Turkey Tail Lake Fishing Guide, Penobscot County, Maine

• Overview

  You will find Turkey Tail Lake in Penobscot County, Maine. The water sits 489 feet up. Roughly 381 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. For a base, Millinocket sits 11 miles out. Lévis sits 135 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here. The character changes with the season more than with the year.

• Where to Fish on Turkey Tail Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Public occurrence data for Penobscot County names Atlantic salmon, brown trout, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel and rainbow smelt. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. On Turkey Tail Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 13°F in January to roughly 67°F in July. Hard water is a season in its own right here. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly mid April. From about mid April to around early December, expect open water on the long-run figures. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. The season on Turkey Tail Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Failing this one, try Middle Jo-Mary Lake, 1.6 miles away. For Turkey Tail Lake in particular, ask before you travel.