Trolling for bass on Scraggly Lake, ME

May 7, 2025

 

 

Location and Access to Scraggly Lake

Where is Scraggly Lake Located?

This 2,758-acre water body is found in Pukakon Township, Penobscot County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 35 A2). My goal today is trolling for bass on Scraggly Lake.

Access and Boat Launch

The Gazetteer shows an unimproved public boat launch on Hasty Cove off the Amazon Road along the eastern shore of the lake. I do not know the quality of this launch nor how drivable the Amazon Road is during mud season. Feel free to let us know via the comment section below.

Instead, I gain access using the public launch on Bottle Lake (see map 35 A1). This small lake connects to Junior Lake via a 1.5-mile-long shallow thoroughfare called Bottle Lake Stream. I then cross Junior Lake and enter Scraggly Lake via a short but deep and wide thoroughfare.

The Bottle Lake launch is found at the end of a paved road. It remains fully accessible even during the worst of mud season when some of the surrounding gravel roads may be impassable.

Duck Lake (see map 45 E1) also has a boat launch. This lake connects to Junior Lake via a 0.3-mile-long unnamed thoroughfare. I have not used this launch before. However, I have motored up from Junior Lake into Duck Lake in early May without a problem.

The shallow and bouldery thoroughfares from Bottle Lake and Duck Lake can easily accommodate motorized craft in early spring when water levels are high. However, beware that passage gets trickier later in the year when the water levels drop.

 

 

 

Scraggly Lake Features, Fisheries, Depth Profile, and Angling Rules

General Characteristics

Scraggly Lake is remote. It is part of a massive assemblage of interconnected lakes that includes West Grand Lake, Pocumcus Lake, Lower Sysladobsis Lake, and Junior Lake.

This lake is only lightly developed, quite scenic, and surrounded by low, forested hills. A great way to experience the area is to spend a few days at one of the three first-come, first-served camp sites spread across the lake. See The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer for exact locations. Keep in mind that campers need to contact the regional Forestry Service office in Old Town at (207)827-1800 to obtain a fire permit before making fires.

A Two-Story Fishery

Scraggly Lake supports a “two-story fishery” consisting of smallmouth bass (a warm-water species) and landlocked Atlantic salmon (a cold-water species). The latter are not directly stocked in the lake. Instead, they migrate in from West Grand Lake during fall, winter, and spring when the surface water is cold throughout the system. I do not know if landlocked salmon remain in this water body during summer.

Depth Profile

The lake has an average and maximum depth of 22 ft. and 42 ft., respectively. That makes it relatively shallow given its large size. Click here for a depth map and (dated) fisheries information.

Fishing Regulations

The general fishing laws for the South Zone apply, except that the lake is open to fishing from October 1 to December 31 using artificial lures only and that all salmonids caught during that period must be released alive at once.

 

 

Trolling for Bass on Scraggly Lake

Arrival and Conditions

The weather deteriorated over the last 24 hours with rain, cool temperatures, and breezy conditions. The storm has finally blown over, and the wind has died down. Unfortunately, a low cloud deck remains which hides the warm spring sun. The air temperature is in the low 60’s. The surface water temperature clocks in at 54°F.

Technique for Trolling for Bass on Scraggly Lake

I am fishing for smallmouth bass along the shoreline of Scraggly Lake for a couple of hours this afternoon. I hope to repeat the success I obtained on Junior Lake two days earlier.

My intent is to motor to the upper end of the lake and follow the convoluted shoreline back to the thoroughfare. But I get disoriented after entering the lake and unknowingly turn to the right into Mud Cove. The extremely irregular shoreline is confusing because of the numerous bays, coves, islands, and points. I make sure to always know where I am in relation to the thoroughfare after I become aware of my directional mistake…

I troll using lead core line and the same three double-hook streamer flies tied to each other back-to-back which I deployed two days earlier. The strategy is to stay over water less than 10 ft. deep close to the shoreline and place the lures 5 ft. down. The hope is that pre-spawn female bass have emerged from the nearby depths to check out the available nesting locations even though the conditions are not optimal (i.e., low cloud deck, cool water temperature).

 

Results of Trolling for bass on Scraggly Lake

I hook a 15-inch smallmouth bass within five minutes after starting to fish. Dare we dream that it is the beginning of a busy afternoon? But it turns out otherwise. The action is slow, and the bite only sporadic.

I troll about three miles of Scraggly Lake shoreline over three hours but only land six smallies. Most of these fish are pre-spawn females with extended bellies. I miss a few more fish which unhook during the fight, and also land two pickerels.

I notice that all the bass in my net are smaller than the ones I caught in Junior Lake. Fortunately, they fight just as tenaciously. I also re-trolled several sections of shoreline but did not trigger more bites.

It appears that the cold weather has not fully enticed the fish to check out the shallows. It will take a warm and sunny day to really activate the bass. Nonetheless, I enjoyed my time on the water. I also did not see another soul all afternoon, which is exactly the way fishing should be!

 

 

The results of trolling for bass on Scraggly Lake: I caught 6 smallmouth bass (largest = 16 inches) in 3 hours of slow fishing.

 

Was the information in this blog useful? I invite you to share your thoughts and opinions. Also, feel free to discuss your fishing experiences at this location.

 

Tight Lines, y’all.

 

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