Best landlocked salmon lakes in Maine
101 Maine waters list landlocked salmon (official records or labelled estimates), 98 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. Lake-dwelling Atlantic salmon that lives and dies by the smelt run. Ice-out surface fishing at its finest.
- Moosehead Lake — 240 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Lake Trout, Brook Trout, Landlocked SalmonWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 10 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Chesuncook Lake — 150 ft max · real survey depth contours · Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brook Trout, Landlocked SalmonWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Flagstaff Lake — 48 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Landlocked SalmonWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 6 public access sites, 3 carry-in or shore-oriented
- East Grand Lake — 127 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Lake Trout, Brook Trout, Landlocked SalmonWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Sebago Lake — 314 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Lake TroutWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Grand Lake — 120 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Brook Trout, Landlocked SalmonWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Eagle Lake — 135 ft max · real survey depth contours · Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brook Trout, Landlocked SalmonWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- West Grand Lake — 127 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brook TroutWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Scopan Lake — 58 ft max · real survey depth contours · Brook Trout, Landlocked Salmon, SplakeWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Sebec Lake — 155 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Lake Trout, Landlocked SalmonWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Lower Sysladobsis Lake — 66 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brook TroutWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Spednic Lake — 54.1 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Brook Trout, Landlocked SalmonWhy #12: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
- Pemadumcook Lake — 100 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brook TroutWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Big Lake — 92 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Landlocked Salmon, White PerchWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Umbagog Lake — 35 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow PerchWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Square Lake — 122 ft max · real survey depth contours · Brook Trout, Landlocked Salmon, Burbot, White PerchWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Nicatous Lake — 42 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Brook TroutWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Attean Pond — 54 ft max · real survey depth contours · Yellow Perch, Landlocked Salmon, Burbot, SplakeWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Caucomgomoc Lake — 79 ft max · real survey depth contours · Landlocked Salmon, White Perch, PumpkinseedWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Meddybemps Lake — 40 ft max · real survey depth contours · Brook Trout, Landlocked Salmon, Chain Pickerel, PumpkinseedWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Schoodic Lake — 187 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Landlocked SalmonWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Rangeley Lake — 148 ft max · real survey depth contours · Brook Trout, Landlocked SalmonWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
- Branch Lake — 124 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Landlocked SalmonWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- First Roach Pond — 123 ft max · real survey depth contours · Lake Trout, Brook Trout, Landlocked SalmonWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Ragged Lake — 54 ft max · real survey depth contours · Lake Trout, Brook Trout, Landlocked Salmon, BurbotWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
…plus 76 more Maine waters holding landlocked salmon.
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How to use this ranking
The order is a map-planning ranking, not a claim about today's fish population. It favors larger mapped waters and gives survey-backed contours a three-times data-quality boost. Agency population surveys, current regulations, access and recent conditions should make the final decision.
Compare maximum depth across 37,233 lake records · See Maine waters with public access data
When to fish landlocked salmon in Maine
- Spring 1–15 ft — The legendary ice-out bite: salmon follow spawning smelt to tributary mouths and windblown shorelines, right on the surface.
- Summer 25–60 ft — Salmon hold just above the thermocline with the smelt schools — depth control decides the day.
- Fall 5–30 ft — Turnover scatters bait and salmon shallow; spawners stage off tributary mouths, hot-tempered and territorial.
- Winter 10–40 ft — Where winter seasons allow, salmon cruise for smelt under the ice — sewn bait near a drop is the classic set.
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