Clear Lake, Maine: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In Maine, Clear Lake belongs to Aroostook County. The surface lies 1,198 feet up. At some 626 acres it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. The margin runs to about 5.7 miles in total. Size puts it in the front rank of our Aroostook County list. Saint-Pamphile is the closest place, 43 miles off. Then Patten, 49 miles, and Sainte-Perpétue, 53 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Fish documented in Aroostook County 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. At Clear Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 64°F in July and bottoms out near 7°F in January. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. The lid tends to go about late April and return around late November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. On Clear Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Failing this one, try Little Pleasant Pond, 1.1 miles away. The position on Clear Lake is worth confirming on the day.