View of Hancock Pond from the boat launch
Sand Pond (a.k.a. Walden Pond) is a 256-acre body of water located in Denmark, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 B3). It is accessible via an excellent hard-top boat launch located on next-door Hancock Pond. Both ponds are connected via a short (< 10 ft long) but shallow (< 1 ft deep) and rather narrow sandy thoroughfare. The lack of a public boat launch and the somewhat dicey way in via Hancock Pond, make it so that the pond is not overrun by fisherman.
The short but shallow thoroughfare connecting Hancock Pond with Sand Pond
The fishing rules for bass on Sand Pond fall under the General Law provisions, as follows: (a) open to bass fishing all year round; (b) bag limit of one bass with minimum length of 10” between April 1 and June 30, and October 1 and March 31; and (c) bag limit of three bass with minimum length of 10”, only one of which can exceed 14”, between July 1 and September 30. Note that this pond also supports a brown trout population which is maintained by the State via an annual stocking program. Beware that other rules apply to this specific fishery. More details on the bass and trout regulations are available at www.eregulations.com/maine/fishing. I invite you to check the website linked to this blog to learn about the number of trout and salmon stocked per acre in this and 600+ other ponds and lakes throughout Maine. A depth map and more fisheries information are available at www.maine.gov/ifw/fishing/lakesurvey_maps/oxford/sand_pond_denmark.pdf.
View of Sand Pond
I reach the boat launch, located at the intersection of Hancock Pond Road and Wabunaki Road (a.k.a. Fire Lane 29) at 7 am. The weather is glorious: full sunshine and no wind, with air temps in the low 70’s. Before I can launch, my trailer and boat receive a thorough courtesy check to remove any plant fragments. One cannot be careful enough about accidentally introducing Eurasian milfoil, an obnoxious invasive plant pest which has spread rapidly in ponds and lakes throughout southern and central Maine. A two-inch fragment is all that it takes to start a new invasion. Once introduced, this plant quickly overtakes shallow areas and is nearly impossible to eradicate. Property values along the shoreline plummet, water sport activities get impeded, and fishing goes down the tubes. Fortunately, my boat passes inspection! I take the opportunity to talk to the volunteer inspector about fishing on Hancock Pond. He mentions that a guy caught a 6.5 lbs brown trout earlier in the week trolling with a downrigger. I store that information in my memory bank for future use…
Great bass habitat! Rocky outcrops, sunken reefs, drop-offs, and aquatic vegetation.
I pass through the thoroughfare by getting out of my boat and pulling it upcurrent on account of the shallow depth. The focus of my fishing attention this morning is the southern end of Sand Pond, closest to the thoroughfare. This general area provides excellent bass habitat consisting of sunken rock piles, boulder fields, small islands, drop-offs and moderate aquatic vegetation in the shallows along the shore. The water depth varies between 1 ft and about 10 ft, depending on the location. The surrounding shoreline is completely forested but fairly well build up with year-round houses and summer residences. Overall, the pond has a maximum depth of 44 ft, and an average depth of 12 ft, making it relatively shallow for its size. I seek out the shadow line created by the tall trees along the eastern shore; I like bass fishing in the shadow, if possible, because bright sunshine drives the fish away. I start probing the shoreline with a 6” Rapalla. It’s a great search lure, as long as the aquatic vegetation is not too dense. I hook into two 16” pickerels within 10 minutes of my first cast. Unfortunately, the second pickerel cuts right through my fishing line with its needle-sharp teeth and swims away with my $7.50 lure. Gggrrrr! I switch to a pink soft stickbait and catch five largemouth bass and one smallmouth bass over the next two hours. However, all these fish are small (< 12”). Clearly, the big boys have moved into deeper waters. I’m guessing that this part of Sand Pond provides great bass spawning habitat in the spring. It would definitely be worth paying a return visit in late May-early June to check out this theory!
The results: I caught two pickerel and six small bass in two hours.
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