Key Species: landlocked salmon, lake trout, brook trout, small-mouth bass, white perch, pickerel
Best Way to Fish: boat
Best Time to Fish: May and June
MAG: 45, A-4 and 53, E-4
Description: East Grand Lake, at 16,070 acres, is located in Washington and Aroostook counties in Maine. You will need a boat to fish at this site. Anglers in boats less than 14 feet long should stay relatively close to shore, since the lake can become dangerous quickly when the wind comes up. Camping is available at Greenland Point.
Since East Grand Lake is a boundary water with Canada, special regulations apply. Additionally, regulations for the Canadian side of the lake differ greatly from Maine regulations, and Canadian officials are quick to write summonses for any transgressions. Do not stray into any coves on the Canadian side unless you have a valid Canadian fishing license.
Fishing index: East Grand Lake is one of Maine’s top landlocked salmon lakes. Anglers trolling for salmon can find fish anywhere, but good choices include the waters near Greenland Island and near Five Islands, the group of islands just north of the lake’s center. Live smelt and tandem streamers are the standard fare for springtime salmon trolling, but you can also get good results drifting with live smelt when the salmon are deep.
Smallmouth bass fishing, which has only recently become popular, is excellent. Smallmouths can be found anywhere along the lake’s rocky shoreline. Follow the shore and cast Mepps spinners, Dardevles, and lead-head curlytail jigs toward the shore. Fly fishers take bass on small poppers and deer-hair bugs, as well as black-nosed dace bucktails, muddler minnows, leech patterns, and woolly buggers.
Lake trout fishing is excellent as well. In summer, lake trout will be found in the deep water at the center of the lake. Troll slowly, using smelt or small suckers behind a set of lake trolls and lead-core line, or use a downrigger. Make sure your bait is on or near the bottom.
A calm morning on East Grand Lake. The anglers in boats to the middle right of photo have discovered a concentration of landlocked salmon and are slowly trolling with live smelt.
Directions: From Calais, take U.S. Route 1 north to the Danforth town line. After crossing the line, go 6 miles and look for a road to the right, just before a long curve. Follow this road to Greenland Point, where there is a boat ramp and private campground.
For more information: Contact the Danforth Chamber of Commerce or the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife in Machias.
