Fishing at Smith Pond, Penobscot County, Maine

• Overview

  Smith Pond belongs to Penobscot County, Maine. Elevation runs to 522 feet. At about 199 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The full circuit measures close to 2.6 miles on foot. Some 3.5 miles away sits Millinocket, the nearest settlement. Further out sit East Millinocket (10 miles) and Medway (13 miles). The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Smith Pond

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Survey and observation records for Penobscot County include Atlantic salmon, brown trout and smallmouth bass. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. The near bank of Smith Pond is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 12°F and July at about 67°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near early December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. On Smith Pond the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Marden Pond sits 1.5 miles off and takes the overflow. Rules at Smith Pond are worth checking on the day.