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”.
That’s the biggest bass I caught this morning.
Instead, I park my car on the shoulder of Route 100A about 500 ft downstream of the dam next to a small unfenced mowed field which has a small sign tacked on the telephone pole allowing permissive trespassing. I grab my ultralight spinning rod with a #2 Mepps spinner, cross the field, walk down to the Sebasticook River, and then up to the dam. The first thing that strikes me upon reaching the river is just how shallow the water is today! There’s less than a foot of water flowing through the system at this location. The second impression is that the bottom of the river is carpeted from bank to bank by long, filamentous aquatic vegetation. That makes fishing nearly impossible without constantly fouling your lure. But I succeed in catching two miniature smallmouth bass under those conditions, which tells me that fish are swimming around here.
Small white perch such as this one are part of the mix this morning.
The dam comes in view as I continue walking, and the habitat visibly improves. The straight spillway downstream of the structure appears to have been blasted out of the bedrock of Benton Falls in the old days. The channel is about 25 ft wide, 150 ft long, and 4 ft deep, with nice turbulent current. It is also entirely accessible from shore, which is nice. I note that one would have to fish “this” side of the river (i.e., the shoreline next to Route 100A) because little or no water flows along the opposite shoreline, at least at this time of the year. I start tossing my spinner around and immediately catch tiny bass (<10”) and tiny white perch. These little fish are voracious and constantly peck at my lure. I’m always surprised at how tenacious they fight on my ultralight spinning rod.
Look at the belly on this glutton!
I notice that many of the bass have large and distended bellies. It quickly becomes obvious why. As smallmouth bass are wont to do, they regurgitate their last meal when struggling at the other end of the line. Well, these little guys have been gorging themselves on 1” white-silvery baitfish, which look to me like juvenile alewives. The water quality of the Sebasticook River has come a long way since the river was abused for industrial purposes in decades past. In addition, the removal of the old Edwards Dam on the Kennebec River in Augusta in the late 1990’s, followed by the removal of the dam at the mouth of the Sebasticook River (by the Fort Halifax State Historic Site) has re-opened large swaths of aquatic habitat in central Maine to sea-run fish species. These species have been roaring back and it looks like the local bass are taking full advantage of this new cornucopia. In summary, while I certainly would not call this spot a prime smallmouth bass destination, I enjoy the quick action on my ultralight fishing rod. I’m satisfied after one hour and move on.
The results: I caught nine smallmouth bass (all <10”) and four tiny white perch in one hour of fast fishing.
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