Fishing at Metallak Pond, Oxford County, Maine

• Overview

  Out in Oxford County, Maine, sits Metallak Pond. Around the bank it is mixed forest. Roughly 116 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. About 1.7 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. It is high ground by Maine standards. You are 22 miles from Mexico. It is 66 miles to Sherbrooke, the nearest city. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Metallak Pond

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Oxford County include brown trout, Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Read Metallak Pond for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 11°F to 63°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late April. On average, late April opens the water and late November closes it again. 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 Metallak Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. 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. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. If the gate is shut, Upper Richardson Lake at 2.8 miles is the nearest alternative. For Metallak Pond in particular, ask before you travel.