Little Saint John Lake in Somerset County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Little Saint John Lake sits in Somerset County, out in Maine. The ground around here is lake country bush. Around 88 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. Around 1.6 miles of margin, front to back. Compared with other Maine water on our list, it sits high. The closest town, Linière, is 10 miles away. Saint-Côme--Linière lies 13 miles off, Saint-Georges another 20 miles. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Little Saint John Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Survey and observation records for Somerset County include Atlantic salmon, brown trout and smallmouth bass. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. The shape of Little Saint John Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 63°F for July and 8°F for January. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. The open-water window runs from around late April to about late November in an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Little Saint John Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Hurricane Pond sits 1.6 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat access at Little Saint John Lake as something to verify.