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Maine · Fishing
Turner, Maine sits in Androscoggin County where the fishing is quiet, unhurried, and centered almost entirely on small ponds.
5 spotsUpdated dailyFree to access
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Turner, Maine sits in Androscoggin County where the fishing is quiet, unhurried, and centered almost entirely on small ponds. The five waters listed here — Lard Pond, Mud Pond, Pleasant Pond, Sandy Bottom Pond, and Jersey Bog — are all lake or pond fisheries, which means you're looking at warmwater and coldwater species typical of western Maine's inland ponds: bass, pickerel, perch, and in the right ponds, trout stocked by the state. None of these are destination waters that draw crowds from out of state, and that's largely the point. You can put a canoe or kayak on most of them without a boat launch fee or a reservation. Jersey Bog in particular fishes differently from the others given its bog character — shallower, darker water, and the kind of structure that holds pickerel well. Sandy Bottom Pond's name tells you something useful about its bottom composition, which affects both wading conditions and where fish hold. If you're driving up from the Portland area or coming through Auburn, Turner's ponds make for a low-pressure half-day or full-day outing without the crowds you'd find on better-known Androscoggin County lakes.
All five waters are classified as lake fisheries, so expect the standard Maine warmwater mix: largemouth bass, chain pickerel, and yellow perch are the most consistent targets. Some of the cleaner, deeper ponds may receive state trout stocking — check the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) stocking list for the current year before you go, since stocking schedules change annually.
Yes. Any angler 16 or older needs a valid Maine freshwater fishing license. You can buy one online through the MDIFW website or at local sporting goods stores and hardware shops in the Auburn-Turner area. Non-resident licenses are available in multi-day and season formats.
Mud Pond
~3 min drive
A worthwhile stop near ME.
Sandy Bottom Pond
~3 min drive
A worthwhile stop near ME.
Jersey Bog
~5 min drive
A worthwhile stop near ME.
Lard Pond
~7 min drive
A worthwhile stop near ME.
The Basin
~8 min drive
A worthwhile stop near ME.
Pleasant Pond
~9 min drive
A worthwhile stop near ME.
South Pond
~10 min drive
A worthwhile stop near ME.
Little Sabattus Pond
~11 min drive
A worthwhile stop near ME.
Island Pond
~14 min drive
A worthwhile stop near ME.
No Name Pond
~18 min drive
A worthwhile stop near ME.
Bartlett Pond
~19 min drive
A worthwhile stop near ME.
Apple Valley Lake
~21 min drive
A worthwhile stop near ME.
Late May through June is productive for bass and pickerel as water temperatures rise and fish move shallow to spawn. Fall — September into October — is a second strong window when fish feed heavily before winter. Ice fishing on these ponds is also worth considering from roughly January through early March, depending on ice conditions that year.
A light to medium spinning setup handles most situations across these ponds. For pickerel and bass, soft plastics, spinnerbaits, and surface lures in summer all work. Jersey Bog's darker, shallower water suits weedless rigs and topwater presentations. A canoe, kayak, or small electric-motor boat will get you on all of these waters more effectively than shore fishing alone, since bank access is limited on several of them.
Access varies by water. Maine has a network of public boat launches maintained by MDIFW, but not every small pond has an improved ramp. Before your trip, check the MDIFW boat access database for current launch conditions at each specific pond. For bog and small-pond fishing, a car-top boat or inflatable kayak is often more practical than trailering a larger vessel.
