Shapleigh Maine. Across from Ferry landing is a big island called Treasure Island. Behind this is the big part of the pond and you'll find 40 feet.

How do you target them? They are in my lake(Ossipee) and would gladly take you this spring but they are not .stocked and difficult to catch. I did get a 24 inch 4.4 beauty through the ice a few years ago. They are drop downs from the Bearcamp River.Let me know what you think. Joe G

Joe,
we have only caught 1 through the ice also. i thought that some of the guys on the site might have some experience fishing for them. they are such a beautiful fish, and they can get huge. i have also heard that they are difficult to catch. i thought that it might be a good topic to bring up.

feb 17th and 18th are free fishing days in maine. i am going to try to find out more about square pond and maybe try it out like Fishawk said.

Joe, are you one of the boys from little danville ?

ilucas

Browns are notoriously finicky fish and sometimes almost impossible to catch. I have heard more than once that browns, unlike most other creatures on earth can focus their eyes at multiple distances at the same time. For example a downrigger ball and a lure far apart, or the lure and the boat, or the tip up sticking in the hole and the bait.

I have no first hand scientific knowledge of this but have heard it more that once.

Brownies through the ice...I've caught a number of decent ones with soaking shiners for bass...
I'm not convinced that browns are any harder to catch, just that they have wide ranging feeding habits... I've caught them in the Isinglass River, Bearcamp River, Saco River (lost a monster on the Saco, jigging from a bridge for smallmouths... line broke as I tried to lift him up)
Maine has a history of stocking browns and vert few rainbows where as NH stocks rainbows and not many browns so if you want to fish for browns go to ME IF&W and look @ the stocking list and this will give you a good idea where to fish...by the way I know a person who has caught a number of big browns (10- 15 lbs) from Square Pond...can be a tough pond to fish because it is loaded with LL alewives, plenty for the browns to eat...Hancock Pond (Denmark),Little Sebago & Highland Lake (Windham/Falmouth) give up a lot of browns with the occasional trophy

Also caught decent browns in the Winnipesaukee River (from Lochmere downstream), Androscoggin River (Gilead) and the Suncook River (Barnstead)...tight lines

I tend to disagree. I've caught many stocked browns. They are as easy to catch as a brookie. But, a holdover or native is a different animal. Very wary. One of the reasons they are difficult to catch is because the feed at night.New moon or full (with cloud cover) is supposed to be an excellent time to try. You only have 2 hours after sunset though. They are easier to get through the ice because of the low light. The state record and most of the brutes that come out of Square Pond are caught through the ice.

JoeG, I wasn't referencing fresh stocked browns, yes they are very easy to catch...I'm refering to the browns that have been in the system for a while...decent size & beautiful color...the largest I landed was 15.25 lbs...from what I've read large browns are nocturnal but I saw a huge brown cruising the shallows @ Hancock Pond and had another hit a night crawler right by the boat mid day in August...anyway its fun to talk fishing

wow that is an awesome fish big bass. did you put him on your wall?

ilucas

No I didn't...new job, new baby & new house...not much for extra $$... I caught it in the fall and it was in spawning colors, absoultely beautiful...red spots size of my thumb nail...one of these days I'll have a reproduction of that brown trout and of the 6.5lb smallmouth I caught out of Lake Winni

whats worked for me over on conway lake and over on peaporidge before they started stocking bows was big olive green hornbergs and a black maribou streamer with red maribou throat and tail. before the season closes red roostertails have worked when they have started to stage just off the river mouths and exits (this only happens early enough some years, other years its after closing when they start to stage). erratic motion works better in the fall as you almost need to **** them off to bite. the bows on peaporidge really ruined the size of the browns on that lake, they used to get up near 10 pounds, a friend of mine has some beauties mounted up at his camp, but nothing with any size the last few years. we have had the best luck real early and late in the day and when its raining, small boat with electric. a few years back on osssipee i had a nice brown thru the ice with a big sucker

fishlessman,

when trolling in open water are your speeds slower like for lakers? also in the fall i would imagine they come up higher early and late?

ilucas

Yes I have but it was close to ten years ago. We fished the deep area mentioned in the lee near the island due to the wind.

We caught several in the 5-7lb. range in two full days. Fish them like you would salmon, 3-6 feet below the ice with live smelt. Long light leaders, #6 hooks and just enough split shot to keep the bait down.

Dean

Great tips guys, thanks for the input. maybe we can get some more help from some others that have done well fishing for them.

i was wondering if they are as delicate as the salmon as far as handling them. sure would be nice to see some pics this year of a pretty fish like bigbass caught.

ilucas

Got a 5lb brown out of Great East Lake on NH, ME boarder. Trolling copper mooselook, on a hot day in April right after ice out. Real sunny at 1:oopm in 8' feet of water. Had best luck trolling slow as with toque. Small ones are easy to catch 2 years ago on Harriman Res. in VT got them all day 70' on rigger in August. Co-worker fishes a lake in ME. only uses Dave Davis and shinners and does well with 5-6 lb now and then. keep the pellet stove stoked w-fat

Ice fishing i get them both ways, down deep, 2-3 feet off the bottom, and right under the ice. Tewksbury/Mascoma would be the place locally for me to get some good ones, 3-6 lbs.....
Boating I do better on them in Tarlton. Long lining with a slow troll, brown trout chevy chase, and a sliver/blue flash king, mostly around 20 feet down. Also lake Fairlee in VT, both ways, and again some big ones. Dull colored lures work best there, again like the bround trout chevy. If you like VT,Lake Bomoseen is the best, they run from 3-10 lbs, and they kill them during the winter.

Popeye

Hey Popeye,

2 outs, counts 3 and 2, 9th inning.

Give me a call.

John S.

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Replying to:

Ice fishing i get them both ways, down deep, 2-3 feet off the bottom, and right under the ice. Tewksbury/Mascoma would be the place locally for me to get some good ones, 3-6 lbs.....
Boating I do better on them in Tarlton. Long lining with a slow troll, brown trout chevy chase, and a sliver/blue flash king, mostly around 20 feet down. Also lake Fairlee in VT, both ways, and again some big ones. Dull colored lures work best there, again like the bround trout chevy. If you like VT,Lake Bomoseen is the best, they run from 3-10 lbs, and they kill them during the winter.

Popeye

Popeye & W-fat,
good info. i thought there might be some brown fishermen out there. all the posts have given us a start. hopefully we will have some great brown pics this year!

Does anyone know if they are a hardier fish than the salmon as far as catch and release. i would like to get pics if we ever do start landing them.

thanks

ilucas

Mike - the reason they give for stocking browns is that they are more tolerant of warmer and more nutrient rich waters than other salmonids so maybe they would be more tolerant of the surface temps when released in the summer. But they seem fragile enough. I've only caught a few of those wary browns but they seem VERY similar to the salmon. Same genus ("Salmo"). When the browns are not brightly colored for the spawn they look very similar to the salmon except that their backs are brown instead of green. Nice fish. Good thread.

Eric