Long Lake Fishing Report

Current Fishing Report: Good To Very Good

While fish finders and sonar have been a crucial tool in finding salmon in the past, the use of new technology is helping anglers catch more landlocked salmon. Forward-facing, and side scanning, sonar is assisting anglers in locating and catching these big salmon. Catch rates have improved, especially when they hold in deeper water. Once located, these big salmon are being caught in greater numbers while trolling, casting or jigging.

SUMMER. As the lake stratifies, landlocked salmon move into cool, oxygen-rich water around the thermocline. Early morning often produces the best action before fish retreat deeper. Trolling with spoons, streamers and smelt-imitating lures is the most productive technique. Anglers most often target landlocked salmon by trolling open water. During the warm Summer months, salmon migrate to deeper, cooler water, usually between 30 and 60 feet deep. Trolling with lead core line or downriggers allows for use of most lures and bait at these depths. They forage on a variety of prey, including alewives, smelt other baitfish.

FALL. Cooling water brings salmon higher in the water column where they actively chase smelt. Early Fall offers some of the year's fastest action closer to shore, in 15 to 35 feet. They are naturally drawn to the vicinity of inlets or outlets, where they prepare to spawn, generally from the middle of October to late November. They create nests in shallow gravel, where they lay their eggs. Fly fishing, or casting flatfish, spinners, jerkbaits and spoons is popular and effective during these shallow-water periods. Later in the season they feed around 5 to 20 feet deep.

WINTER. Ice fishing is possible during winters with safe ice conditions, although salmon are less commonly targeted than lake trout. Anglers generally experience the best success during early and late ice. In Winter, landlocked salmon here are typically caught in 10 to 30 feet deep early in Winter, and deeper during Midwinter. These big fish cruise beneath schools of smelt and often suspend well above the bottom. After ice out, they feed aggressively, following channel and structure contours. Jigging spoons, colorful ice jigs, or live bait catches the majority of these salmon while ice fishing here.

SPRING. Immediately after ice-out, salmon roam throughout the lake feeding aggressively on smelt in cool surface water. This is one of the easiest times of year to locate fish. Flat-line trolling with small spoons and streamer flies is exceptionally productive before summer stratification develops. Locals report that getting on the lake soon after ice-out, provides the best opportunity for good salmon fishing, as they are relatively shallow. Once ice-out is complete in Spring, landlocked salmon become more active and feed on schools of smelt in 0 to 15 feet of water, often near the shoreline. At this time they begin moving to inflowing tributaries. Trolling shallow with spinners, flatfish and super dupers is the most popular method for catching them during Spring.

Current Fishing Report: Good To Very Good

The use of new technology is helping anglers catch more lake trout. Forward-facing, and side scanning, sonar is currently the best way to locate trout, especially when they school in deep water.

SUMMER. Lake trout spend the summer in the deepest water available, typically relating to steep drop-offs, basin edges and suspended schools of smelt. Early mornings and overcast days often bring fish slightly shallower before they return to deeper water. Summer heat drives lake trout to hold around the thermocline, generally in 25 to 40 feet deep. Most fish hold 40 to 50 feet during the warmest part of summer. Early and late in the day, lakers may feed slightly shallower. Generally, they prefer to stay around the thermocline, throughout Summer. They look for depth variations like ditches, channels, humps, points and ledges in the main basin, but are often caught in the deeper water around this structure. Heavy spoons and jigs, as well as very slow trolling, with leaded line or downriggers, produce many of the lakers being caught during Summer. In late summer concentrate on channel edges, troughs, and main lake humps.

FALL. Cooling water allows lake trout to move progressively shallower as they feed aggressively before spawning. October offers some of the year's best fishing. Lake trout spawn over clean rock, cobble and boulder reefs exposed to wave action. Lake trout will be returning to relatively shallow water, as Fall weather cools the shallows first. They spawn in the Fall, and for a few weeks can typically be found 2 to 10 feet deep on gravelly points, flats and humps that have a rocky bottom. Lake trout feed on small fish, so lures imitating baitfish, sunfish, perch or small trout are good choices. Cloudy days, early mornings and early evenings are the best time to catch big lakers. Later in Fall they return to 10 to 35 feet deep, or deeper. Spoons, jigged vertically within the target depth can entice bites along depth changes. Trolling at a quick pace with spoons, brightly-colored jerkbaits, and spinners, with a variety of rigging methods to get these lures to run deep. For big lakers, use larger baits.

WINTER. Ice fishing is excellent whenever safe ice conditions develop. Long Lake has become one of southern Maine's more consistent lake trout fisheries during the ice season. Trout frequently suspend while following schools of smelt. They commonly suspend 5 to 15 feet above bottom. Lakers weighing 2 to 5 pounds are common. Favoring water temperatures in the 40's, lake trout are now finding areas to their liking in 25 to 50 feet of water, often suspending above deep structure. They will typically stay at these depths throughout the cold months. Sharp drop offs into even deeper are hot spots for lake trout. Learning these areas before the lake ices over, can help you identify the better areas for ice fishing. Patient anglers willing to work slowly with spoons, jigs and bait can catch some nice lake trout through the ice.

SPRING. Immediately after ice-out, lake trout cruise much shallower while surface temperatures remain cold. Spring trolling is highly productive before fish gradually follow bait toward deeper water later in May. Trolling with leaded line or downriggers, or vertical jigging with spoons and jigs, completes the cold-water season. Spring weather finds lake trout, along with their food supply, in 8 to 20 feet of water. Because they are shallow, Spring is an ideal time to catch big lakers. Inlets and in-flows of fresh water draw lakers to feed. They are caught in areas of the lake which have deep water, next to shallower, feeding spots. Shallow trolling, or fishing from the bank, is often good during Spring. Jigs and spoons catch the majority of these big lakers. Slow trolling with leaded line or downriggers allows small crankbaits and spinners to be worked in deeper water, which also produces some nice fish. Later in Spring they typically drop into deeper water, around 15 to 30 feet deep.

Current Fishing Report: Poor To Fair To Good To Very Good To Excellent

Smallmouth bass fishing is currently experiencing good results using the latest high-tech fish finders and forward-facing sonar. Especially anglers who fish from a boat, are improving their catch rate. Even when fishing is slow, it's easier to catch them when you know exactly where they are holding. The advent of new lures and equipment has also improved success for anglers fishing from the bank. Savvy anglers, who study smallmouth movements and patterns, continue to catch nice fish, even without the new technology.

SUMMER. Summer is prime time for Long Lake's outstanding smallmouth bass fishery. Early and late in the day, bass feed along rocky shorelines and points before moving slightly deeper during midday. Offshore rock piles and submerged humps consistently produce larger fish. During the warmer months, Smallmouth bass typically feed shallow early and late in the day, in 5 to 15 feet of water. They are often caught on topwater, crankbaits, swimbaits, Ned rigs and tube baits. Smallmouth bass here feed on crawfish and small sunfish. They prefer rocky or gravel bottom areas, as this is where crayfish live. Popular Summer holding areas include rip rap shorelines, as well as rocky points, humps and structure near the thermocline. During the hotter parts of the day, they are being caught on points, humps, and ledges around 20 to 30 feet deep. Often these deeper fish tend to school, so finding them can deliver some fast action.

FALL. Cooling water triggers aggressive feeding as bass chase baitfish along rocky banks and points. This is an excellent time to catch larger fish as they prepare for winter. Once Fall arrives smallmouth move into coves and bays, 8 to 18 feet deep. They thrive in the cooler, shallow water, which is an ideal environment for them. Locals report that tube jigs, and drop shot rigs with small worms or shad shaped plastics, are popular in 10' water or deeper. Worms, jigs, deep-diving crankbaits, swimbaits, and slow-rolled spinnerbaits, are also successful when bass are shallow to mid depths. Later in Fall, smallies move to 10 to 35 feet deep.

WINTER. Ice fishing is possible when safe ice conditions develop, but smallmouth bass are not commonly targeted. They become relatively inactive and hold close to deep rock structure. Slow presentations with small jigs occasionally produce fish during late winter. Winter isolates smallies around deeper structure, points, flats and creek channels, often suspending in open water above these features. Before, during and after ice fishing season, they can generally be found from 20 to 40 feet deep. Jigging spoons, tube baits, drop-shot worms, jigs and Ned rigs tempt smallmouth to bite in deep water. I like to work these deeper haunts very slowly in cold weather, as the bass are somewhat sluggish. Here they hold, feeding less frequently, awaiting warmer water to return in Spring. Smallmouth fishing can be very good on cold, windy, cloudy and rainy days.

SPRING. Following ice-out, smallmouth move shallow as the water warms. Pre-spawn fishing is outstanding, and bass become highly aggressive before and after spawning. Water temperatures will rise into the 50's, and smallmouth begin moving from deep wintering spots to shallower water, just outside spawning areas. They are feeding aggressively in 5 to 15 feet of water at this time, and are typically caught on jerkbaits, crankbaits, tube baits, Ned rigs, and crayfish imitating plastics. Once water warms into the high 50's, they move into shallower water, 2 to 10 feet deep and create nests in gravel or sand areas, then lay their eggs. Some of the better spawning areas include protected, shallow flats and points. Females then move to deeper water and males remain to guard the eggs, and then the fry. After a couple weeks, the males also move into 8 to 15 feet deep, and feed aggressively. Crankbaits, tube baits, Ned rigs, plastic worms, spoons and swimbaits are catching smallies during this period.