Long Pond Fishing near Linière, Maine

• Overview

  The Somerset County end of Maine holds Long Pond. This is rolling bush country. It measures some 601 acres, and wind has room to build across it. With 7.1 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Size puts it in the front rank of our Somerset County list. 13 miles away sits Linière, the nearest town. After that come Saint-Côme--Linière at 19 miles and Saint-Georges at 26 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Long Pond

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. Fish documented in Somerset County include Atlantic salmon, brown trout, smallmouth bass, rainbow smelt and rainbow trout. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. The shape of Long Pond rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 63°F and January at 8°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. That is the shape of the year on Long Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Lewiston Pond is 0.6 miles distant. Where Long Pond is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.