Blake Lake in Aroostook County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Blake Lake is one of the Aroostook County listings for Maine. It sits at 755 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 89 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. A shoreline of some 1.5 miles keeps the choices simple. Start from Fort Kent, 12 miles down the road. After that come Haut-Madawaska at 12 miles and Frenchville at 15 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Blake Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Fish documented in Aroostook County include Atlantic salmon, rainbow smelt, brook trout and lake whitefish. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Blake Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 64°F and January at 6°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. Open water usually runs from late April until about late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. The season on Blake Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Should this one be busy, Second Lake is 1.9 miles off. Treat Blake Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.