Fishing at Getchel Lakes, Washington County, Maine

• Overview

  This water sits in Washington County, Maine. The country round it is pine and birch from end to end. It runs to roughly 58 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. There is roughly 1.4 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. St. Stephen lies 29 miles from the water. Beyond it, Calais at 30 miles and Lincoln at 34 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Getchel Lakes

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Public occurrence data for Washington County names alewife, Atlantic salmon and rainbow smelt. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. The shape of Getchel Lakes rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 67°F at the top of summer and 15°F at the bottom of winter. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly mid April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid April and starts locking again about early December. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Getchel Lakes fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. If the gate is shut, Third Machias Lake at 1.1 miles is the nearest alternative. Treat Getchel Lakes as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.