Butler Pond Fishing in Franklin County, Maine

• Overview

  The Franklin County end of Maine holds Butler Pond. Height above sea level is 1,329 feet. It covers about 13 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Kingfield sits 24 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Sherbrooke sits 73 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Butler Pond

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Franklin County records list Atlantic salmon, brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout and rainbow smelt among the fish reported. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Take Butler Pond a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 64°F and January about 11°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late April. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. At Butler Pond the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Mud Pond sits 3.4 miles off and takes the overflow. Confirm access to Butler Pond locally before you travel.