Fishing at East Musquash Lake, Washington County, Maine

• Overview

  East Musquash Lake lies within the bounds of Washington County, Maine. Height above sea level is 364 feet. This is sizeable water at about 819 acres, and a boat opens up most of it. Some 7.5 miles of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Few waters listed in Washington County are bigger. The nearest place of any size is McAdam, 27 miles away. St. Stephen is 29 miles and Calais 30 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on East Musquash Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. County-wide records name alewife, Atlantic salmon, rainbow smelt, brown trout and smallmouth bass. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. On East Musquash Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 67°F in July and bottoms out near 14°F in January. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near early December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. The season on East Musquash Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Boat Ramp is the mapped launch, some half a mile from here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Farrow Lake at 2 miles is the sensible second choice. Nothing here settles the position at East Musquash Lake for certain.