Fishing Fish River Lake in Aroostook County, Maine

• Overview

  Set in Aroostook County, Fish River Lake is a Maine water. It sits at 715 feet above sea level. It covers about 4.0 sq miles, which means weather matters as much as tactics. Some 12 miles of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. On our Aroostook County list it sits near the top for size. The closest town, Haut-Madawaska, is 31 miles distant. Fort Kent lies 31 miles off, Caribou another 36 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Fish River Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. 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. The shape of Fish River Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 64°F and January about 7°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Fish River Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Long Pond at 1.6 miles is the nearest alternative. Treat Fish River Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.