trout fishing in Maine (Caribou, Fairfield: home, to buy, camp)

[Capt. Dan]

We are planning our next road trip. we were wondering if there is good trout fishing in Maine. If so can anyone suggest some spots to try. Thank You!

[kellysmith]

Crooked Brook, just up around the corner by the big rock!! Also pretty good at the right time of day at Lost Pond. You will probably get lots of places to try, but rest assured no one will give up their secret hole.

[shadowfax1997]

Now that's funny. Do you really think people will tell you where their fishing holes are?

I will - a few but not exact locations. Crystal lake in gray has nice brook trout in it. FIsh with worms or flies.

Route 16 from ranglely across to errol NH. There are several spots we park and walk into the woods and down to small brooks. There are beaver dams that we catch trout at. Can't give exact location as I don't have the info on me. We have 3 telephone poles with the pole number written down in the camp we have.

Crooked river in casco/otisfield. Fly fishing. Best spots are hardest to get to. Can be canoed, but there are usually several blown down trees blocking the river. Be VERY carefull if you are canoeing and come across these, they are extremely dangerous as the current can suck you under and you won't be able to escape.

We sometimes go further north to the St. John river. There are many spots on the river that have excellant fishing.

[7th generation]

The Androscoggin River, from Gilead to Rumford, is great for Rainbow and Browns. Below the falls is good fishing for Small Mouth.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

When the water temperature reaches 45 degrees, brook trout go on a feeding frenzy. Any good clean brook will do and there are thousands of them in Maine. Probably nobody will tell you their favorite spot, but here's a trick that will improve your success: Everybody knows somebody who is a diabetic. Get a used syringe. Inflate your worm just enough that he floats with the current. This keeps your worm off the bottom and keeps you from catching bottom. Trout can't resist a suspended wiggling worm.

[Bydand]

OK, contrary to popular trends in fishing, here are my favorite fishing holes. Way I look at it, I go fishing for enjoyment and relaxation, not for the fish dinner that is bound to come. Plus technique is a huge percentage of success on the water, not just location. I can fill my limit in a place somebody just fished "hard" and not gotten a bite, same is true the other way around as well.

Aroostook River: Put in in Caribou and float down to Fort Fairfield. Every single "finger" that pokes out into the river will have an eddy behind it that will be holding a trout or two. Where the smaller tributaries empty into the river there is generally a few larger ones laying there waiting for the current to bring them an easy meal. Drift you lure with the flow of the smaller stream from the upstream corner through and you might just find a few smiles in there. There are a few places that had small mills along the way (look for tops of pilings still showing) , some still have pilings in the river, they break up te current enough that trout will stick around these and pick up suspended food dropping out of the current (see NMLM's post above as to what kills them in this situation )

Madawaska River: I put the canoe in at Stockholm and drift down to the dam by Caribou. It is a LONG drift and you should plan on spending an entire day on the water (early start is better) Mileage wise it isn't too bad, but time spent fishing the holes can eat up some impressive amounts of time. Best locations are many but mainly the deep holes made by beaver dams and entering tributaries. Time spent where halfway brook enters is always well rewarded... hint, hint! (site of the largest trout I have caught in the state). Panther Martins in yellow with brown spots and gold spinners are worth their weight in gold on this river.

Cross Lake: Bigger fish overall, harder to find though. Here a depth finder is priceless. Fish the areas of drop-offs along the length of the lake and concentrate where the Fish river thoroughfares come in, and go out. Down the thoroughfare going into Square Lake is a good area as well, the entire length but especially the small "rip" just at the end where it empties into Square Lake itself (Location of the 2nd largest trout I have caught in the state).

There are a few more, but unless you are from around the area, you wouldn't know how to find them even with detailed directions. I don't carry a GPS while fishing so my directions usually involve "the hole directly across from the old Stickler farm road" and "Where the mill sat" (hasn't been there in 100 years and no sign anymore at all.) These are the places you find or are shown by old timers who trust you and how the locations are shown and described to you. Not that we are being secretive or pinheads, just the directions would be known by locals only due the very nature of them. Everybody knows where the old mill was, even though nobody alive has ever seen it or any sign of it; and it is impossible to say "exactly" where using landmarks that are visible.

You are probably not going to find the size or quantity of trout you expect though. You haven't said what type of trout you are looking for though, so that may affect the locations that are suggested. Brook trout are the #1 trout in Northern Maine. For quality lake trout my favorite place is a bit further West (think really big bodies of fresh water in the mid-west region )

Good luck, enjoy your trip and adventure.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

When the water temperature reaches 45 degrees, brook trout go on a feeding frenzy. Any good clean brook will do and there are thousands of them in Maine. Probably nobody will tell you their favorite spot, but here's a trick that will improve your success: Everybody knows somebody who is a diabetic. Get a used syringe. Inflate your worm just enough that he floats with the current. This keeps your worm off the bottom and keeps you from catching bottom. Trout can't resist a suspended wiggling worm.

I'm going to try this NMLM!

[island mermaid]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

When the water temperature reaches 45 degrees, brook trout go on a feeding frenzy. Any good clean brook will do and there are thousands of them in Maine. Probably nobody will tell you their favorite spot, but here's a trick that will improve your success: Everybody knows somebody who is a diabetic. Get a used syringe. Inflate your worm just enough that he floats with the current. This keeps your worm off the bottom and keeps you from catching bottom. Trout can't resist a suspended wiggling worm.

NMLM I couldn't wait to get my son on the phone this morning and tell him your little secret. He loved it and thought it was a magnificent idea. As we were talking about it we wondered if one could actually go buy syringes, we don't know any diabetics. We figured one might need an Rx for something in order to buy them. He just happened to be driving by a Rite Aid at the time and said he was going in to talk to the pharmacist. He went in and explained what he was going to be using them for and the woman behind the counter said " But that's going to HURT those poor little worms"! Drew told her that once the fish bites them they're pretty much 'hurt' anyway. He bought a pkg of 10 syringes for $4.50 this morning and is headed out to many of his private spots all day today. He's mainly more of a bass fisherman however, as you know the water hasn't warmed up enough for them yet so he's been trying to land some trout all week w/o any sucess. I can't wait for tonights update, I'm so excted to hear how he's done with the 'bloated worms'! Thanks and I'll report back his anticipated sucess. (or lack there of)

[island mermaid]

NMLM I'm please to announce that my son tried your little trick first thing this morning. He said that not 10 minutes had gone by before he hooked on to a beautiful Rainbow just over 10", and it was NATIVE! He's elated and couldn't wait to get home and throw that baby in the freezer and move on to his next secret spot. Thank you very sharing this info - you've made a young but dedicated fisherman very happy.