Fishing Long Pond in Washington County, Maine

• Overview

  Within Washington County, Maine, you have Long Pond. What surrounds it is pine and birch. Roughly 219 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The margin runs to about 3.8 miles in total. Nearest town is Cherryfield, 4.7 miles off. Steuben follows at 6.6 miles, then Milbridge at 8.2 miles. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Long Pond

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Washington County cover alewife, Atlantic salmon, rainbow smelt, brown trout and smallmouth bass. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Long Pond that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 67°F and January near 18°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early April. Ice usually gives way near early April, and forms again about mid December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Expect Long Pond to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. A slipway is marked about half a mile from here. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Failing this one, try Round Pond, 0.8 miles away. Confirm before you fish Long Pond.