Fishing at King and Bartlett Lake, Somerset County, Maine

• Overview

  King and Bartlett Lake is a Somerset County water, Maine side. Everything around it is pine and birch. At 538 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. The shoreline runs about 4.5 miles, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Few waters listed in Somerset County are bigger. Lac-Mégantic at 29 miles is the nearest place to stop. It is 75 miles to Sherbrooke, the nearest city. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on King and Bartlett Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Across Somerset County, recorded fish include Atlantic salmon, brown trout, smallmouth bass and rainbow smelt. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. King and Bartlett Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 63°F in July and bottom out at 10°F in January. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. It sets the rhythm of the year at King and Bartlett Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Cedar Pond is 1.2 miles off. Where King and Bartlett Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.