel Zonkers and Rabbit Strips work pretty awesome.
Best,
Kasey Marsters
https://foxtrickadventures.com/foxtrickflies/