Crater Pond in Piscataquis County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Crater Pond is a Piscataquis County water, Maine side. The ground around here is lake country bush. This is a pocket water of some 14 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It sits higher than most water we list in Maine. Brownville is the closest town at 15 miles. Milo lies 19 miles off, Millinocket another 22 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Crater Pond

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Open biodiversity records for Piscataquis County list Atlantic salmon, rainbow smelt, brook trout and brown trout. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Crater Pond repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 64°F on average, January about 11°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Climate figures give an open season running late April to late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. At Crater Pond the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Middle Branch Pond is 2.5 miles distant. Check the position at Crater Pond before loading the car.