There’s a pond that is close to my home that attracts fishermen and sightseers year round.  In the winter, the fisherman who drill holes to lure pickerel abound in large numbers and in spring, lures and bobbers fly through the air to try to catch hornpout, perch and bass from the shores.  As summer comes, the bass are away from shore and kayaks and canoes dot the blue-grey waters.

Brann’s Mills Pond in located in the central part of the State of Maine, in beautiful Piscataquis County.  Easily accessed from Route 7 between Dexter and Dover-Foxcroft, there is a public boat ramp as well as an opportunity to fish from onshore at the boat landing. It is a common sight to drive along the road to the boat landing and see many families fishing at the “culvert” next to the boat landing. It is certainly not uncommon to see the fishermen swatting the voracious Maine black flies and mosquitoes at dusk.

A great deal of the shoreline has no shoreline roads and there are not a lot of camps or homes on the pond, which makes it particularly appealing.  The lower end of the pond is in the village of Brann’s Mills, which is not a town, per se, just a term for the area locals know. There used to be a saw mill and a shingle mill located in the village, remnants of the dam which gave them power are still visible.  The village is quaint and laid-back, with just two or three homes there.

The road was built upon a natural geological esker which is a natural mound left by retreating glaciers from long ago. The upper end of Brann’s Mills Pond is more of a marshland, with channels that make it easily navigated in a canoe or kayak.

            There are numerous islands in the pond and they are all pristine and uninhabited by man.  The water is deep and boulder-strewn.

            Brann’s Mills is a lovely springtime retreat, if only for an evening ride.  It is not uncommon to see turkey and deer in the twilight, and not impossible to see partridge on the sides of the road gathering gravel for their crops. In the summer, turtles often gather on the sides of the road; in fall, glorious leaves show their splendor.  In the winter, the solitude and beautiful desolateness have a beauty that is hard to explain; it’s lovely to see but I wouldn’t want to have to live there through Maine’s long, hard winters.

            There are no restaurants, no lodging, no picnic or rest room facilities.  Brann’s Mills Pond is just a lovely detour and a breath of fresh air.