Fishing Big Spring in Piscataquis County, Maine

• Overview

  The Piscataquis County end of Maine holds Big Spring. Beyond the shoreline you have mixed forest. Surface area runs to about 2 acres — small enough to read in one session. On size it sits at the modest end of our Piscataquis County list. Greenville at 20 miles is the nearest place to stop. Lévis sits 124 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Big Spring

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Across Piscataquis County, recorded fish include Atlantic salmon, rainbow smelt and brook trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Take Big Spring a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 10°F to 64°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. That shapes the year on Big Spring.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. The car has to stay half a mile away, which shapes how much tackle you bring. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Should this one be busy, Beaver Pond is 1 mile off. Nothing here settles the position at Big Spring for certain.