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Best atlantic herring lakes in Maine

99 Maine waters list atlantic herring (official records or labelled estimates), 99 mapped with survey or official-chart depth data. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality, leading with the waters in our reviewed search catalog — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The Baltic's schooling silver forage fish, pursued by anglers during dense spring and autumn movements into bays, fjords and harbor channels.

1. Eggemoggin Reach — 169 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
2. Blue Hill Bay — 338 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
3. Sheepscot Bay — 251 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
4. Saco Bay — 282 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
5. Broad Sound — 244 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
6. Frenchman Bay — 309 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
7. Jericho Bay — 127 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
8. Saint George River — 66 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Winter FlounderWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
9. Muscle Ridge Channel — 184 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
10. Cobscook Bay — 149 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
11. Luckse Sound — 132 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
12. Eastern Passage — 338 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
13. Booth Bay — 173 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
14. Hurricane Sound — 195 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
15. Portsmouth Harbor — 84 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites
16. East Bay — 45 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
17. Eastern Bay — 121 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
18. Fore River — 67 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
19. Blue Hill Harbor — 78 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
20. Toothacher Bay — 106 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
21. Hussey Sound — 122 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
22. Casco Passage — 90 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
23. Stave Island Harbor — 89 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
24. Robinhood Cove — 55 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
25. Johnson Bay — 52 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Winter Flounder, Bluefish, Atlantic HerringWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site

…plus 74 more Maine waters holding atlantic herring.

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When to fish atlantic herring in Maine

• Spring 5–25 ft — Locate compact schools around current, harbor mouths and fjord channels, then work a small herring rig vertically.
• Summer 15–50 ft — Most herring spread into deeper, cooler water; use sonar and keep the rig just above the school.
• Fall 10–40 ft — Follow bait concentrations into bays and channel mouths; depth can change quickly as schools move.
• Winter 20–60 ft — Winter fish are generally deeper and less accessible from shore; target only clearly marked schools in open water.

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