Key Species: largemouth bass, pike, pickerel, white perch, brown trout and smallmouth bass possible
Best Way to Fish: boat, canoe, shore
Best Time to Fish: May through September
MAG: 20, D-4
Description: North Pond is a shallow, weedy 2,115-acre lake featuring easy access. Some fishing from shore is possible, but a canoe or boat is best. The daily limit on pike is one fish, with a 24-inch minimum length. From October
Northern Pike grow big in North Pond. This beauty fell to a small minnow fished through the ice. 1 through November 30, all landlocked salmon, lake trout, and bass must be released alive at once. Campgrounds are located in Belgrade Lakes Village and Norridgewock, and motels are available in Waterville.
Fishing index: Beginning in late April or early May, anglers using worms, night crawlers, or minnows take schooling white perch from shore near the inlet, just off Maine Route 8 in Smithfield. After the perch runs fade, largemouth bass fishing and pike fishing come to the front. North Pond produces some of the largest bass in the state. Plastic worms are a favorite lure. Use 8-inch worms rather than the standard 6-inch variety. The larger worms appeal to the lunker bass found here. Also effective for largemouth bass are plastic salamanders and twist-tail plastic grubs in the larger sizes. Use at least 8-pound test line; you may need it to wrestle large bass out from the numerous obstructions. Topwater lures are effective here, but the weedless variety are better than those with exposed hooks. The lake is weedy, with a maximum depth of only 20 feet, so largemouth bass and pike can be found almost anywhere.
Until recent years, North Pond was mainly known as a premiere largemouth bass water, but the introduction of pike has added a new and exciting dimension to the angling possibilities. Anglers using large gold shiners fish for pike near the weed beds. A bobber will help keep your shiner out of the weeds. Large, splashy spinnerbaits with orange, yellow, or green bodies are good pike lures here, especially in spring. Try to work your spinnerbait so it moves as much water as possible, which will infuriate the mean-tempered pike.
Little Pond, a shallow extension of the southwest end of North Pond, is a good place to look for pickerel, as is the shoreline at the north end of North Pond. Try casting brightly colored bucktails near the weed beds for pickerel. Use Mickey Finns, Edson tiger lights, and yellow perch bucktails. Small or medium Dardevles are good for pickerel here. A strip of pork rind on the treble hook of a Daredevle will bring more strikes, but if the fish strike short, remove the pork rind.
Directions: From Farmington, drive east on U.S. Route 2 for 17 miles, until the intersection with Maine Route 137 on the right. Turn right on Maine Route 137 and drive 3.5 miles to the intersection with North Shore Drive on the right. Drive 0.9 mile on North Shore Drive and look for the boat ramp on the left.
For more information: Call the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Regional Office in Sydney.
North Pond Photo Gallery
Maybe You Like Them Too
- The Best Cities To Visit in The World
- World’s 10 Best Places To Visit
- Coolest Countries in the World to Visit
- Travel to Santorini, Greece
- Map of Barbados – Holiday in Barbados
