Superlatives are in order when
Damariscotta Lake is discussed. The largest lake in Lincoln County,
it offers the county's best lake trout fishery, and is a top-notch
producer of smallmouth bass. The lake is breeding grounds for
the largest alewife run in Maine, and the trapping operation at
the outlet is a tourist attraction.
Damariscotta Lake is really three lakes in one. The North Basin
is deep and cold, and provides excellent togue fishing with a
sporadic, but often productive, population of landlocked salmon.
The South Basin is a winter hotspot for pickerel and white perch,
and the Middle Basin has a bass hot-spot in the Devil's Triangle.
The North Basin has a big population of over-sized smelt which
are fished for in both winter and summer.
There is quite a bit of cottage development and a state park
beach at the north end of the lake, but this area remains attractive.
The two lower basins also have cottages, but these are mostly
concealed by thick woods.
The shoreline is generally hilly. Ice cover usually clears the
lake in the second week of April. |
