Upper Jo-Mary Lake Fishing near Millinocket, Maine

• Overview

  Within Penobscot County, Maine, you have Upper Jo-Mary Lake. Land around it is rolling bush. Roughly 2.9 sq miles of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. Some 8.2 miles of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Size puts it in the front rank of our Penobscot County list. Millinocket sits 13 miles from here and is the nearest stop. East Millinocket lies 19 miles off, Brownville another 21 miles. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Upper Jo-Mary Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Across Penobscot County, recorded fish include Atlantic salmon, brown trout, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel and rainbow smelt. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Upper Jo-Mary Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 13°F to 67°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near early December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. At Upper Jo-Mary Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Fishing from a pier is possible half a mile away. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Turkey Tail Lake, 2.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Upper Jo-Mary Lake for certain.