Trolling for salmon on South Pond, ME

Motoring to South Pond

Access to South Pond from this location is tricky. With the ramp in your back, navigate to the upper right-hand corner of the (unnamed) water body and pass  underneath the railroad tracks. From there, navigate to the left through Round Pond until you enter South Pond through a wide but shallow passage.

I was disoriented and got lost while motoring through Round Pond and its multiple islands and shallow weedy areas. I used the GPS on my phone to get me out of the maze… It takes about 15 minutes of no-wake boating to reach my destination from the boat ramp.

An Alternative Access Point

While trolling, I noticed a little beach at the southwestern end of South Pond next to Greenwood Road. I checked it out at the end of this trip and found a small, dirt boat launch next to the beach. This launch is not shown on The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer.

A large sign states that the beach is for use by local residents only. I do not know if this restriction also applies to the launch next to it… Plenty of parking is available across the road from this launch. This would definitely be a more direct way to get on South Pond!

 

 

 

South Pond Features, Stocking, Thermocline, Depth Profile, and Angling Rules

General Characteristics

The shoreline is moderately developed. It is also framed by multiple forested and steep hills. The whole surrounding mountainous region is gorgeous to behold from the boat when trolling for salmon on South Pond.

I used my special approach to identify this place as a target for catching salmon in the summer.

Annual Stocking

The State stocks this pond each spring with 100 juvenile landlocked salmon. That is a sparse stocking density of only about 1 fish for every 3 acres. I am therefore not expecting fireworks this morning… South Pond also gets 200 brookies each fall, but those fish are not the target of my fishing efforts.

Thermocline

A key parameter when targeting salmon on lakes in the summer is to identify the depth of the thermocline and determine its oxygen status.

The available temperature and oxygen data for South Pond published by Lakes of Maine for early August show that the thermocline in this lake occurs about 20 to 26 ft. deep. The temperature of the water down there is in the mid-50’s, which is perfect for salmon.

Somewhat surprisingly for a small lake in this area of the state, the water column up to 20 ft. below the thermocline also remains oxygenated in the summer, with the highest oxygen levels measured in the thermocline itself, and just below it. I will therefore place my lures 26 to 30 ft. down.

Depth Profile

South Pond has a mean and maximum depth of 20 ft. and 71 ft., respectively. Click here for a depth map. I seek 40+ ft.-deep water for my trolling needs. I therefore print out the depth map before leaving home and draw a contour line around the 40 ft. depth marks. That crude approach immediately pinpoints my trolling area roughly in the center of the pond.

Fishing Regulations for trolling for salmon on South Pond

Angling in the summer falls under the general fishing laws applicable to the South Zone, except that all whitefish have to be released at once. Click here for the full regulations applicable to South Pond

 

 

 

Trolling for Salmon on South Pond

Arrival and Conditions

I stumbled out of bed way too early this morning so as to reach the Mike Giunta boat launch at 5 am (sunrise is at 5:35 am). I like fishing during the “Golden Hour”, i.e., the period 30 minutes before sunrise and up to 1 hour after sunrise when the salmon are actively chasing their breakfast and the light levels are low and muted.

However, I wasted 20 precious minutes bumbling around in Round Pond trying to find my way into South Pond. I finally reach my destination at 5:50 am. Fortunately, the sky is overcast, keeping the light levels low well past sunrise.

The air temperature is in the high 50’s and the temperature of the water at the surface is 74°F. A light breeze blows in from the northwest.

Technique for Trolling for Salmon on South Pond

I set up shop over 40+ ft. of water. I start trolling with lead core line 5 full colors down and fishing with 3 Parsons Tom, one-hook, smelt-imitating streamer flies tied back-to-back. The second rod is a spinning rod with three spoons (1 DB Smelt and 2 Mooselook Wobblers) placed 30 ft. downwith using a portable downrigger. These lures are also tied back-to-back.

Results of trolling for Salmon on South Pond

I have been at it for no more than 10 minutes when my spinning rod starts shaking. Ahah, a customer is calling down there! I swing the rod to unclip the line from the downrigger weight and am fighting an angry fish. It very quickly comes to the surface and jumps out of the water.

Wait a second, was that a salmon?? It sure is and this fish leaps another 4 times into the air. That is unusual in warm surface water. I net the creature, photograph and measure it, and quickly release it back to its watery world. Woow, that is a good sign! But then nothing happens for the next 1.5 hours…

 

 

One More Fish, Please?

The sun is quickly rising up in the sky and the low cloud deck has cleared away. Then, my spinning rod with the spoons shakes again. I’ll be damned! I unclip the line and tussle with another fish down below. Unfortunately, it unhooks 15 seconds later and I never get to see it. And that is the extent of the salmon action this morning.

I call it good at 9:30 am, wanting to go check out that beach area at the southwestern end of South Pond.

The lead core line did nothing for me this morning, which is unusual because the streamer flies – which I constantly rip by holding the fly rod in my hand – tend to attract more attention and therefore catch more fish.

It shows the importance of offering different lures to let the fish tell us which ones they like. Remember that yesterday’s winning lure can easily become today’s loosing lure…

 

 

The results: I caught one landlocked salmon (17 inches) in 3.5 hours of slow 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.

 

Tight Lines, y’all.

 

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