Third Lake Fishing near Patten, Maine

• Overview

  Third Lake is a Piscataquis County water, Maine side. It lies 751 feet above sea level. At 397 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. The margin runs to about 4.7 miles in total. On our Piscataquis County list it sits near the top for size. You are 33 miles from Patten. After that come Millinocket at 43 miles and East Millinocket at 48 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Third Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Piscataquis County records list Atlantic salmon, rainbow smelt and brook trout among the fish reported. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. At Third Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 9°F to 65°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about late November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. That is the shape of the year on Third Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Brayley Pond is 1.3 miles off. For Third Lake in particular, ask before you travel.