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East Grand Lake Fishing Report

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

A Maine border lake: East Grand holds landlocked salmon, togue and smallmouth on the New Brunswick line.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
53 / 63 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.

East Grand Lake offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings clear skies, wind W around 9 mph, falling pressure near 1008 hPa and a high of 63. 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 70 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 temp53 F
High / Low63 / 51 F
WindW 9-23 mph
Pressure1007.9 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:04 / 19:49
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, 63/51 F, wind 14 mph, rain 0%

Fair or better. A 14 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on East Grand 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 East Grand 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 East Grand Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 10

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Landlocked salmon led the card at good. High of 77 F, wind to 17 mph.

Wed, Sep 9

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 62 F, wind to 12 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 67 F, wind to 14 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 for the US side; a New Brunswick license is required on the Canadian side and crossing has customs implications. Check current MDIFW law book for salmon and togue rules.

Access

Public launches around Danforth and Orient on the Maine side; sporting camps and lodges on the chain.

About this water

A 16,000-acre border lake in the Chiputneticook chain, Washington County, Maine, and New Brunswick.

Fishing East Grand Lake: the full guide

A big lake on the international border

East Grand Lake covers about 16,000 acres straddling the border between Washington County, Maine, and New Brunswick, Canada, part of the Chiputneticook chain at the head of the St. Croix River. It is deep and cold, holding landlocked salmon, lake trout that Mainers call togue, smallmouth bass, white perch and chain pickerel.

Salmon and togue

Landlocked salmon are the headline fish, trolled with streamers and small spoons near the surface at ice-out in May and again in fall, then deeper through the summer. Togue hold the deep basins and are trolled or jigged. Both fisheries are managed carefully and East Grand has a long reputation among Maine salmon anglers.

Smallmouth and the border

Smallmouth bass are abundant and hold the rock, the points and the shoals, providing excellent light-tackle fishing through the summer when the coldwater fishing slows. Note that the international border runs through the lake: fishing the Canadian side requires a New Brunswick license, and crossing has customs implications.

Washington County logistics

Access is via public launches on the Maine side around Danforth and Orient, with sporting camps and lodges serving the chain. Houlton is the nearest town of size, about 40 minutes north. This is remote country with limited services: come prepared, and check both jurisdictions’ rules before fishing near the line.

Common questions

Can I fish the Canadian side?

Only with a New Brunswick license, and crossing the border has customs implications. Know where the line is.

When is salmon fishing best?

At ice-out in May for surface trolling and again in fall; summer pushes fish deep.

Is the smallmouth fishing good?

Excellent: abundant fish on the rock, points and shoals, and a strong option when coldwater fishing slows.

Is fishing good at East Grand 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

Grand Lake Stream41 miPenobscot River58 miWest Branch Penobscot River73 miChesuncook Lake80 miMoosehead Lake94 miKennebec River113 mi
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