Fishing at Shirley Pond, Piscataquis County, Maine

• Overview

  The Piscataquis County end of Maine holds Shirley Pond. The land about it is mixed forest. It runs to roughly 64 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Around 1.5 miles of margin, front to back. Head to Greenville, 6.4 miles away, for anything you forgot. Sherbrooke is the closest city, 111 miles away. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Shirley Pond

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. Fish documented in Piscataquis County include Atlantic salmon, rainbow smelt, brook trout and brown trout. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Read Shirley Pond for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 64°F for July and 11°F for January. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Winter locks it down, and late April brings it back. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near early December in autumn. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. The season on Shirley Pond follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Failing this one, try Bear Pond, 2.3 miles away. The position on Shirley Pond is worth confirming on the day.