Fishing in Jackman

Both Big Wood Pond and Attean Pond have excellent trout and salmon fishing. There are 55 remote ponds with in a 15 mile radius of down town Jackman, which thrive with native brook trout. Every summer, clients and friends, catch trout in the 3 to 5 pound range. But to catch fish like that, you really need to fish longer than one or two days.  Fishing is fishing, some days you never get a single tug, then the next, they are hitting like crazy. Many of the remote ponds are fly fishing only but not all of them. 

Lakes and Ponds: 

April 1 to September 30: Open to open water fishing ​

Rivers, Streams, Brooks:  

April 1 to August 15: Open to open water fishing. 

August 16 to September 30: Open to open water fishing using artificial lures or flies only. 

General law length and bag limits apply, except daily bag limit one landlocked salmon and one brook trout. 

From October 1 to March 31: Closed to all fishing.

Any Bass fisher knows clear cold water, rocky and gravelly shore lines, and lots of bait fish and forage adds up to prime Bass fishing. 

The state of Maine is probably the least tapped bass fishing resource in the United States. Most of our rivers and a lot of our lakes have amazing bass fishing. We do not only have great numbers, but also great size fish from two to four pounds are common and many have been caught over five pounds.     

The fishing really heats up the end of May to the beginning of June with the pre spawn, and this leads to great shallow water fishing. Later in the summer the fish move out into deeper water and the jig and soft bait bite is on, on the hundreds of rock piles and stacks of structure. Bass are pound for pound the hardest fighting fish in the fresh water in my opinion so whether you want to cast a big popping fly or a pig and jig on your favorite spinning rod you are sure to have a blast with us here at Cedar Ridge Outfitters.

There are both Brook Trout and Lake Trout in our lakes and large ponds, while or small remote ponds(including Heritage fish waters), rivers, streams, and brooks hold large numbers of Brook Trout. 

Ice out and the smelt run coincide to bring on the land locked salmon fishing. Trolling sewn bait, live bait and streamer flies are the preferred and most effective ways for these acrobats of the fresh water. This area is truly a trout fisher’s paradise with fifty plus remote ponds and countless rivers, streams, and brooks teaming with trout. 

Whether you are an avid fly fisher, a master of trolling, a live bait fisher, a novice looking for instruction, or just looking for a relaxing day of fishing here at Cedar Ridge we have you covered.

Per IFW, Maine supports the most extensive distribution and abundance of wild brook trout  (Salvelinus fontinalis) in their native range within the United States; more than 1,200 lakes and ponds are managed for brook trout, of which approximately 60% are sustained by natural reproduction.  In addition, brook trout, occur in an estimated 22,248 miles of stream habitat, the vast majority of which are wild.  Although brook trout populations are declining across their historic range within the United States (Maine to Georgia), a 2006 range-wide assessment by the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture (EBTJV) concluded that:     

"Maine is the only state with extensive intact populations of wild self-reproducing brook trout in lakes and ponds, including some lakes over 5,000 acres in size.  Maine's lake and pond brook trout resources are the jewel of the eastern range: lake populations are intact in 185 sub-watersheds (18% of the historical range), in comparison to only six intact sub-watersheds among the 16 other states."  Furthermore, Maine is the last true stronghold for stream dwelling populations of wild brook trout, supporting more than twice the number of intact sub-watersheds as the other 16 states in the eastern range combined.    

Maine's wild brook trout waters are found throughout the state, but are most prevalent in the interior highlands, many of which are located in privately owned commercial forestlands.  This cooler region provides more optimal conditions with fewer competing, non-native fish species  than the southern or coastal parts of the state.    Maine's native and wild brook trout lakes, pond, and flowing waters represent a unique and abundant resource not available elsewhere in the United States.  Not surprisingly the MDIFW places a high priority on the management of this important resource, with a focus on protection, conservation, enhancement, and restoration of self-sustaining populations.

We are located in in an area that is an absolute Fly Fishing paradise.

With 55 remote trout ponds with in a 15 mile radius of our lodge and countless brooks, streams, and rivers it truly is a trout fishers dream. The small feeder brooks are a lot of fun with a short two weight rod and fish possible in the 12" range. Our streams and rivers can be very productive at the right time of year, the early spring and late fall being the best time. This area is known for its remote trout ponds. They are scattered throughout the country side and most hold lots of fish.    We have seen brook trout caught over six pounds on some of these ponds. If a quiet day in the middle of nowhere is what you need, we have you covered. The lakes and large ponds are great fishing right at ice out, which is usually around the end of April, with the trout and salmon feeding on smelts at that time. Trolling streamer flies is the preferred method at this time and produces some great fish. As the summer progresses there are always quiet morning and evening hatches to be found in the countless coves. So whether you are a fast water fisher or a quiet calm water fisher, a beginner or a lifelong veteran we have a fly fishing spot to suit your needs. 

Ice Fishing for Landlock Salmon & Native Brook Trout

The Jackman area has some of the best ice fishing in the state of Maine.

Some ice fishing can be done near town with a quick ride down onto Big Wood Lake, but for the more adventurous fisher, you can go by snowmobile to some of the area’s remote ponds. The fish that we catch are brook trout, landlock salmon, splake and perch.