Best brown trout lakes in Maine
6 Maine waters hold brown trout, 5 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Wary, nocturnal-leaning predator. Shorelines and inflows in cold months; the thermocline in summer.
- Damariscotta Lake — 116 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Brown Trout
- Messalonskee Lake — 113 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie
- Great Pond — 92 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie
- Cross Lake — 46 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout
- Megunticook Lake — 66 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
- Kennebec River — 12 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Landlocked Salmon
When to fish brown trout in Maine
- Spring 3–25 ft — Cold-water browns hug shorelines, river mouths and mud lines — often in a few feet of water early and late.
- Summer 25–60 ft — Browns sit at the thermocline by day and slide shallow after dark — the night troll takes the giants.
- Fall 5–30 ft — Spawn-run browns stage off tributaries and gravel shorelines, aggressive and territorial.
- Winter 5–35 ft — Browns feed all winter — nearshore when bait is in, deeper breaks otherwise.
Also in Maine: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best northern pike lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best landlocked salmon lakes · best chain pickerel lakes · best white perch lakes
Brown Trout elsewhere: Minnesota · Michigan · New Hampshire · Montana · Wyoming · Massachusetts · Washington · Connecticut · Utah · Colorado · New York · Wisconsin · Arizona · Nevada · Tennessee · Missouri · Pennsylvania