Antony proudly shows off his fish
Chaffin Pond is a pretty 13-acre body of water located in Windham, Maine (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 C2). Access is super-easy! Drive on Route 302 north in downtown Windham, pass the Home Depot sign (Franklin Drive) and take the next right on Chaffin Pond Reserve Drive (Donnabeth Lippman Park) just before the Sherman Williams store. The pond is a couple of 100 ft down the road. Ample parking is available.
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The public access point to Pettingill Pond is unobstrusive and unmarked.
Pettingill Pond covers 42 acres and is located in Windham, Cumberland County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 C2). The public access to this body of water can be tricky to find under the snow in the winter. While driving on Route 302 in Windham (direction Raymond and Naples, i.e., north), turn right on Anglers Road at the traffic light just past Bob’s Seafood Restaurant. Go down that road for 0.4 miles and look for house number 48. The access point will be to your left immediately past that house (and across from house #51). It is not indicated by any signs. You have gone too far if you reach Mud Pond Road. Note that the local homeowners frown on people parking their vehicles on Anglers Road, which is quite narrow, twisty, and busy. You can either leave your vehicle by the public access point itself (it will accommodate two or three cars, but no more) or park it on a large plowed area located about 0.1 mile on Anglers Road after the turn-off from Route 302. Note that it may be a problem to pull a sled to the public access point for 0.3 miles if all the snow has been cleared from Anglers Road. I also suspect that this latter parking location may not be available for much longer because I saw a “for sale” sign next to it on my way in this morning.
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The access point on the Presumpscot River by the Babbs Covered Bridge
The Presumpscot River represents the outlet of Sebago Lake. It flows for about 25 winding miles through the towns of Standish, Windham, Gorham, Westbrook, Falmouth, and Portland before reaching the Atlantic Ocean in Casco Bay. The river drops an impressive 270 feet through a series of falls, many of which lay submerged behind numerous dams. This waterway is richly stocked each spring and fall with a smorgasbord of salmonids, consisting of thousands of brook trout, brown trout, and landlocked salmon. The goal, of course, is to find the spots to catch these fish. Click here for more information on the fishing regulations that pertain to this river.
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Chaffin Pond does not have a boat launch
Chaffin Pond is a 13-acre body of water located in Donnabeth Lipman Park in Windham, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 C2). The entrance to this community park is clearly marked by a grey granite sign located next to the Sherman Williams paint store on Route 302 in downtown Windham. The pond forms the center piece of a 123-acre preserve, which provides ample parking, hiking trails, a small playground, and several picnic tables. It is hard to believe that this peaceful natural real estate co-exists with all the intense road traffic and commercial hustle and bustle on busy Route 302 just a few 100 ft away!
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A quiet fall morning trout fishing on the Pleasant River while leaf peeping… How better does life get??
The Pleasant River is a major tributary of the Presumpscot River. It originates in Gray and flows in a south-westerly direction to its confluence with the Presumpscot located at a spot a few miles downstream of Dundee Pond in Windham. A favorite stretch of the Pleasant River flows from Route 302 by Foster Corner to Pope Road, located about 1.5 miles further downstream (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 D2 and D3). This is the stretch I am exploring this morning with Christian, my 12-year old nephew. He’s excited about this trip because he has never used waders before and it will also be his first time fishing for trout using spinners, instead of worms and bobbers. I’m lending him one of my spare waders. We get a good laugh during the pre-fishing fitting session at home when we realize that the top of the waders hit his chin! He looks like an oversized gnome with hanging skin but he takes it all in good strides.
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General view if Dundee Pond: calm, serene, and all to ourselves!
Dundee Pond is a 197-acre body of water located in Windham and Gorham, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 D2). A public launch is located off Windham Center Road right below the North Gorham Pond Dam in Windham. This access point has parking for about eight cars but can only accommodate hand-carried craft. The stretch of water between the launch and the pond itself consists of about a quarter mile of the Presumpscot River. The current is steady and relatively strong which requires kayakers and canoeists to paddle their way back up after they’re done fishing on the pond. An alternative approach, which bypasses this flowing water altogether, is to launch an hand-carried craft from the sandy beach at Dundee Park located at the end of Dundee Road off River Road in Windham. The park is open from 8 am until sunset but charges an entry fee of $4 per adult (12 years and older) and $2 per child (2 to12 years). Click here for more information. I also attempted to access the pond at the Dundee Pond dam located at the end of Dundee Road (off Hurricane Road in Gorham) but turned around when I noticed that the road was posted as “no trespassing”.
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View of the lily pad bed by the access point
Collins Pond is a 42-acre body of water located in Windham, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 D2). It is an impoundment on Ditch Brook, which is the outlet of Little Sebago Lake, via Mill Pond located just upstream of Route 115. The pond can be reached by turning onto Running Brook Road from Route 115 and driving down the hill for 200-300 ft just past house #25 on your right. Park your car on the road shoulder and walk down a short foot path towards a small sandy beach by the pond. I’m not sure that this is a “public” access point but I did not see any No Trespassing signs either. Only small, hand-carried craft such as a canoe or kayak, can be launched from this point. I also noticed a wide forest/four wheeler trail with a fire pit next to the outlet at the other end of the pond. A walk up this trail leads to a huge gravel pit operation. I don’t know if the pond can be accessed from that end. Collins Pond Collins Pond has a maximum depth of 18 ft and a mean depth of 7 ft, which makes it quite shallow. The water is very clear, which is no surprise since its source is Little Sebago Lake. The substrate is clean, consisting mostly of rough sand and small gravel interspersed with boulders. Several dozen camps and year-round houses dot the shoreline. General fishing law applies on this pond (click here for more details). Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information.
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The dam separating Little Sebago Lake from Mill Pond
Mill Pond is a 10-acre impoundment formed by the outlet of Little Sebago Lake in Windham, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 C2). The downstream end of this small pond is dammed. The ouflow pouring over this dam forms Ditch Brook which flows underneath Route 115. The water in the pond is crystal clear. The substrate consists mostly of boulders and cobbles. The maximum depth is about 35 ft. Around a dozen houses dot the shoreline. Access to Mill Pond is problematic because it does not have a boat launch or public access. I get on to it via a friend’s backyard which abuts the pond. Also, keep in mind that some of the rainbow trout which are stocked annually in Little Sebago Lake wash over the outlet structure and get stuck in the pond. Those fish have grown fat and are worth targeting through the ice or in the spring and fall.
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General view of 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). Going north on Route 302, turn right on Chaffin Pond Road, right before the Sherman Williams paint store. The pond is part of the Windham Parks and Recreation’s 123-acre Donnabeth Lippman Park. Click here for a map of the park and its pond. A depth map is not available
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General view of 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). The pond 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.
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