subject: Fly fishing in Maine - Fly Fishing New England [print this page] Fly fishing in Maine - Fly Fishing New England
The great state of Maine offers some great freshwater fishing opportunities. Brook trout, landlocked salmon and smallmouth bass are all prime targets for anglers in Maine. When you are Fly fishing in New England and plan on going to Maine keep in mind that it is a relatively large state. In fact it is bigger then other five New England states put together!
Fly fishing in Maine can be very rewarding. Maine is well known for having excellent brook trout fishing. Some of the larger rivers will prove to be very productive. The Kenebec River, Penobscot River and the Grand Lake Stream are all outstanding fisheries. Landlocked salmon also inhabit many rivers and lakes in Maine are absolutely spectacular to catch. They are often considered the most athletic freshwater fish and will leap with reckless abandon.
The area around Rangley in western Maine offers many fine opportunities, The Kenebago River, Rangley River and the famous Rapid River are all worth fishing if you are in the Rangley area. Any of the lakes in northern Maine will yield fish. A very popular approach is trolling with landlocked salmon streamers soon after ice out. Sebago Lake is well known for this.
Baxter State Park offers some great fish as well. Baxter is not particularly easy to get to as it pretty far from the nearest town and basically has one small dirt road that goes around the entire large area. You really need to plan your trip well to make it a success. There are many campgrounds in the park were you can make reservations. The ponds in Baxter are loaded with brookies and many have canoes available for use at a small fee. Nesowdnehunk Stream on the west side of the park requires some hiking but offers a great wilderness fishing experience.
As with most fly fishing, proper fly selection is important. One theory about Maine is that the cool temperatures tend to keep down the production of aquatic insects such as mayflies and caddis flies. This means that streamers can prove to be very productive as the fish frequently feed on bait fish due to low populations of aquatic bugs. From my experience this does not apply to mosquitoes and black flies to be prepared to be attacked by them!
Be sure to plan your trip well when you go fly fishing in Maine. Have the appropriate maps, insect repellent and streamer flies. Chances are you will hook into some very nice fish!
