Category Archives: Streams and Rivers

Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Androscoggin River in Lisbon Falls, Androscoggin County, Maine (August 5, 2024)

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Greg’s very first fish ever! He won’t forget this moment anytime soon.

 

Greg, my 11-year-old great nephew, is visiting us from far, far away. He is a city kid who has never held a rod in his hands before. He has asked me five times over the last two days if I can go fishing with him… Where should one bring a child who has no clue how to cast a lure, has a 5-minute attention span, and absolutely needs to feel a scaly creature on the other end of the line? One of those winning spots is the Androscoggin River below the hydroelectric dam in Lisbon Falls. I have visited that location in summers’ past to catch smallmouth bass and did well (see here and here for examples). The public access is found about 1 mile south of downtown Lisbon Falls on Route 196 (Lewiston Road) and is called the Pejepscot boat ramp (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 6 B2). This hard-topped launch is spacious and offers unlimited parking.

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Androscoggin River in Durham, Androscoggin County, Maine (July 22, 2024)

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Shawn is the first one to catch bass this morning.

 

Shawn, an angler friend from away, would like to experience the awesome smallmouth bass fishing on the Androscoggin River. I decide to check out the conditions on the river in Durham where I have fished for bronzebacks in summers’ past and did well (see here and here for examples). The hard-top boat launch next to Route 136 (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 A5) is spacious and offers unlimited parking.

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Kennebec River in Fairfield, Kennebec County, Maine (July 4, 2024)

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Follow this sign on Main Street to reach the boat launch.

 

My target today is the stretch of the Kennebec River flowing through Fairfield in Somerset County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 76 A3). This location is new to me, so I do not know what to expect. I “flew” over the area using Google Maps in preparation for this trip. The section below the boat launch seems to consist largely of a reservoir created by the dam located two miles further downstream. My initial interest is to fish below that dam because such a location typically provide good bass-holding habitat (click here, here, and here for examples) but neither the Gazetteer nor Google Maps show a way to put a boat in at or near that spot. Instead, viewed from above on Google Maps, I find what looks like promising fishing grounds between the Bridge Street bridge just above the Fairfield boat launch and the railroad bridge about a quarter mile further upstream. Access to this portion of the river is via a large hard-top boat launch located off Mill Street/Water Street in downtown Fairfield, across from the police station. The launch is part of a municipal park. It offers dozens of parking spaces, but – for some strange reason – not for vehicles with trailers (fundamental design flow!).

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass (and catfish?!) on the Kennebec River in Waterville, Kennebec County, Maine (June 29, 2024)

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The hard-top launch is narrow but plenty of parking area is available. The deeper channel is located along the opposite shoreline.

 

My focus this afternoon is on a small section of the Kennebec River that flows below the confluence with the Sebasticook River in Waterville, Kennebec County, Maine (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 76 D1). Access is via a hard-topped boat launch located on Water Street. To reach this location, drive down Water Street (which is a dead-end road) and look for the municipal baseball diamond. The entrance is right passed this field on the left. The launch is narrow but plenty of parking area is available.

 

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Fishing for brook trout and brown trout on the Pleasant River in Windham, Cumberland County, Maine (June 1, 2024)

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The first brookie of the afternoon.

 

The Pleasant River is a relatively short stream which originates in Gray and merges with the Presumpscot River near South Windham. The stretch I am targeting this afternoon flows upstream from the bridge on Windham Center Road in Windham (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 5 D2). Other good fishing areas flow between Windham Center Road and the Pope Road bridge (behind the Windham high school), and the stretch downstream from Pope Road. It and I are ancient friends as I have been visiting these waters on and off for over 25 years. It is remarkable how few people have discovered this place, given its central location close to several large population centers in southern Maine. I do not remember ever bumping into more than 3 or 4 people during any one outing. In fact, I see no one else during today’s trip even though it is a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in late spring, which is prime time for trout fishing!

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Androscoggin River in Livermore, Androscoggin County, Maine (August 1, 2023)

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Matt catches the very first smallmouth bass of the afternoon!

 

My 16-year-old nephew Matt flew in from away to spend some time in Maine learning to fish with his uncle. He is a total novice at the sport and I need to ensure that he catches and stays engaged! He cannot properly cast, nor can he aim with any degree of accuracy. I must therefore find a place where he can cast without the need to be accurate and where the fish are abundant and aggressive. I set my eyes on putting him on smallmouth bass on the Androscoggin River in front of the Otis hydropower station in Livermore, Androscoggin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 A5). I have had good luck at this location in the past. Click here, here, and here for earlier blogs on this spot and for directions on how to reach it. Keep in mind that you will need a canoe or kayak to fish this section of the river.

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Kennebec River in Sidney, Kennebec County, Maine (July 22, 2023)

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That is about as big as a boat launch gets!!

 

The Kennebec River flowing through Sidney towards Augusta is the target of my angling ambitions this morning (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 13 A1). To reach the public access point, look for the blue boat launch sign on Route 104 in Sidney, drive down Recreation Lane, and drive past the baseball fields all the way to the water. The launch is improved and spacious and offers plenty of parking.

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Androscoggin River in Durham, Androscoggin County, Maine (July 15, 2023)

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The lower reach of the Androscoggin River flowing through south coastal Maine is a favorite destination of mine for catching smallmouth bass (click here, here, and here for examples). The stretch of water between Lewiston/Auburn and Brunswick is packed with bronzebacks! And the most amazing feature is that I usually have this gorgeous water all to myself even though it is located in one of the most densely populated areas of the state.

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the West Branch of the Penobscot River in Millinocket, Penobscot County, Maine (September 23, 2022)

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This is the largest bass I caught after the first 2.5 hours of fishing. Very frustrating!

 

The West Branch of the Penobscot River flows through a complex set of reservoirs and hydroelectric dams in the area around Millinocket. My interest this afternoon is on a small section of river that runs between the boat launch off Medway Road and Dolby Pond located about one mile further downstream (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 43 B4). Note that Dolby Pond is the iconic stump-filled reservoir visible on both sides of Route 11 when driving between East Millinocket and Millinocket. Medway Road starts at Route 11 in downtown Millinocket (look for the Millinocket Municipal Airport sign), loops down towards the Penobscot River, and then rejoins Route 11 about 3 miles further east.

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Kennebec River in Fairfield, Somerset County, Maine (August 19, 2022)

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My nephew Joey visits from away and asks me if I can take him smallmouth bass fishing. I want to ensure that we have a fruitful morning, so I select to visit the Kennebec River in front of the Shawmut Dam located in Fairfield, Somerset County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 21 D3). I have had solid success at this location during two previous angling trips (click here and here for details) and hope to duplicate those past attainments with him. To reach this location, drive north out of Fairfield on Route 201 (Skowhegan Road) and turn right on Kennebec Street. Drive all the way down towards the dam and power station across from the railroad tracks. A blue boat-launch sign will direct you to the right through an open yellow gate towards the water. Keep in mind that anglers can only launch canoes and kayaks from this spot due to the shallow water and strong current. The area provides plenty of parking.

 

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