Sign inSign up freeRecent catches at Upper Chain Lake
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
Fishing Upper Chain Lake: what the data says
721-acre lake near Oqiton Township. The lake tops out around 30 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.
Chain Pickerel fishing at Upper Chain Lake
In spring, chain pickerel run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 18 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 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) |
Brown Bullhead fishing at Upper Chain Lake
In spring, brown bullhead run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 12 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 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 |
Pumpkinseed fishing at Upper Chain Lake
Spring pumpkinseed on Upper Chain Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 8 ft. They move out to 2 to 10 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 18 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for pumpkinseed in spring. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | midday & dusk | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 6 to 18 ft | dawn | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Upper Chain Lake
Spring yellow perch on Upper Chain Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 9 to 30 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 30 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Tie on a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 9 to 30 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 9 to 30 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 30 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 19 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 17 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 8 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 4 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Upper Chain Lake?
Upper Chain Lake is about 30 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 Upper Chain Lake?
Anglers target yellow perch, chain pickerel, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Upper Chain Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Upper Chain Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for chain pickerel in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Upper Chain Lake?
For chain pickerel, 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
Duck Lake · Lower Sysladobsis Lake · Upper Sysladobsis Lake · Gassabias Lake · Lower Pistol Lake · Nicatous Lake
See how Upper Chain Lake stacks up: best yellow perch lakes in Maine · best chain pickerel lakes in Maine · best pumpkinseed lakes in Maine · best brown bullhead 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.