Jo-Mary Pond
Location: T1 R10 WELS; Piscataquis County
Acres: 38
Maximum Depth: 12 feet
Gamefish: Brook trout
Other Species Present: N/A
Often overlooked in favor of larger lakes in the area, Jo-Mary Pond offers some of the fastest evening fly-fishing in the region. Brook trout in the 10-inch class are the norm, but fish to 3 pounds have been taken from its waters.
Most fish are caught on spinners, small spoons and live bait during the morning and evening hours, while dry flies rule at dawn and dusk. Many Jo-Mary Pond trout can be taken by casting into shore from a canoe, smallmouth bass style. Baits drifted deep during the middle of the day take some fish, and trolled hardware produces well on overcast days.
Work the shoreline shallows at dawn and dusk, then the deepest holes after full sunrise. Jo-Mary Pond is primarily mossy bottomed on the west end, with large rocks and gravel on the east end. Trout lurk in the shoreline debris like pickerel among the cattails during the day, so try every inch of the pond, which is small enough to be fished thoroughly in a day.
Spring and fall are hot angling periods, but good fishing can be had in July at dawn and dusk. Sunset fly-fishing is best in the east-end shallows, where hordes of trout rise to evening hatches on calm days. Mosquito, elk hair caddis and Coachman patterns work best.
Jo-Mary Pond is remote with no facilities nearby, but there is a campsite with a fire ring (by use with a permit) on the northwest shore. Most of the surrounding terrain is cutover paper company land, but campsites are available at Upper Jo-Mary Lake, Gauntlet Falls, Johnston Pond and at various sites along the East Branch Pleasant River.
Jo-Mary Pond is approximately four miles from Upper Jo-Mary Lake, and about eight miles from the junction of Route 11 and the Jo-Mary Lake road. |
