Fishing Hadley Lake in Washington County, Maine

• Overview

  This water sits in Washington County, Maine. The coast is 6.1 miles away. Roughly 2.8 sq miles of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. There is roughly 17 miles of bank, and each arm behaves like its own water. Few waters listed in Washington County are bigger. The town to know is East Machias, 3.9 miles out. Machias is 4.6 miles and Machiasport 6.2 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Hadley Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Survey and observation records for Washington County include alewife, Atlantic salmon and rainbow smelt. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. At Hadley Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 66°F and January about 18°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid April and starts locking again about mid December. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Hadley Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Launching is possible: a slipway lies half a mile off. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Little Lily Lake at 1.9 miles is the nearest alternative. Treat Hadley Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.