Upper Richardson Lake in Oxford County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Upper Richardson Lake falls in Oxford County, part of Maine. It stands 1,430 feet above sea level. At 7.3 sq miles you are fishing a fraction of it whatever you do. It ranks high for size among our Oxford County listings. Start from Milan, 23 miles down the road. Mexico is 24 miles and Rumford 24 miles. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Upper Richardson Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Public occurrence data for Oxford County names brown trout, Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. At Upper Richardson Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 64°F and January about 11°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about early December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. The season on Upper Richardson Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Metallak Pond at 2.8 miles is the sensible second choice. Treat access at Upper Richardson Lake as something to verify.