Fishing Maine’s Lincoln Lakes Region

This diverse collection of lakes and ponds offers spectacular fishing for bass and more throughout the summer. By Tom Richardson

As its name implies, the Lincoln Lakes Region comprises a large number of lakes and ponds that hold a variety of warm-water game fish, including largemouth and smallmouth bass, pike, pickerel and panfish  In August 2016, I sampled the action on two local waterbodies with Ed Moninghoff of Blue Moose Hideaway Guide Service.

Watch the Lincoln Lakes Region episode of New England Fishing TV!

Moninghoff is an affable and knowledgeable guide, and we spent an entertaining morning on Mattanawcook Pond, which features a wide variety of bass habitat, from deep rock piles to lily pad-covered coves. Best of all, the pond contains both largemouth and smallmouth bass, some topping five pounds.

On the day we fished, white spinnerblades and soft-plastic Senko worms rigged behind bullet weights worked well on bass holding over deep structure. In the shallows of the pond’s remote northern corner, a weedless frog proved irresistible to the largemouths.

Later that same day, we also fished Silver Lake, and spent the afternoon tugging on more largemouths that were holding along a submerged ledge in open water. Later, we moved to small cove with thick weed beds. Poppers, worms, spinnerblades, and crankbaits all worked well here.

While I only had a chance to sample a couple of the many lakes and ponds in the Lincoln Lakes Region, my trip with Moninghoff proved that this beautiful part of Maine deserves more attention from freshwater anglers. By the way, the nearby Penobscot River also produces exceptional smallmouth fishing, with 50-fish days a real possibility. You can learn more about that fishery here.

To book a trip with Moninghoff, who also specializes in guided hunts and snowmobile trips, give him a call at (203) 738-3177.