Fly Fishing Maine Arctic Char Ponds. Bob Mallard

      1 . Maine Arctic Char Ponds

       Location: Central and Northern Maine, about a 2- to 3-hour ride from Bangor; a 3- to 4-hour ride from Portland; and a 4- to 5-hour ride from Boston, Massachusetts or Manchester, New Hampshire. Full-service airports are available in all four cities. Float plane pickup from lakes within an hour of Bangor can be arranged.

      Maine is home to one of the rarest salmonids in the country—and by far the rarest salmonid in the Northeast. Formerly called blueback trout (and Sunapee trout in New

      Hampshire and Vermont), these fish are now collectively referred to as Arctic char. Self-sustaining native Arctic char are now extant in no more than 12 waters in the continental United States—all of which are in Maine. Two of these have recently suffered introductions of invasive baitfish, forcing costly reclamation efforts to restore the fisheries and preserve the unique genetics.

      There are several other viable—albeit introduced—populations of Arctic char in Maine as well. A few more waters are rumored to have char, with no record of them ever having been stocked. Of the roughly 20 waters where native Arctic char still exist, have been introduced, or have been documented as having a presence, no more than 10 are places where you could reasonably expect to encounter one while fishing. The rest are long shots at best.

      According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, there are 14 lakes and ponds in the state that contain Arctic char. This encompasses nearly 10,000 acres of water. Twelve are considered relic—or native. Two are the result of introductions involving fish trapped from Floods Pond. Nine are classified as Principal Fisheries, meaning that an angler has a reasonable chance of catching an Arctic char there. There are no plans for the further expansion of char.