Trout fishing on Pineland Pond in New Gloucester, Maine (May 5, 2013)


View Larger Map

You have arrived!

You have arrived!

Pineland Pond is a small, 1-acre pond located next to Route 231 on land belonging to Pineland Farm, in New Gloucester, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 C4, although the pond itself is not shown; navigate to the spot using Google Maps instead ). This body of water is an extremely popular brook trout pond for spring fishing because it is well-stocked and provides easy access. The entire periphery of the pond is also clear of brush and trees, which makes it one of the few ponds in the area that can be readily fly fished from shore. A small parking lot by the pond next to Route 231 can accommodate about ten cars or so. General fishing rules apply. Every year, Pineland Pond is stocked once in April and once in May with a total of about 350 10” brook trout. Do the math: this small body of water is stocked with an average of around 350 brookies per acre each spring!! This makes it, by far, the best-stocked pond in the whole of Cumberland County! I doubt, however, that any of the trout survive the hot summer months because the pond appears to be relatively shallow.

Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove

Salmon and trout fishing on North Gorham Pond, Gorham, Maine (April 28, 2013)


View Larger Map
North Gorham Pond is a secret fishing spot …. The pond is created by the dam located on Gorham Road in North Gorham (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 D2).  Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. The “inlet” to this pond is the Presumpscot River, which serves as the outlet to Sebago Lake (actually, the Sebago Lake Basin, to be more precise). The one-mile stretch of the Presumpscot River flowing between the Sebago Lake Basin and the pond is the body of water most heavily stocked with landlocked salmon and trout in the whole state of Maine, bar none! So why bother with North Gorham Pond, which doesn’t even get stocked at all? Two reasons: the river above the falls is fly-fishing only and on a bad day, dozens of people will be fishing it shoulder-to-shoulder. I love fly fishing but hate crowd fishing. But here’s the secret: lots of salmon and trout drop down into the pond and hang around the current by the falls. And the restrictive terminal tackle rule for the Presumscot River upstream of the falls does not apply on the pond!

Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove

Trout fishing on Alden’s Pond, Gorham, Maine (April 28, 2013)

View Map

Today's fishing crew focusing on the job...

Today’s fishing crew focusing on the job…

Alden’s Pond is a 1-acre, kids-only trout pond located behind the Gorham campus of the University of Southern Maine (USM). It is fishable under the “S-9” special regulation code, which stipulates that (a) the pond is open only for anglers under the age of 16, (b) restricted to two lines per person, and (c) daily bag limit of to trout. Click here for more details on the fishing regulations pertaining to this pond. To reach Alden’s pond, look for the USM police department office on Husky Drive (across from the John Mitchell Center), walk behind the office and down the steep dirt path, and pass the small retaining pond across from the soccer field. Your target will be visible on the left through the trees. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information.

Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove

Trout fishing on Otter Pond #2, Standish, Maine (April 14, 2013)

View Map

Otter Pond #2 is a 12-acre body of water located in Standish, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 D1). My son Joel and I arrive at the largest of the two parking lots off Route 35 by 7:15 am. We place his motorized canoe on canoe wheels, load up the engine and our fishing gear in the boat, and haul everything for about a mile down the Mountain Division Trail. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. We were quite successful catching trout on this pond in November of last year (click here and here for more details) and are looking for a repeat this time.  The state stocked this water body on Tuesday April 9, 2012 with lots of 10” brookies, but spiced up the action with much larger 16” brookies, which are the focus of our attention today.

 

Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove

Landlocked salmon fishing on Sebago Lake, Maine (April 7, 2013)

View Map

Sebago Lake (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 C1) is the largest lake in southern Maine and the second largest one in the state. This body of water is well known throughout the region for its superb landlocked salmon and lake trout fishery. The fishing strategy today is to troll along the northern shore of the lake, between Thompson’s Point and Cub Cove, in the general area of Sebago Lake State Park where the Crooked River enters the lake. The north shore is a popular early-season spot to catch landlocks and lakers: these fish are eagerly chasing after schools of rainbow smelt which are getting organized in that general area to migrate up the Crooked River for their annual spring spawning runs. 

Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove

Trout fishing on Cold Rain Pond, Naples, Maine (February 18, 2013)

View Map

Cold Rain Pond is a pretty and isolated 38-acre body of water located in Naples, Maine (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 B5).  Click here a description of this pond and the directions to it.  Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. Access to the pond in the winter is either on foot or by snow mobile because Tiger Hill Road is groomed as a snow mobile trail. A plowed parking area is located at the intersection of Kimball Corner Road and Tiger Hill Road. The state of Maine stocked the pond with 16 brook trout per acre in the fall of 2012 for the 2013 ice fishing season.  These fish are the target of our attention today.

Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove

The Hottest Brook Trout Ponds for the Spring of 2013 in Cumberland County, Maine

This blog identifies the ponds in Cumberland County, Maine that provide the best odds of catching brook trout during the spring of 2013. Most of these ponds cover less than 50 acres and are therefore relatively small. Some ponds could be fished from shore, but most are best fished from a canoe or other small craft. The action on these bodies of water can be fast and furious in the spring. Trout activity typically peaks between late April and early June, after which the fishing slows down in response to rising surface water temperatures.

Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove

Trout fishing on Upper Hinkley Pond, South Portland, Maine (January 13, 2013)

View Map

Upper Hinkley Pond is a 3-acre body of water formed by the impoundment of Kimball Brook. It is found in Hinkley Park off Highland Avenue in South Portland, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 3 A4 or map 73 G4).  This delightful little pond is located only 10 minutes from downtown Portland! Keep in mind that Hinkley Park is a popular area for people to walk their dogs and that some of their canines will likely pay you a visit on the ice. The state stocks Upper Hinkley Pond with lots of brookies each fall to support fast early-season ice fishing action (click here for details)

Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove

Trout fishing on Otter Pond #2, Standish, Maine (January 6, 2013)

View Map

Otter Pond #2 is a 12-acre body of water located off Route 35 in Standish, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 D1). Read this blog for information on trout stocking and directions. The state stocks Otter Pond #2 with lots of brookies each fall to support fast early-season ice fishing.

 

It’s still dark when I get to the parking lot by Route 35 at 6:30 am. I’m expecting a lot of competition today (Sunday) and want to make sure that I can get to my favorite spot on the pond. The only other person at the parking lot arrives a minute before me and gets on the ice first. He sets up exactly where I wanted to fish today!!  I place myself next to him and proceed to drill my five holes and set out my traps. The ice is 5” to 6” thick, which is plenty safe.  I’m placing my small shiners in water 4 to 8 ft deep right alongside the shoreline. My son Joel and I caught over two dozen brook trout in this area when we trolled the pond in mid-November of 2012 (click here for details).

Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove

Best ice fishing ponds for catching large trout in Cumberland County, Maine (winter of 2013)

Around a dozen and a half ponds in Cumberland County, Maine, were stocked in the fall of 2012 with brook trout, brown trout, and/or rainbow trout to support ice fishing during the winter of 2013. Most of the stocked trout are relatively small (7” to 11”), but plentiful, in order to provide fast action on the ice.

The state also spices-up several of these ponds with bigger trout, which I define here as fish measuring 12” or more. This blog highlight the ponds (presented in alphabetical order) in Cumberland County where ice fishermen have the best odds of catching those larger fish. It is recommended to consult the latest law book (available here) about special ice fishing rules that may apply on the ponds described below.  Note also that the list excludes “kids only” ponds.

Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove