Best chain pickerel lakes in Maine
8 Maine waters hold chain pickerel, 7 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. The eastern esox — a lie-in-wait weed-bed assassin that bites all year, including through the ice.
- Pushaw Lake — 29 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Chain Pickerel, White Perch
- Great Pond — 92 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie
- Sebasticook Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Chain Pickerel
- Kezar Lake — 161 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Lake Trout, Landlocked Salmon
- Cross Lake — 46 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout
- Auburn Lake — 92 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Lake Trout, Brook Trout
- Sabattus Pond — 19 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie
- Penobscot River — 12 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Chain Pickerel, White Perch
When to fish chain pickerel in Maine
- Spring 2–10 ft — Early spawner: post-spawn fish prowl warming, weedy bays and eat everything that moves.
- Summer 3–15 ft — Classic ambush game: weed edges, pad fields and dock shade — flashy, steady retrieves.
- Fall 4–15 ft — Feeding hard around the last green weeds as water cools.
- Winter 5–18 ft — One of ice fishing's most reliable biters — shiners on tip-ups over weed flats.
Also in Maine: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best northern pike lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best landlocked salmon lakes · best white perch lakes
Chain Pickerel elsewhere: New Hampshire · Massachusetts · Connecticut · New York · Rhode Island