Fishing Report

Click the links below for the most up-to-date fishing news and suggestions from Maine's fisheries biologists.

Accessing lakes and ponds should be avoided unless you can be certain of ice conditions by checking ice thickness. Before stepping out, use a chisel or auger to test ice thickness in several places. Remember that ice seldom freezes uniformly and conditions are always changing and can vary from one location to the next. Ice that forms over flowing water and currents, especially near streams, bridges and culverts, can be particularly dangerous. We hope you have a great ice fishing season! Learn more about ice safety.

Before you head for a day of fishing, ALWAYS tell someone where you are going and when you will return. Please enjoy the Maine outdoors safely and responsibly!

Maine's fishing regions

Maine Region ASebago Lake Region

From Fisheries Resource Technician Brian Lewis, 2/22/24

Where to fish:  For some anglers, the month of March is the prime ice fishing month.  Target bass in moderately deep water (30-50 feet) where they like to congregate late in the ice fishing season.  Hobbs Pond in Norway and Keoka Lake in Waterford are likely spots for bass anglers.  Keoka Lake as well as Twitchell Pond in Greenwood are likely spots for decent size white perch.  Anglers targeting shallow (5-8 feet) muck bottomed weed beds with a jig tipped with a bit of worm can do very well on rainbow trout.  Norway Lake in Norway as well as Middle Range Pond in Poland are likely spots for rainbows. 

Fishing tip: Anglers willing to use their jig stick can have big catches of bass, rainbow trout, togue, or various panfish. 

Reminders: Anglers are reminded to check ice conditions thoroughly on Thompson as ice conditions will vary from place to place.  Thompson is also a good bet for cusk if night fishing is your thing.  Hancock Pond in Denmark has also recently been giving up good catches of cusk, though size quality seems limited. Always check the ice conditions for yourself. They can vary across fishing locations and from day to day. The first thing you should do before stepping on a frozen waterbody is to check the color and thickness of the ice.

 

Maine Region BBelgrade Lakes Region

From Fisheries Resource Supervisor Jason Seiders, 2/22/24

Where to fish:

China Lake (China, Vassalboro) – China Lake is a great option for March ice fishing because it offers several different fishing options. We've seen some great brown trout coming from China recently; several fish around 20 inches! We stock a small number of brook trout for ice anglers and saw a decent number of those fish show up during the ice fishing derby this weekend. There are plenty more swimming around. For those anglers looking for warmwater fish, China Lake produces good numbers of huge largemouth bass; fish over 5 pounds are quite common. China Lake has a robust population of smallmouth bass as well, with good numbers of fish 14 inches and larger. For those looking to take home a feed of panfish, China has plenty of white perch and yellow perch that can keep the kids busy chasing flags!

Lake George (Canaan) – The fishing at Lake George can be quite slow, but it offers some great fishing opportunities for a wide variety of cold-water fish. Lake George is stocked annually with rainbow trout and landlocked salmon, and we see both species grow to older ages and larger sizes. You might not catch a trophy sized rainbow or salmon, but there are plenty of quality sized fish over 16 inches. We occasionally stock Lake George with brown trout, and we get angler reports of 20+ inch fish! Although the smallmouth bass numbers are relatively low, Lake George grows some beautiful fish between 3-5 pounds!

Cusk (Burbot) Waters in Central Maine: The following is a list of waters where we routinely find cusk during our survey work, and we receive credible angler reports of cusk. I wouldn't expect huge cusk from these waters, but you can certainly catch enough to have some fun and make a great meal.

  • Echo Lake (Fayette)
  • Flying Pond (Vienna)
  • Parker Pond (Fayette)
  • Sand Pond (Litchfield)
  • Wassookeag Lake (Dexter)
  • Woodbury Pond (Litchfield)

Fishing tip: March is a great time to target largemouth and smallmouth bass. Both species are actively feeding in March in preparation for the stresses of the upcoming spawning season. This is a great time of year to catch some really big bass! Largemouth will begin to move a little shallower (8-15 feet) and prefer vegetative cover. Smallmouths tend to prefer rocky areas with depths between 15-25 feet. Once you locate those fish in a given lake or pond, you're likely to find good numbers of either species. Both will take live bait quite readily, but I always recommend jigging. It's a lot of fun to catch bass through the ice on a jig rod, and you're catch rates will be much higher. It's a great species for a novice jig angler because they'll be very aggressive this time of year and it won't take a lot of finesse to have a great day of fishing!

Reminders: Enjoy the great fishing weather in March, but please beware of ice conditions. A fish isn't worth risking your life!

Maine Region CGrand Lake Region

From Fisheries Resource Supervisor Greg Burr, 2/20/24

Where to fish: The current ice conditions are stable, setting up for anglers to continue fishing in the Downeast region into early March along the coast, and into late March on the northern waters of the area.  As the weather gets warmer, it will be much more comfortable for families and newcomers ice fishing to get on the hard-water and enjoy the outdoors.  For these newbies and fair weather fishmen I highly recommend fishing for warm-water species, such as chain pickerel, yellow perch, white perch, smallmouth bass, and largemouth bass, that tend to get more active as spring approaches.  To get kids and novices hooked on our winter sport I suggest the following fast fishing waters:  Little Seavey Lake and Big Seavey Lake in Wesley, Scammon Pond in Eastbrook, Somes Pond in Mount Desert, Wights Pond in Penobscot, Upper Patten Pond in Surry, Webb Pond in Eastbrook, Long Lake in Wesley, Second Gardner's Lake in Marion, and Alamoosook Lake in Orland.

For those avid trout anglers still wanting to hit lightly fished waters in the region I recommend the following:  Lakewood Pond in Bar Harbor for brook trout, Hosea Pug Pond in T 26 ED for Splake, and Williams Pond in T 28 MD for brook trout.
For anglers looking for good cusk waters Downeast, I suggest trying West Grand and Pocumcus Lakes.  Most cusk caught are under 20 inches but there are some larger individuals to be had that make for excellent table fare.

Fishing tip: My fishing tip for the season is put a worm and a minnow on your hook at the same time.  The added weight on the hook will make the minnow unbalanced, giving the predator fish the impression that the bait is wounded as it swims sideways, struggling with the weight of the worm, allowing the predator fishes sensors to detect the awkward movements of your bait, and home in on it.  The worms also put added scent in the water, allowing for the predators to easily find your minnow.  Also try adding some glowing "Power Bait" to your worm or minnow.  This is an added attractant for both color and smell, and fish go crazy over this combination!

Reminders: My reminder is to always approach ice pressure ridges with caution.  With the freezing and thawing temperatures of March, these ice ridges will rise and fall, invert, and separate, making them treacherous. The conditions around these ridges can change quickly from the morning to the afternoon, so do not take areas for granted when moving around them when crossing the lakes and ponds. Tight lines!

Maine Region DRangeley Lakes Region

From Fisheries Resource Supervisor Liz Latti, 2/16/24

Where to fish: If you're anything like me, you don't care if winter stays or leaves but rather simply makes up its mind. We've finally made it to March, and it's been an interesting winter to say the least. If you haven't made a trip onto the hardwater yet there is still time! The smaller easy access ponds have seen heavy pressure this year as they provided the only safe ice for longer than average. With that in mind, and some of the larger ponds finally seeing ice, anglers should consider trying waters that are not right off the road and larger in size.

Sturtevant Pond in Magalloway Plantation is an adventure for those willing to travel towards the border of New Hampshire. The Pond requires a snowmobile ride, but the relatively undeveloped shoreline provides a great remote atmosphere. Department Biologists are currently conducting an angler census on Sturtevant this winter and have seen some healthy salmon caught. The Pond is stocked with landlocked salmon each fall and provides fishing for pickerel and yellow perch. Remember this water is no live fish as bait. 

Chain of Ponds in Chain of Ponds Twp is near the Canadian border and known for being a cold windy adventure in the early season. However, if the weather decides to provide one of those beautiful calm sunny March days and you happen to have the day off - consider this water. The Chain of Ponds is made of, you guessed it, a chain of 5 ponds interconnected by thoroughfares. All 5 ponds provide great fishing for an abundant wild landlocked salmon fishery as well as stocked brook trout, and although not common there is a chance you may even stumble upon a cusk. Anglers typically focus on the lower 4 ponds (Natanis, Long, Bag, and Lower) as they provide better habitat for trout and salmon.

Western Maine isn't known for an abundance of cusk fishing waters, but there are a few for anglers in the area looking to try! Clearwater Pond in Industry and Embden Pond in Embden both offer opportunities for anglers to target cusk. A bonus is both these waters provide chances to catch stocked brook trout and landlocked salmon, as well as wild lake trout.

Fishing tip: Something to remember if you're targeting lake trout in March - fishing near known tributaries where smelt spawn can be productive for this predatory fish species as smelt may start congregating in preparation for spawning.

Reminders: With that in mind, always use caution as mouths of tributaries and shorelines are first to open up in the spring.

Maine Region EMoosehead Region

From Fisheries Resource Supervisor Tim Obrey, 2/26/24

Where to fish: You better grab as much hard water fishing as you can in early March because the ice conditions may not hold up through the entire month.  We are looking at 12-14 inches of ice on most of our big lakes when we normally would have 2 to 3 feet.  The forecast for early March looks warm, and there is little snow cover, so get out there soon. 

Allagash Lake is a good bet in March.  It is far enough to the north and west that conditions should be better for access.  The fishing for brook trout and lake trout is very fast. It also has a very good cusk population.  It's a great trip.

Moosehead Lake has had some very good lake trout and cusk fishing this winter.  The lack of ice in January kept angler use and harvest to a minimum, so we are encouraging anglers to take home a limit of lake trout, especially those under 18 inches.  We need to keep our thumb on the lake trout abundance, and we rely on anglers to harvest these predators so we can maintain our smelt population.

Fishing tip: Late February and early March is a good time to target cusk.  Cusk are not very discriminating when it comes to foraging.  Most anglers will use dead bait, but live bait (where legal) is also effective.  If you've ever opened up a cusk stomach, you will quickly learn that they eat a lot of crayfish, even in the winter.  The odor is quite…unique. You can pull out a couple wraps off your spool then tie off the line, so the bottom-dwelling cusk don't get wrapped up in debris during your night angling.

Reminders: It has been an interesting winter for ice conditions.  We didn't have a lot of ice last year either, but for the most part, we had very few issues with pressure ridges. Not so this year.  For whatever reason, the pressure ridges have been very active over the past few weeks.  Some pushing up into a dangerous wall of ice, others pushing down and separating creating open areas and pooled water. So use good judgement, avoid these areas, and stay off the lakes at night unless you know exactly where you are.

Maine Region FPenobscot Region

From Fisheries Resource Technician Zachary Glidden, 2/21/24

Where to fish: The 2024 ice fishing season is in full swing. It took a while for safe ice to form, and now that it has anglers in the Penobscot Region have been staying busy. Recent ice fishing derbies at Schoodic Lake and Pushaw Lake have attracted large numbers of anglers hoping to catch a prize-winning fish, and the upcoming fishing derby at Cold Stream Pond in Enfield should be no different. The Penobscot Region's fisheries staff have been conducting creel surveys on several of the area lakes and ponds this winter and we have enjoyed meeting many of you on the ice. A sincere thank you for those who have provided your fishing information and returned the accompanying creel postcard.

Many consider March the best month to target one of Maine's oddest looking fish. With a wide flat head, unusual fins, mottled coloration, and even sporting a lone chin barbel there is no better word to describe them than "odd". Cusk, also known as burbot or lawyer fish, are excellent table fare and the discerning angler would be wise to bring them home for dinner. Regardless of how cusk are prepared, be it fried, baked, or even put into chowder, they are delectable. East Grand Lake, Danforth; Schoodic Lake, Lakeview Plt.; and Cold Stream Pond, Enfield are a few spots worth trying. All three of these lakes also have excellent Landlocked Salmon and Togue fisheries to focus on during the day.

Fishing tip: Anglers should target gravel shoals after dark with live or dead bait to have the best luck. Cusk become very active in late February and March as this coincides with their spawning activities. For those new to this type of fishing, Cusk lines must be tended at least once every hour from sunset to sunrise.

Reminders: As winter begins to wind down the ice conditions will be changing. The warmer weather and longer days may be the recipe for pleasant ice fishing, but they should also remind us to use caution, especially around pressure ridges and stream mouths. Where ice is safe to fish one day, it may not be on the next trip.

Maine Region GFish River Lakes Region

From Fisheries Resource Supervisor Frank Frost 2/26/24

Where to fish: Northern Maine currently has very good ice conditions with little to no snow on lakes and ponds and ice thickness of 15 inches or more.  The snowpack, however, is very thin and will diminish after the forecasted warm weather and rain for the last few days of February.  This will make travel among lakes very difficult.  Given these expected conditions anglers should focus on lakes and ponds that are easily accessible at public access points and along roadways where snowmobile use is not necessary. 
Some options are:

  1. Madawaska Lake, Stockholm for brook trout, salmon and smelt
  2. Cross Lake, T16R4 WELS for brook trout, salmon, smelt and various non-sport fish
  3. Eagle Lake, Eagle Lake for brook trout, salmon, lake trout, cusk and smelt

Places to target cusk:

  1. Eagle Lake, Eagle Lake - this water produces some of the largest fish in northern Maine and there is a robust population.
  2. Square Lake, T16R5 WELS - this water also produces large cusk and there is a robust population.  Note that access to Square is mostly by snowmobile; there is a plowed area at Burnt Landing where access by foot is possible.

Fishing tip: When fishing for cusk, nighttime hours are best, however, they can also be caught during the day.  Use of large cut bait works well so you don't need to have live fish as bait.  If you plan to fish at night and check lines once per hour, as per rule, unwind 20 ft of line and loop around the tip up reel.  Then wind your line on your reel; this setup will avoid having to wind an entire spool of line when you have a fish on. 

Reminders: Eagle Lake is mentioned above as a place to fish this late season.  We continue to urge anglers to harvest their salmon from Eagle Lake to help reduce the population.  After 8 years of a no-bag-limit on salmon under 14 inches, we are seeing signs that these efforts are finally working.  Smelt catches are up this winter, and lake trout, one of the predators of adult smelt, are in excellent condition.  These are great signs that we have turned the corner on a long-time fisheries management problem.