Fishing for brook trout and rainbow trout on Knickerbocker Lake in Boothbay, Lincoln County, Maine (November 29, 2020)

 

 

View of Knickerbocker Lake looking to the right from the unimproved boat launch

 

 

Knickerbocker Lake is an 86-acre body of water located in Boothbay, Lincoln County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 7 C2). The public access point is located at the end of a dirt road called Access Road off Barters Island Road (just passed the Evergreen Cemetery) about a mile west of the Route 27 traffic circle in downtown Boothbay. A sign announcing “Knickerbocker Lake” used to hang at that turn-off but was missing when I visited. Drive down Access Road for about a quarter mile until you reach a small parking area. The lake is visible through the trees.

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Fishing for rainbow trout on Crystal Lake, Gray, Cumberland County, Maine (October 18, 2020)

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It is a wind-still morning and all’s quiet…

 

Crystal Lake (a.k.a. Dry Pond) is a 189-acre body of water located in Gray, Cumberland County (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 B3). Access is via the excellent hard-top public boat launch located at the southern tip of the lake by Mayberry Road (off North Raymond Road) next to the town-owned Wilkies Beach. Plenty of parking is available across the road from the launch.

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Fishing for brook trout and rainbow trout in the Saco River, North Conway, Carroll County, New Hampshire (July 6, 2020)

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The put-in is just below the River Road bridge in downtown North Conway. I fish the large pool to the left. The municipal park is to the right, upstream of the bridge.

 

I spend the long July the 4th weekend camping with family members at the Glenn Ellis Family Campground located right off Route 302 in Glenn, NH (see the New Hampshire Atlas and Gazetteer map 45 G9). This well-maintained and well-organized campground sits on the beautiful Saco River. I brought my fishing equipment in order to catch some of the numerous trout that live in this river. I fished a different section of this waterbody two days ago, and I am eager to explore, and blog about, other sections.

 

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Fishing for brown trout and rainbow trout in the Saco River, Glen, Carroll County, New Hampshire (July 4, 2020)

I spend the long July the 4th weekend camping with family members at the Glenn Ellis Family Campground located right off Route 302 in Glenn, NH (see the New Hampshire Atlas and Gazetteer map 45 G9). This well-maintained and well-organized campground sits on the beautiful Saco River. I brought my fishing equipment in order to catch some of the numerous trout that live in its waters. I fished this waterbody during our camping trip last year, and I’m ready to explore, and blog about, other sections.

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Fishing for rainbow trout on Pennesseewassee Lake, Norway, Oxford County, Maine (April 25, 2020)

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The public boat launch has ample parking space

 

Pennesseewassee Lake (a.k.a. Norway Lake) is a 922-acre body of water located in Norway, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 D1). Public access is through a high-quality boat launch off Waterford Road. Coming in from Harrison, drive north on Route 117 all the way to the lake. Turn left at the stop sign on Waterford Road, go for 0.3 miles, and then turn right at the boat launch sign. An aggressive annual stocking program has turned this pretty lake into an easily-accessible regional rainbow trout fishery powerhouse, with secondary fishing for landlocked Atlantic salmon and brook trout. The lake is moderately developed and consists of a larger lower basin and a smaller upper basin, separated by several islands. During open-water fishing, most people tend to focus their efforts on the lower basin because of its closeness to the boat launch. One negative about this general area is that the constant traffic on Lake Road (i.e., Routes 117/118) is visible and audible from the water. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information. Maine’s general fishing laws for the South Zone apply during spring open-water fishing.

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Fishing for rainbow trout on Silver Lake in Sidney and Manchester, Kennebec County, Maine (April 18, 2020)

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Silver Lake (a.k.a. Figure Eight Pond) is a 29-acre two-lobed body of water located in Sidney and Manchester, Kennebec County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 12 B5). Click here for directions on how to reach this location. I note for the record that both Baxter Drive and Community Drive have a panel nailed to a tree along the side of the road stating “dead end”. Just pass those signs and keep on going until you reach the pond.

 

View of the rough boat launch with the southern lobe in the background

 

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Fishing for brown trout and rainbow trout in the Saco River, Glen, Carroll County, New Hampshire (July 6, 2019)

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The railroad tracks (upper left) run on top of the embankment which plunges into the Saco River.

 

I spend the long July the 4th weekend camping with family members at the Glen Ellis Family Campground located right off Route 302 in Glen, NH (see the New Hampshire Atlas and Gazetteer map 45 G9). This well-maintained and well-organized campground sits at the confluence of the Ellis River with the much larger Saco River. I brought my ultralight spinning rod and my flyfishing rod in the hope of catching some trout, although I still have to figure out a good fishing spot close to camp. That location becomes obvious when we rent tubes from the campground to float the Saco River from our camp site all the way to North Conway (the trip takes up to 5 hours, covers about 8 miles, and requires a “return” car). The Conway Scenic Railroad tracks run right along the river bank just downstream of where the Ellis River flows into the Saco River. I suspect, as I look down into the water column when floating by on my tube, that the river along that bank holds trout because it is quite deep (I’m guessing 8+ ft in some spots) and filled with large boulders. The best part is that this choicy spot is an easy 10-minute walk from the campground. From the fresh, but not too cold, feel of the water during our tubing adventure, I’m guessing that the water temperature is in the high 60’s. I note for the record that the Conway Scenic Railroad is a local tourist attraction. Hence, the train only operates during the day and moves at a snail’s pace. It is therefore safe to fish from  that embankment.

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Fishing for rainbow trout on Little Ossipee Lake in Waterboro, Maine (November 24, 2018)

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We came prepared to launch the boat using the 4X4!

 

Little Ossipee Lake covers 564 acres and is located in Waterboro, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 2 A4). Access to this body of water is via an excellent hard-top boat launch located next to Route 5 along the western side of the lake. Ample parking is available next to the launch, as are two porta potties. The lake supports a well-known and popular regional salmonid fishery (rainbow trout in particular, but also brook trout and landlocked Atlantic salmon) which the state maintains via an aggressive annual stocking program. It is also a well-known bass-fishing hot spot. Its easy accessibility and smorgasbord of desirable species ensures that the lake is pounded hard each year during the ice-fishing season, including a well-attended annual ice-fishing derby. I’m going to get a piece of this sweet pie ahead of the crowds…

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Rainbow trout and brook trout fishing on Long Pond, Denmark, Maine (May 18, 2017)

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A stunning view of Pleasant Mountain from the rough boat launch at Long Pond

Long Pond covers 55 acres and is located in Denmark, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 A2). This pond can be reached as follows when driving from the Naples/Bridgeton area: in the town of Denmark, turn right unto Denmark Road (just after crossing the outlet of Moose Pond), drive on Denmark Road for exactly 4.0 miles, make a left at the stop sign, drive down that road for 0.1 mile and take the first road (Long Pond Drive) to the left. A “No Trespassing” sign is nailed to a large tree but this road is open to the public. Stay on Long Pond Drive for 0.9 miles; the public launch is on the left and is clearly marked. Note that the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer shows that the access point is on the eastern side of the pond, when in fact it is located on the western side. It took me a while, and talking to several locals, to figure that one out…

 

 

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Best ice fishing ponds for catching rainbow trout in Maine during the winter of 2017

This blog describes a select group of ponds in Maine that provide the best potential for catching rainbow trout through the ice during the winter of 2017. Around 20 ponds, most of them located in southern Maine counties, are managed as rainbow trout fisheries. Many of these ponds are open to ice fishing and are stocked with bows each spring and/or fall.

I only present ponds that were stocked in 2016 with a minimum of 1 rainbow trout per acre. As a rough yardstick, the average stocking density for landlocked salmon in Maine ponds and lakes is about 0.3 to 0.5 salmon per acre, which equals 1 salmon every two to three acres.

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