Sitting by the boat launch on Bottle Lake and studying the map to find our way to the camp site on Junior Bay. It’s a long ride…
April 26 and 27, 2024
Location and Access to Pocumcus Lake
Where is Pocumcus Lake Located?
This 2,201-acre water body is found in Sakom Township, Washington County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 35 B2). It is part of the enormous hydraulically interconnected system that includes West Grand Lake, Scraggly Lake, Junior Lake, Junior Bay, and Lower Sysladobsis Lake. My goal is trolling for togue on Pocumcus Lake.
Access and Boat Launch
We access this lake via the public boat launch on Bottle Lake in Lakeville (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 35 A1). It links to Junior Lake via Bottle Lake Stream. Junior Lake then connects to Junior Bay via Junior Stream. Finally, Junior Bay connects to Pocumcus Lake via The Thoroughfare.
For the record, Bottle Lake Road, which connects Route 6 in Springfield with the boat launch, is paved all the way and is therefore readily accessible, even during the worst of mud season.
My son, nephew, and I reach Bottle Lake in mid-morning. We overload our boats with all our camping and fishing gear and then slowly navigate for one hour and 45 minutes to an unmarked camp site located at the tip of the peninsula that separates Junior Bay from Junior Stream. That will be our base camp for the next four day.
We are here to experience the tremendous landlocked salmon and lake trout fishery that is awakening from its long winter slumber following ice out. One nice perk of camping in late April is the total lack of the dreaded hordes of mosquitos and blackflies. On the other hand, early spring can still be quite chilly in these parts of Maine.
This 21-inch togue was the one and only action this evening.
Pocumcus Lake Features, Stocking, Depth Profile, and Angling Rules
General Characteristics
Pocumcus Lake is a gorgeous and essentially undeveloped large body of water surrounded by deep woods and adjoining land belonging to the Passamaquoddy Indian Nation.
Annual Stocking
The togue (a.k.a. lake trout) population maintains itself by natural reproduction along the miles of rocky shoreline, whereas the salmon population is enhanced by a modest stocking of 7-inch juveniles.
Depth Profile
Given its great size, Pocumcus Lake remains relatively shallow, averaging a depth of only 25 ft. and reaching a maximum of 44 ft.
Such a restricted depth profile means that this water body supports salmon and lake trout in the fall, winter, and spring. But those fish migrate out into cooler and deeper West Grand Lake during the warmer summer months. Click here for a depth map and additional fisheries information.
Fishing Regulations for trolling for Togue on Pocumcus Lake
Open-water fishing in the spring occurs under the general fishing laws applicable to the South Zone. However, the daily bag limit on bass is one fish, and all bass between 12 and 20 inches must be released at once. Also, the rules set no minimum togue length, but the daily bag limit for this species is two fish, only one of which may exceed 23 inches. Finally, all togue between 23 and 33 inches must be released at once. Click here for the full angling rules applicable to Pocumcus Lake.
I get up at the crack ‘o dawn to fish the Golden Hour!
Trolling for Togue on Pocumcus Lake
April 26, 2024
I motor into Pocumcus Lake at 4:30 pm by myself to fish the last couple of daylight hours. The weather is glorious: full sunshine, light wind, and air temperature in the high 40’s. One cannot ask for better conditions this time of year. The surface water temperature is a cool 45°F.
Technique for trolling for Togue on Pocumcus Lake
Trolling is the only way to efficiently tackle a lake this size this early in the season. I deploy my portable downrigger teamed up with a spinning rod and three spoons tied back-to-back, as well as my lead core line teamed up with my 8-weight fly fishing rod and three two-hook streamer flies also tied back-to-back.
The spoons go down 25 ft., whereas the flies go down to 20 ft. I aim to catch togue and look for them at depth. Coming in from Junior Bay, I stay on the right-hand side of the lake where the water depth more consistently remains in the 35-40 ft. range.
Results of Trolling for Togue on Pocumcus Lake
The action is slooow. I swap out all my spoons and flies twice over the next two hours for other models and colors and finally get a hit and hookup on one of the spoons on the downrigger at 6:45 pm.
I fight a tenacious 21-inch togue, photograph it, and release it. That, unfortunately, is the extent of the action this evening. I am nonetheless glad not to have been skunked.
I call it good at 7:30 pm so as to reach camp, food, friendship, and fortified beverages before it gets pitch black.
Agreed, it’s not much of a salmon but it nonetheless provided for nice aerial acrobatics!
April 27, 2026
But I am not done with Pocumcus Lake yet! I crawl out of bed at 4:45 am the next morning to get ready to troll the Golden Hour (i.e., 30 minutes before to 1 hour after sunrise). The light levels during this period are low and the fish are actively chasing breakfast.
I layer up like I’m going ice fishing because it is darn cold (27°F!). In fact, I have to scratch away the frost that settled on my depth finder screen overnight. I buzz off and reach my fishing grounds 20 minutes later. I target the same area of the lake and use the same setup as yesterday evening.
Quick Action
The action begins 25 minutes later when I hook and tussle with a scrappy 14-inch landlocked salmon that jumps four times out of the water. It’s not much of a fish but it is a fun fight.
My spinning rod attached to the downrigger shakes violently 20 minutes later. I immediately set aside the lead core line, grab the other rod, and unclip the line from the downrigger weight.
Oh yes sirree, this fish here is definitely much bigger than the previous one! I can feel its head shaking from side to side as I carefully cajole the creature to the surface. It turns out to be a fat 24-inch, 4.5-pound lake trout. This one definitely makes my morning, although I know 10+ pounders swim around down there…
The sun has now peaked over the surrounding hills and is flooding the lake with its cold, harsh light. I troll for another hour and a half but get no more costumers. I call it good at 8:30 am and head back to camp to enjoy a hardy breakfast and brag about my catch to my teammates.
This big togue made my morning! Fishing the Golden Hour takes effort but can by very rewarding.
The outcome of trolling for togue on Pocumcus Lake: I landed one 14-inch landlocked salmon and two lake trout (largest = 4.5 pounds) in 5.5 hours of trolling.
Click here for the rest of the story.
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Tight Lines, y’all.
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