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Fishing Cross Lake: what the data says
2,470-acre lake near Fort Kent. The lake tops out around 46 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Brook Trout fishing at Cross Lake
In spring, brook trout run shallow here, mostly 2 to 15 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 20 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 18 ft, rated prime for summer brook trout. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
Brown Bullhead fishing at Cross Lake
Start shallow in spring: brown bullhead sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 3 to 12 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & night | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday |
Brown Trout fishing at Cross Lake
Spring brown trout on Cross Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 14 to 46 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 18 ft of water that rates prime for brown trout in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and early morning. Summer baits: a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 14 to 46 ft | night & dawn | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Cross Lake
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Chain Pickerel fishing at Cross Lake
Start shallow in spring: chain pickerel sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 3 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 18 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A weedless spoon + trailer or a buzzbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Weedless spoon + trailer, Buzzbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait along weed edges, Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon (through ice) |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Cross Lake
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 18 ft, rated prime for summer smallmouth bass. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Cross Lake also holds white perch (15 to 40 ft in summer), yellow perch (10 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 45 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 18 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 18 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 4 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 3 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 3 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Cross Lake?
Cross Lake is about 46 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Cross Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brown trout, brook trout, chain pickerel, white perch, brown bullhead on Cross Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Cross Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Cross Lake?
For brook trout, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Millinocket Lake · East Grand Lake · Penobscot River · Schoodic Lake · Moosehead Lake · Sebec Lake
See how Cross Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Maine · best smallmouth bass lakes in Maine · best brown trout lakes in Maine · best brook trout lakes in Maine
Browse all Maine fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.