Upper Elbow Pond in Aroostook County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Upper Elbow Pond is one of the Aroostook County listings for Maine. Pine and birch runs right down to the water. Around 86 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. With about 1.4 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. The closest town, Saint-Pamphile, is 44 miles distant. Patten is 48 miles away, with Presque Isle at 52 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Upper Elbow Pond

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Fish documented in Aroostook County include Atlantic salmon, rainbow smelt, brook trout, lake whitefish and Arctic charr. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Take Upper Elbow Pond a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 64°F and January at 7°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about late November in a typical year. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Time your trip to Upper Elbow Pond by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is Middle Elbow Pond, 0.9 miles out. What applies at Upper Elbow Pond may have changed since it was mapped.