Love Lake in Washington County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Out in Washington County, Maine, sits Love Lake. It lies 187 feet above sea level. At 651 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. Some 5.8 miles of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. It ranks high for size among our Washington County listings. For supplies, St. Stephen is 17 miles out. Dartmouth is the closest city, 194 miles away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Love Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Washington County include alewife, Atlantic salmon, rainbow smelt, 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. Anyone new to Love Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 66°F and January near 17°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid April. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near early December. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. It holds true on Love Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Mud Lake at 2.6 miles is the nearest alternative. Nothing here settles the position at Love Lake for certain.