Fishing at Otter Pond, Piscataquis County, Maine

• Overview

  This water sits in Piscataquis County, Maine. Everything around it is rolling bush. At roughly 5 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Our Piscataquis County list holds plenty of bigger water. Greenville sits 9.3 miles from the bank. After that come Sangerville at 17 miles and Dover-Foxcroft at 18 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Otter Pond

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Piscataquis County cover Atlantic salmon, rainbow smelt, brook trout, brown trout and Arctic charr. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Read Otter Pond for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 12°F in January up to 65°F in July. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late April until roughly early December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Anyone fishing Otter Pond regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. Mapping shows a campsite some half a mile from the water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Failing this one, try Sunset Pond, 1.9 miles away. For Otter Pond, the notice at the access point is the final word.