Fishing at Sterling Pond, Aroostook County, Maine

• Overview

  The Aroostook County entry here is Sterling Pond, in Maine. It stands 863 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 37 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Nearest place of any size is Presque Isle, 31 miles away. Caribou lies 31 miles off, Madawaska another 35 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Sterling Pond

  Our records hold no depth for this water. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Aroostook County include Atlantic salmon, rainbow smelt, brook trout and lake whitefish. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Sterling Pond gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 64°F; by January the average is down near 7°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Plan any trip to Sterling Pond around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Should this one be busy, Bishop Pond is 1.3 miles off. Nothing on Sterling Pond should be assumed from this page alone.