Sep 22, 2017 - West Branch Penobscot River, Maine fishing report, rainbow trout fly fishing forecast, fishing season updates, fly shop and fishing guides, and fly-fishing weather. [17], May to June are usually when mayflies begin their first hatch. That bridge was closed and replaced in 2006 by the Penobscot Narrows Bridge, a 2,120 foot long, $85,000,000 structure with 135 feet between the water and the bridge’s deck, and the original bridge was subsequently demolished in 2013. While many rivers grow too warm in midsummer to support viable fly fishing opportunities, the West Branch remains cold thanks to the Ripogenus Dam, which releases water from the lower portion of Lake Chesuncook. [citation needed] With the Ripogenus Dam by Chesuncook Lake, the West Branch is able to sustain the large landlocked salmon found there, with twelve miles of heavy rapids, deep runs, large pools, and slower moving water in some sections. It arises from four branches in several lakes in north-central Maine, which flow generally east. It is the only bridge observatory in the United States, and only one of four bridge observatories in the world. [15] Until 1971 the West Branch was a main thoroughfare for the Great Northern Paper Company to sluice its logs to its mill in Millinocket, Maine. [13] In 2008, the Atlantic Salmon Commission opened the main stem of the river to catch and release fly fishing for Atlantic salmon.[14]. U.S. Geological Survey. Also at Bangor is the tributary Kenduskeag Stream. Featuring excellent opportunities to spot wildlife, fish for trout and salmon, and visit the noted locales of Chesuncook Village and Lobster Lake. [10] Demolition began on the Great Works Dam in 2012, and the Veazie Dam in 2013. Caddisflies also start their massive hatch around this time, but it can extend into the fall at times. Flow here has ranged from 4,410 to 9,660 cubic feet per second (274 m3/s). In the 19th century the river was a conduit for the transport of logs from Maine's Great North Woods, to be sawn into lumber at mills around Old Town and Orono, and transported on ships from Bangor, at the head of tide. These days, when people say "I fished the West Branch," they usually mean the reach below Ripogenus Dam, quite a few miles downstream from Seboomook. It is home to the Penobscot people that live on Indian Island. In a treaty of 1752, however, Massachusetts laid claim to the entire Penobscot watershed, and in 1759 the Pownall Expedition, led by Governor Thomas Pownall, established Fort Pownall on Cape Jellison in what is now Stockton Springs. The West Branch drains approximately 2,000 sq. 207-749-1593 The eleven miles of river from Ripogenus Dam to the Abol Bridge holds some of the most productive and captivating fly fishing water in the state of Maine. This signaled the beginning of English domination, and the incorporation of the Penobscot River valley into New England. After our meal, I was ready to stretch out in the sunshine and take a nap. To find West Branch Penobscot River enter the 45.604221 latitude, and -68.531975 longitude coordinates into your GPS device or smart phone. The Penobscot River /pəˈnɒbskət/ is a 109-mile-long (175 km)[2] river in the U.S. state of Maine. The West Branch is a high quality large volume white water river which contains significant Class V … From its source at the outlet of Little Bog about 10 miles (16 km) east of the Canada–United States border in Maine Township 6, Range 17, WELS, the river runs 27.8 miles (44.7 km) southwest and southeast to its drowned confluence with the South Branch of the Penobscot River in Seboomook Lake in Pittston Academy Grant (T.2 R The West Branch of the Penobscot River just below Ripogenus Dam if fabled in Maine to be the best landlocked Salmon water in the world. Spent a few days fly fishing the West Branch of the Penobscot River this week, skies were blue, black flies were hungry, and I was happy to fish in the wind. The season opens on April 1st but … • The upper reaches of the Penobscot River Corridor lie within Throughout the first half of the 17th centuries, these were likely the only permanent settlements on the river, although the Penobscots considered the entire river and bay their hunting ground and maintained other seasonal villages along its banks. In 2008, the Atlantic Salmon Commission opened the main stem of the river to catch and release fly fishing for Atlantic salmon. "[9] She continued on to say that "neither dioxin nor cancer is indigenous to the Penobscot people, however they are both pervasive in my tribal community. $4.99. In my 20-plus years of fishing the West Branch for landlocked salmon, I had only done so from shore, so it was an eye-opening experience to finally fish it in a drift boat. During Father Rale's War, the English settlers in Massachusetts also sent periodic raiding parties to the Penobscot, destroying the primary native village in 1723. The West Branch Penobscot flows from Seboomook downstream for about 200 miles to its confluence with the East Branch Penobscot in Medway. Wood pulp and paper mills create dioxins as a byproduct of the chlorine bleaching process in making paper. Katahdin and Big Spencer Mountain make this lake most memorable. Insect life is also abundant, and includes everything from stoneflies to mayflies to caddis. The United States government maintains three river flow gages on the Penobscot river. The road parallels the river. My guide was Dan Legere, owner of the Maine Guide Fly Shop in Greenville, who met me at the Chewonki Big Eddy Campground, just below the Telos Road bridge. The cities of Rockland, Belfast, Brewer and Bangor, and the towns of Rockport, Camden, Northport, Searsport, Stockton Springs, Castine, Bucksport, Frankfort, Winterport, Orrington, and Hampden developed adjacent to the Penobscot River estuary. The West Branch of the Penobscot River, Maine, is overrated for fishing. The population was 4, 506 at the 2010 census. Flow here has ranged from 400 to 1,300 cubic feet per second (37 m3/s). The largest mountain in Maine, Mount Kathadin, provides wonderful scenery. (The average high tide at Bangor is 13 feet (4 m) as of 2009. Fishermen will find a variety of … While many rivers grow too warm in midsummer to support viable fly fishing opportunities, the West Branch remains cold thanks to the Ripogenus Dam, which releases water from the lower portion of Lake Chesuncook. That same lake water contains smelt, which provide a fat- and protein-packed food source for large salmon. The river upstream of Bangor became an important transportation corridor for log driving to bring wooden logs and pulpwood from interior forests to sawmills and paper mills built to use water power where the city of Howland and the towns of Veazie, Orono, Old Town, Milford, Passadumkeag, West Enfield, Lincoln, Winn, Mattawamkeag, Medway, and Millinocket developed.[7]. At noon, Dan secured the drift boat alongside the bank and produced a table, grill, chairs and the fixings for an elaborate shore lunch. ", "The Penobscot River Restoration Project", West Branch Narraguagus River (Cherryfield), West Branch Narraguagus River (Hancock County), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Penobscot_River&oldid=999673768, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 11 January 2021, at 10:30. This includes a Penobscot River fishing report. The West Branch holds some of the largest wild land lock salmon left in Maine.Typically they are found chasing your big streamer or rising to your dry fly. We spent the remainder of the trip working our way downriver, stopping to take a few small but exquisite brook trout from some quieter water near a creek mouth. Fly fishing the Penobscot River for trout in the state of Maine. His oldest son, Joshua Treat, Jr., built a log house and sawmill at Marsh Bay in what is now Frankfort, and other members of their extended family, joined by additional settlers from Massachusetts and New Hampshire, pushed ever further up-river, eventually restricting the Penobscot people to Indian Island Old Town, Maine, the present Penobscot Indian Reservation. Some of the river's rapids are class IV or even V, making this one of the roughest rivers in the area, and attracting whitewater rafters. West Branch Bear Hunters take Note Maine is famous for its wild brook trout fishing. [11], In 1931 the Waldo-Hancock Bridge was opened to carry US Route 1 across the river at the Penobscot Narrows between Prospect, in Waldo County, and Verona Island just below Bucksport. Avid outdoorsman, Registered Maine Guide, editor of the Maine Northwoods Sporting Journal, and co-host of “The Maine Outdoors” radio program, V. Paul Reynolds pens a column for The Piscataquis Observer on Penobscot River Whitewater Guides — featuring Northern Outdoors’ icon Todd “Penobscotman” Mercer. Its drainage basin contains 8,610 square miles (22,300 km2). The variety of lakes, ponds, rivers and streams, nestled in a stunningly beautiful setting, are sure to create a memorable fishing experience. miles in Somerset, Piscataquis, and Penobscot counties. A few years later French Jesuit priests came among the Penobscot people as missionaries and converted them to Catholicism. Mass. Fly Fishing the West Branch of the Penobscot River. The West Branch is home to landlocked salmon and Brook Trout. Fiske argued for the Hudson being Norumbega. Dioxins, which are highly potent toxic chemicals that may cause cancer and other health problems, were being poured daily into this adjacent river, the Penobscot. A canoe trip down the West Branch of the Penobscot with Smoking Rivers is an excellent option for those seeking a relaxed and leisurely canoe trip. [4] The third is in Eddington (45°14′12″N 68°38′57″W / 45.23667°N 68.64917°W / 45.23667; -68.64917 (Eddington)), 0.4 miles (0.64 km) downstream from the Veazie Dam where the rivershed is 7,764 square miles (20,110 km2). Dan Legere displays a healthy West Branch salmon. John Fiske, The Dutch and Quaker Colonies in America (NY: 1899) p. 70: “the most common opinion is that the Penobscot was the River of Norumbega, with a village on its bank somewhere up country, where European skippers traded with the natives for furs”. Our first night is on Lobster Lake, possibly the most beautiful lake in Maine. West Branch of the Penobscot River: Maine Salmon Fishing Report. In the West Branch, fishermen are often required to use a variety of different techniques.[18][19]. Call Now! And those who have fished it know why. Rebecca Sockbeson, a Penobscot, is quoted saying that her people have survived on fish from this river, but "now we are dying from it. It measured 18 inches—a fine salmon in anyone’s book, although they grow much bigger on the West Branch. The new bridge also features an observatory open to the public located 420 feet above the surface of the river in the support tower on the Waldo County side. — Gordon Kramer, Regional Fisheries Biologist USGS 01029500 East Branch Penobscot River at Grindstone, Maine, USGS 01034500 Penobscot River at West Enfield, Maine, "Water Resources Data – Maine, Water Year 2001", "Taking Down Dams and Letting the Fish Flow", "Whitewater rafting on the West Branch of the Penobscot is one of the wildest things I've ever done", "Millinocket Great Northern Paper buildings to be torn down to make way for industrial park", http://www.visitmaine.com/attractions/outdoor_recreation_sports_adventure/fishing/river_country/rivers/penobscot_river/, http://www.maineriverguides.com/penobscot-river-fishing, "Joshua Treat, The Pioneer Settler on Penobscot River. It is probably the best dry fly fishing Maine has to offer with blue wing olives, stone flies, Hendricksons and caddis hatches from May to September. The West Branch is known as a world class landlocked salmon river, while the East Branch is known for its smallmouth bass fishery. The West Branch of the Penobscot is one of the few rivers remaining where landlocked salmon still grow to trophy size. 815 likes. During the War of 1812, the British again invaded Maine and defeated an American force at the Battle of Hampden, sacking the town of Bangor in the process. Its hard being the bearer of bad news, but it is bad out there! [6], The Penobscot River was an early trade corridor to interior Maine from the Atlantic coast. This turned out to be stretch of shaded bank bordered by deep water and large boulders. The first is on the East Branch in Grindstone (an unincorporated settlement approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of Stacyville) (45°43′49″N 68°35′22″W / 45.73028°N 68.58944°W / 45.73028; -68.58944 (Grindstone)) where the rivershed is 1,086 square miles (2,810 km2). No stars. The two 447 foot tall granite towers of the bridge are patterned after the Washington Monument which had been largely built with granite quarried from nearby Mt. West Branch Penobscot River is a stream located just .3 miles from Medway, in Penobscot County, in the state of Maine, United States. A fish ladder has also been installed at Milford Dam. [12], Angling, including fly fishing, is common on the river. This cold, clear, fast-flowing stretch is Blue Ribbon fly fishing water for landlocked salmon, and is also popular among whitewater rafters and kayakers, as it boasts some Class 5 rapids. The region offers a myriad of fishing opportunities for high quality landlocked salmon, lake trout, brook trout, and smallmouth bass.

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