April 16th and we continue to get unseasonably warm weather. Today temperatures are going to reach 86 degrees, at least 20 degrees above normal. As of this morning, Mooselookmeguntic lake in Rangeley is being fished however the Cupsuptic lake side is still iced in. It won't be for long. I have fished these lakes under similar circumstances with my friends Bob and Stan and we literally watched the ice go out in Cupsuptic every time we made a pass through from Mooselookmeguntic. Rangeley Lake is still iced in and can't be fished yet.

If you are wondering, at one time these were two lakes, but they became one when upper dam was built on the southeastern end of Mooselookmeguntic.

Mooselookmeguntic Lake receives water from several sources. The Cupsuptic River flows into Cupsuptic Lake, which is directly connected with the northern part of Mooselookmeguntic Lake. The Rangeley River and Kennebago River both flow into northeastern Mooselookmeguntic Lake. The lake is just a few miles from the Appalachian Trail.
The lake's waters flow out to the southeast, into Upper Richardson Lake. There is a dam between the two lakes called "Upper Dam". The dam raised the level of Mooselookmeguntic Lake about 14 feet, causing it to become joined to Cupsuptic Lake forming a reservoir. The two lakes had been separate before the dam was built.
Mooselookmeguntic Lake's maximum depth is 132 feet (40 m) and its surface area is 25.5 square miles (66 km²).^[1] It is the fourth largest lake in Maine. Mooselookmeguntic Lake's elevation is 1,467 feet (447 meters) above sea level.

This warm weather will bring water temperatures into the ideal range earlier this year. I like to see surface temperatures in the 50-55 degree range for surface trolling. As the surface temperatures warm up I normally go deeper with lead core fly line. I am not a fan of down riggers, however, I will admit, there have been times when I wish I was using them.

The next few weeks will bring ideal fishing to the Rangeley area. Stay tuned for more updates.

Jeff