Key Species: landlocked salmon, brook trout, lake trout
Best Way to Fish: canoe, boat
Best Time to Fish: May through September
MAG: 16, C-3
Description: Jordan Pond covers only 187 acres but is amazingly deep. Most of the pond, including shoreline areas, is well over 100 feet deep. Because Jordan Pond is a local water supply, the south end is marked as off limits to swimmers. The boat ramp is located in this zone and boaters are advised to travel past the white buoys before starting to fish. Boats with motors over 10 horsepower are prohibited. The daily bag limit on salmon, brook trout, and lake trout is two fish in the aggregate.
Fishing index: Although Jordan Pond contains brook trout and lake trout, landlocked salmon are most numerous and command the most attention. Regular stockings ensure a steady supply of the silver leapers. Traditional ice-out trolling methods can be employed in early spring and even on cool days in the summer. Use sparsely dressed single-hooked streamer flies: gray ghost, red ghost, nine-three, supervisor, and Jerry’s smelt. You can also take fish with metal spoons such as Mooselook Wobblers and Flash Kings. During the hottest weather, deep-trolling tactics will be most effective.
Because of the uniformly deep water, almost any place on the pond is good for salmon. If you are trolling with lead-core line in summer, be sure to go as slowly as possible. Use a set of lake trolls with chrome-colored blades, with a small minnow or smelt trailing about 3 feet behind. You can also get good results by trolling with a fly rod and reel loaded with a fast-sinking fly line and a small dodger at the end of at least a 6-pound test leader. Use a single-hooked streamer such as Jerry’s smelt or Joe’s smelt on a short line at the end of the dodger. Be sure to carry a large landing net because the deep, cold waters of Jordan Pond are capable of producing huge salmon. Some anglers forego the dodger and simply troll with a live minnow or smelt, using a 25-foot leader tied to a lead-core line. However, the author believes that a dodger or set of lake trolls will attract fish from greater distances, thus bringing more strikes.
Directions: Take the Park Loop Road from Maine Route 3 in Bar Harbor. Follow the Loop Road and look for a sign for the Jordan Pond House on the right. About 0.2 mile before the Jordan Pond House, look for the parking area and boat ramp.
For more information: Call the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife in Bangor, or Acadia National Park.
