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Chesuncook Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 11, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Maine’s third-largest lake: Chesuncook holds brook trout and togue in the North Woods.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
47 / 60 F
Wind
W 9 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
11
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Chesuncook Lake offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings clear skies, wind W around 9 mph, falling pressure near 1009 hPa and a high of 60. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:32 PM-1:32 AM and 11:32 AM-1:32 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Landlocked salmonExcellent

Transition depths: work 15-30 ft along drop-offs and points with trolled smelt imitations, or find them where cold tributaries enter. Early morning is the honest window.

Brook troutExcellent

Prime pocket-water fishing. Work upstream with an attractor dry or a dry-dropper, hitting every seam behind boulders and the head of each plunge pool. Short casts, quiet feet.

Smallmouth bassExcellent

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Lake troutGood

Transition depths: work 40-80 ft structure edges with white tubes and flutter spoons. Early mornings can find fish surprisingly high over deep water chasing bait.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 72 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 12, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Maine requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $25.00 for residents. What a Maine licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing landlocked salmon here? Check the size and bag limits with MDIFW before you keep anything.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp47 F
High / Low60 / 47 F
WindW 9-18 mph
Pressure1009.2 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:10 / 18:56
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 11 · Clear, 60/47 F, wind 15 mph, rain 0%

Fair or better. A 15 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Chesuncook Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Landlocked salmon illustration

Landlocked salmon

Best: ice-out through June, and September

Atlantic salmon that never see the sea: smelt-chasing acrobats of Maine and New England lakes, and the reason ice-out is a holiday up north. Transition depths: work 15-30 ft along drop-offs and points with trolled smelt imitations, or find them where cold tributaries enter. Early morning is the honest window.

Brook trout illustration

Brook trout

Best: May-Jun and Sep-Oct

North America’s native char: a small-stream specialist that demands cold, clean water and repays it with the prettiest fish in the woods. Prime pocket-water fishing. Work upstream with an attractor dry or a dry-dropper, hitting every seam behind boulders and the head of each plunge pool. Short casts, quiet feet.

Lake trout illustration

Lake trout

Best: ice-out and fall turnover

The char of the deep: 40-year-old predators patrolling the cold basins of glacial lakes, from the Finger Lakes to the Rockies. Transition depths: work 40-80 ft structure edges with white tubes and flutter spoons. Early mornings can find fish surprisingly high over deep water chasing bait.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

When to come: the Chesuncook Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Landlocked salmon
Brook trout
Lake trout
Smallmouth bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Chesuncook Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 10

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Landlocked salmon led the card at excellent. High of 72 F, wind to 15 mph.

Wed, Sep 9

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Landlocked salmon led the card at excellent. High of 64 F, wind to 13 mph.

Tue, Sep 8

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Landlocked salmon led the card at excellent. High of 65 F, wind to 11 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Maine requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Maine license. Brook trout, togue and salmon are size- and season-regulated and special rules apply in the region: check current MDIFW law book.

Access

Logging roads through the North Maine Woods checkpoints (fees apply) or by float plane; camps and lodges on the lake.

About this water

A 26,000-acre remote lake on the West Branch Penobscot, Piscataquis County, Maine.

Fishing Chesuncook Lake: the full guide

A remote lake in the North Woods

Chesuncook Lake covers about 26,000 acres in Piscataquis County, Maine, the state’s third-largest lake, formed on the West Branch of the Penobscot and surrounded by working timberland with Katahdin visible to the east. It holds native brook trout, lake trout that Mainers call togue, landlocked salmon, whitefish and cusk in genuinely remote country.

Brook trout and togue

Brook trout hold the cold water, the inlets and the spring holes, taken on streamers, wet flies and trolled hardware, best in spring after ice-out and again in fall. Togue hold the deep basins and are trolled or jigged. The lake is large and complicated: local knowledge or a guide substantially shortens the search.

Getting there and the season

Access is by logging road through the North Maine Woods checkpoint system, with fees and registration required, or by float plane. Chesuncook Village on the lake is one of the most remote settlements in the state. Ice-out comes late, often into May, and the season is short: plan around it.

Piscataquis County logistics

Camps and sporting lodges serve the lake, with Greenville and Millinocket the nearest towns of any size, both hours away by road. Cell service is absent. Carry spare fuel, tools and food, tell someone your plan, and treat the logging roads with respect: loaded trucks have right of way.

Common questions

How do I get there?

By logging road through North Maine Woods checkpoints, with fees and registration, or by float plane.

When is ice-out?

Late, often into May: the season here is short, and spring after ice-out is prime for brook trout.

Is there cell service?

No. Carry spare fuel, tools and food, and leave a plan with someone before you go.

Is fishing good at Chesuncook Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

West Branch Penobscot River13 miMoosehead Lake34 miPenobscot River69 miKennebec River72 miEast Grand Lake80 miKennebago Lake95 mi
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