Lily Lake, Maine: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Lily Lake sits within Washington County in Maine. The ground round it is pine and birch. It runs to roughly 32 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The nearest place of any size is Cherryfield, 19 miles away. Addison is 20 miles and Machias 24 miles. No border sits close enough to matter. There is room enough here for more than one party without crowding.

• Where to Fish on Lily Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Open biodiversity records for Washington County list alewife, Atlantic salmon, rainbow smelt and brown trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Lily Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 67°F at the top of summer and 17°F at the bottom of winter. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. The season on Lily Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. If the gate is shut, Pickerel Lake at 0.4 miles is the nearest alternative. For Lily Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.