Badger Pond Fishing near Sangerville, Maine

• Overview

  The Piscataquis County entry here is Badger Pond, in Maine. The water sits 443 feet up. At 11 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. On size it sits at the modest end of our Piscataquis County list. Some 10 miles away sits Sangerville, the nearest settlement. After that come Dover-Foxcroft at 13 miles and Greenville at 13 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Badger Pond

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Species logged across Piscataquis County include Atlantic salmon, rainbow smelt and brook trout. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. On Badger Pond the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 66°F; the cold one sits at 13°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. On average, mid April opens the water and early December closes it again. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. At Badger Pond the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Failing this one, try Eighteen Pond, 1.9 miles away. Treat access at Badger Pond as something to verify.