North Pond Fishing near Warren, Maine

• Overview

  Look for North Pond in the Knox County part of Maine. The setting is lake country bush on every side. Surface area runs to roughly 339 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. Some 4.2 miles of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. On our Knox County list it sits near the top for size. Supplies mean a trip to Warren, 2.4 miles off. The nearest city of size is Manchester, 134 miles away. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on North Pond

  Depth figures are not published for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Knox County include brown trout, alewife, rainbow smelt and blueback herring. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. The shape of North Pond rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 68°F; by January the average is down near 21°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Once it clears, about early April, the fishing comes on quickly. Ice clears near early April and comes back about mid December in a typical year. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. It holds true on North Pond more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. White Oak Pond sits 1.8 miles off and takes the overflow. None of that is settled for North Pond in what we hold.