Rocky Lake Fishing near East Machias, Maine

• Overview

  Rocky Lake lies in Washington County, in Maine. The sea is 12 miles distant. It measures some 2.8 sq miles, and wind has room to build across it. The bank runs about 17 miles in total, split between open shore and sheltered corners. Size puts it in the front rank of our Washington County list. East Machias at 9.3 miles is the nearest place to stop. For a city, Dartmouth is 191 miles off. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Rocky Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Public occurrence data for Washington County names alewife, Atlantic salmon and rainbow smelt. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Work Rocky Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 66°F and January reads 17°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near mid December in autumn. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Plan any trip to Rocky Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping shows a campsite some half a mile from the water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Second Lake, 1.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Rocky Lake for certain.