Category Archives: Streams and Rivers

Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Kennebec River in Fairfield, Somerset County, Maine (August 8, 2020)

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I caught this little guy by the tail. How does that even happen??

 

I am taking Geovani, my 11-year old grandson, out fishing this morning. I want to make sure that he catches plenty of scaly creatures to keep him interested and engaged. So, we are going to check out the smallmouth bass fishing on the Kennebec River in the shadow of the Shawmut Dam located in Fairfield, Somerset County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 21 D3). I checked this location out last year and did well. I hope to emulate that success this time around. To reach this spot, 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 located across 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 only canoes and kayaks can be launched from this spot due to the shallow water and strong current.

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass in the Androscoggin River, Jay, Maine (August 1, 2020)

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The bite is slow and the bass are rather small, but Gwovani has a good time. Note the turbine house to the left, and the dam to the right.

The target of my fishing efforts today is the Androscoggin River flowing just below the Riley Dam Power Plant in Jay, Franklin County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 19 E5). To reach the public access point to the river, drive north into Jay on Route 4/17 and then turn left on Route 140. Drive for exactly 3.2 miles on this road until you reach the unnamed turn-off to the put-in for Riley Dam. That location is clearly marked by a blue sign next to the road. Plenty of parking is available. Keep in mind that this put-in can only accommodate canoes or kayaks as it lacks an actual boat launch.

 

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Androscoggin River, Durham, Maine (June 27, 2020)

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The water level is so low that launching a trailered boat becomes a challenge…

 

The lower two-thirds of the Androscoggin River flowing through Maine supports a tremendous smallmouth bass fishery (click here, here, here, here, and here for examples). We’ve come a long way since the 1960’s when this stretch of river was an abused and neglected stinking open sewer, contaminated by untreated papermill effluent and municipal sewage. Following the Androscoggin’s re-birth after the passage of the Clean Water Act in the early 1970’s, Maine’s people have discovered its tremendous recreational potential, turning the river into a regional paddling and angling destination. Residual contaminant levels in fish tissue greatly limits the number of smallmouth bass that are harvested annually. As a result, most recreational anglers practice catch-and-release, myself included, resulting in a robust bronzeback fishery. Keep in mind that this stretch of the river also contains serious northern pike. Although I am not specifically targeting these fish today, I have caught them in the past in this general location as an accidental “bycatch”, which is always fun.

 

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Fishing for brook trout and rainbow trout in the Saco River, North Conway, Carroll County, New Hampshire (July 6, 2020)

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The put-in is just below the River Road bridge in downtown North Conway. I fish the large pool to the left. The municipal park is to the right, upstream of the bridge.

 

I spend the long July the 4th weekend camping with family members at the Glenn Ellis Family Campground located right off Route 302 in Glenn, NH (see the New Hampshire Atlas and Gazetteer map 45 G9). This well-maintained and well-organized campground sits on the beautiful Saco River. I brought my fishing equipment in order to catch some of the numerous trout that live in this river. I fished a different section of this waterbody two days ago, and I am eager to explore, and blog about, other sections.

 

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Fishing for brown trout and rainbow trout in the Saco River, Glen, Carroll County, New Hampshire (July 4, 2020)

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I spend the long July the 4th weekend camping with family members at the Glenn Ellis Family Campground located right off Route 302 in Glenn, NH (see the New Hampshire Atlas and Gazetteer map 45 G9). This well-maintained and well-organized campground sits on the beautiful Saco River. I brought my fishing equipment in order to catch some of the numerous trout that live in its waters. I fished this waterbody during our camping trip last year, and I’m ready to explore, and blog about, other sections.

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Saco River in Hiram, Oxford County, Maine (September 8, 2019)

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The put-in is located in a quiet side channel. Note the surrounding “sand dunes” created by erosion.

 

I want to try my luck this morning fishing for smallmouth bass on the Saco River in front of the hydroelectric station located by the Hiram Falls dam in Hiram, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 4 C3). To access this location, drive into downtown Hiram on Routes 5/1134/117 (Pequawket Trail) and cross the bridge over the river. Make an immediate left on River Road and drive down that road for 2.3 miles (note: the power station will be visible to your left after 2.0 miles). Look for an unnamed dirt road on the left that leads to a spacious dirt parking area. The river is about 400 ft down a path through the woods on the right. Only hand-carried craft can be launched from this location.

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Kennebec River in Waterville, Kennebec County, Maine (September 2, 2019)

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View of the boat launch on the Kennebec River in downtown Waterville with the Lockwood Dam turbine house in the background.

 

My goal this morning is to catch smallmouth bass on the Kennebec River in the shadow of Lockwood Dam in downtown Waterville, Kennebec County, Maine (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 76 C2). This long but low dam is located about 0.5 miles above the confluence with the Sebasticook River and is the most downstream hydroelectric structure on the Kennebec River. It is also an area I tried, but failed, to reach with my motor boat earlier this summer. To access this spot, drive to 10 Water Street in Waterville (look for the white “Hathaway Creative Center” sign). Turn into the large paved parking lot, drive all the way to the back, and look for the boat launch sign on the right. Beware that only canoes and kayaks can be launched from this location because the access point is blocked by large boulders.

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Kennebec River in Fairfield, Somerset County, Maine (August 24, 2019)

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The blue boat launch sign in front of Shawmut dam. The open yellow gate is visible in the background to the right.

 

I want to check out the smallmouth bass fishing on the Kennebec River in the shadow of the Shawmut Dam located in Fairfield, Somerset County, Maine (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 21 D3). To reach this spot, drive north out of Fairfield on Route 201 (Skowhegan Road) and turn right on Kennebec Street in Shawmut. Drive all the way down towards the dam and power station located across the railroad tracks. A blue boat-launch sign will direct you to the right through an open yellow gate towards the water. Only canoes and kayaks can be launched from this location due to the shallow water and strong current.

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Sebasticook River in Benton, Kennebec County, Maine (August 3, 2019)

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View of the edge of the mowed field with the Sebasticook River flowing below in the background.

 

As I continue searching for spots to catch river smallmouth bass this summer, I identify a promising target just below the Benton Falls hydroelectric dam on the Sebasticook River next to Route 100A (Clinton Avenue) in Benton, located about five miles upstream of the Waterville/Winslow metro area (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 21 E3). The dam, which is visible from Route 100A, is located about 1,000 ft downstream of the Sebasticook Bridge Road (Route 139) which crosses the river at that point. My target location for this morning cannot be accessed from the dam itself because that whole area is fenced and posted as “Private Property” and “No Trespassing”.

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Fishing for smallmouth bass on the Kennebec River in Waterville, Maine (August 3, 2019)

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The entrance to the municipal park on Front Street is clearly marked.

 

My goal today is to check out the smallmouth bass fishing on the Kennebec River at the dam located upstream of the Ticonic Falls Dam in Waterville, Kennebec County, Maine (see the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 76 [Waterville/Winslow] B2). This spot can only be accessed by putting in a hand-carried craft at the foot of the “Two-Cent Footbridge” (also known as the Ticonic Footbridge) located at the Head of Falls municipal park on Front Street in downtown Waterville. The dam I want to check out is about three quarters of a mile further upstream.

 

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