Nequasset lake

Nequasset Lake, or Nequasset Pond, is a 392-acre, largely undeveloped lake located entirely in the town of Woolwich, Maine.

Nequasset is a coastal warm-water lake. The shore of the lake is mostly rocky, with multiple sand beaches scattered in coves across the lake. The largest of these beaches is located on the north shore, often referred to as "Sandy Beach" by locals. Multiple rocky points can be found along the shoreline, with at least one small rock island located along the eastern shore. Although the lake's deepest point is 63 feet, the vast majority of the lake does not reach this depth. The southern end of the lake averages 40–50 feet deep and the northern end is much shallower, with few locations deeper than 30 feet. The lakebed is mostly sand and gravel, though it is covered by a thick layer of branches and leaves due to the lack of development along the shorelines. The water temperature is 72 °F at surface level and 56 °F at 60 feet. The lake has very low oxygen levels at its deepest points.

Nequasset Lake is home to a commercial alewife fishery. Originally built in 1955, the fish ladder found on Nequasset Brook allows for fish to pass into the lake to spawn while also allowing for fish to be harvested. By 2011 the original fish ladder was in inadequate shape. In 2014 a new fish ladder was installed on the site of the old ladder to allow for easier fish passage. In 2015 Nequasset lake had an estimated run of 300,666 alewives.

Nequasset Lake is home to the fish of a typical warm-water lake. These include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, white perch, yellow perch, pumpkinseed sunfish, redbreast sunfish, hornpout, eel, and a variety of baitfish. Anglers report largemouth bass in the range of 2–4 pounds range with the occasional 5-pound or bigger fish. Bass fishing is most productive in Nequasset Lake from late spring to early fall, with peak fishing in midsummer. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife annually stocks the lake with brown trout to provide winter anglers with cold-water gamefish during the ice-fishing season. Because of low oxygen levels at the lake's deepest points and high temperatures in shallow water, it is unlikely that any trout hold over into the summer months. Trout can however be caught in the first weeks after iceout.

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