Fishing Report

From Fisheries Resource Supervisor Jim Pellerin, 5-30-25

Where to fish: In southern Maine, June is great time to hit streams and small-medium sized trout ponds for brook trout before the summer doldrums hit in July/August.  Most of the spring stockings are complete, water temperatures are still favorable for surface activity, and insect hatches are in full bloom.  Check out our stocking report for places to go, but some good brook trout waters include:  Adams Pond, Bridgton; Broken Bridge and Round Pond, Albany; Abbott Pond, Sumner; Little Concord Pond, Woodstock; and Oversett Pond, Greenwood.  Some good streams for wild brookies include the Shepards River, Brownfield, Tenmile River, Hiram; Kezar River, Lovell; and BranchB, Sanford.  Some good shore fishing opportunities include any of the small, stocked trout ponds such as the Otter Ponds, Standish; or Aldens Pond, Gorham.

The hot bite for salmon will be waning as the month progresses, but on the plus side the warming waters allow you to troll much faster to cover more ground with lures and streamer flies instead of the slower, bait trolling that's popular when the water is cold.  Sebago, Thompson, Auburn, and Pleasant Lakes all reportedly fished well this spring.

Warm water fishing for panfish, perch, and bass is always great in early June and holds up relatively well throughout the summer.  This type of fishing is better for introducing kids to angling as the action can be faster to keep their attention and get them "hooked".  Most of our lakes harbor warm water species, but try to focus and shallower habitat with weeds, stumps/logs, and rock piles.  A couple good areas to shore fish for warm water species include the Sticky River in Standish off Route 114 or the railroad trestle, and Thomas Pond in Casco off Route 302.

Fishing tips:  Time of day can be important!  Many species like trout and salmon are typically more active in early morning or late evening.  If you're fishing for salmon, the most productive anglers start before daybreak and are often done by 7 or 8 AM.  Trout pond anglers often prefer the evening hatches, but don't be surprised to see better early morning or mid-day hatches in late May/early June.  Most warmwater fish are less picky, but you can't beat dusk for white perch.  Chase the surface dimples with a bobber and worms!

Reminders: Be sure to protect yourself from ticks when you're wandering through the brush.  Tick repellant is important, but tucking in clothing is a first line of defense that many ignore.  Be safe, have fun, and remember to check your lawbook when trying new waters. 

From Fisheries Resource Biologist Jason Seiders, 5-27-25

Stocked Trout Streams: I like to mention these streams because they offer a great chance to catch trout and you don't need to go far from home. We stock these streams regularly with brook trout and some with brown trout. As long as the water doesn't get too warm in June, these streams and rivers should remain trouty, with good access at most road crossing locations.

• St George River
• Medomak River
• Goose River (Swanville)
• Nezinscot River (Turner)
• Messalonskee Stream (Oakland, Waterville)

Kennebec River (Forks and Bingham): June is a great month to fish these sections of the Kennebec River. Both areas offer great fishing for landlocked salmon and brook trout, and there are several areas to access each river reach if you want to fish from shore or wade a bit. Bingham offers the chance to catch some wild rainbow trout, which are a rare find in Maine. Some of these fish grow quite large and can give you quite a battle. Be aware that river flows can fluctuate a great deal in these areas, so you may want to check Safewaters.com before you go. This will give you a better idea of when flows will change at the hydroelectric stations so you can fish a little safer and pick the times and flows you want to fish.

Smallmouth Bass Lakes: Central and midcoast Maine boasts some of the best smallmouth bass fishing you'll ever find. Most of our bass waters produce large numbers of fish, and some produce giants. Below is a list of smallmouth bass waters around the region where you could expect to have a memorable day, especially in the month of June.

• Belgrade Lakes (Great, Long, and Messalonskee)
• Wassookeag Lake (Dexter)
• Megunticook Lake (Camden)
• Swan Lake (Swanville)
• Great Moose Lake (Hartland)
• China Lake (China)
• Lake George (Canaan)

Fishing Tip: June is a great month to fish. The water temperatures are usually just right and most fish species are very active. It's a great time to get kids interested in fishing because most panfish are super-active and easily caught in June. Evenings are especially good fishing, especially for white perch. Most of our lakes and ponds have white perch and if you cast a small piece of nightcrawler and let it sit on bottom or under a float, you'll probably catch them during the last hour or two of daylight.

If the bugs are biting, so are the fish!

From Fisheries Resource Biologist Jake Scoville, 5-27-25

Let's hope we see more sunny days in June than we did in May, but there is a silver lining to all that cool, rainy weather. Water temperatures here in the Downeast region remain cool into the start of June, prolonging the spring trout season. June will no doubt be a hot month for fishing, so be sure to clear your schedules.

Where to fish: Not only are water temperatures still cool, but water flows in most Downeast rivers and streams are also on the verge of being ideal. With the temperatures starting to climb and the flows starting to drop, fishing your favorite trout stream should be top priority.  The Dennys River, Machias River, Union River, and their tributaries offer excellent brook trout fishing until the water warms, at which point the trout seek refuge. All these waters are likely to have bass, so if you are catching bass, the trout fishing has likely passed by. This means you'd better get to them sooner rather than later.

June will also remain prime for fishing the many small lakes and ponds in the region. Waters such as Berrypatch Pond in T31 MD, Monroe Lake in T43 MD, and Pork Barrel Lake in T6 R1 should offer anglers good trout fishing throughout the month. Ponds easily accessible offering great bank fishing opportunities for trout include Six Mile Lake in Marshfield, Simpson Pond in Roque Bluffs, and Fox Pond in T10 SD.
If you are interested in taking a child fishing, try North Meyers Pond in Columbia, or Middle River in Marshfield (Below the bridge on the Marshfield Flats Road downstream to the mouth of Smelt Brook: Open to fishing only for persons under 16 years of age or persons holding an eligible complimentary fishing license.)

Tip: If you find yourself floating a river or stream in the coming weeks, be sure to be prepared. Nothing can ruin a day of fishing like losing your gear down the river if you happen to capsize a canoe. Lashing all your gear down and having appropriate safety gear in dry bags is essential.

Reminder: Download the new MDIFW app! Our app is convenient and includes all the essential tools you need while out on the water or searching for your next fishing spot, including the FLOAT tool, law book, boat launch locations, and fish stocking map! Search "ME Outdoors to find the app in the Apple App Store or Google Play.

From Fisheries Resource Biologist Tyler Grant, 5-27-25

Despite the cold conditions at the end of May, and the snow that fell in Rangeley, it is spring fishing season in the Rangeley Lakes Region, and with free fishing weekend coming up May 31 to June 1, it's a great time to introduce a new fishing partner to the sport. 

Places to go
For anglers looking to get off the beaten path, give South Pond a thought.  South Pond, also known as Pinetree Pond, is a 25-acre coldwater pond in Sandy River Plantation, just off the Appalachian trail.  For anglers who like to hike and fish, it's a perfect combination.  Anglers can park at the AT parking area on route 4 in Sandy River Plantation, and hike about 2.5 miles to reach the pond.  Wade, fish from shore, bring a float tube, or a bit of scouting along the shore might yield a canoe that can be used to explore the deeper areas.  The 34' deep pond has excellent water quality and is free from other competing species. This allows the stocked fall fingerling brook trout to grow quickly.  The pond is managed under north zone general law harvest and tackle regulations. 

South Pond is the right length for a picnic day trip, or for the more adventurous angler who wants to extend the trip, keep going to Little Swift River Pond.  It's also accessible via the Appalachian Trail, just 2.3 miles beyond South Pond.  Anglers willing to have an adventure can get on the AT at the parking area in Sandy River Plantation, and hike to South Pond, and then continue their hike to Little Swift River Pond.  Anglers who make the 4.8 mile (each way) hike are rewarded with an excellent camping area and a pond full of wild brook trout.  The trout in Little Swift River Pond are a bit smaller but make up for it with their fight and incredible colors.  The pond is fly fishing only and carries an S-20 regulation.  This means you can keep your general law bag limit of 5 fish, but trout less than 6" or over 12'" must be released.  This regulation is meant to encourage harvest of the smaller fish while allowing the larger fish to keep growing and spawning, so don't be afraid to keep a few fish for dinner.  Whichever pond suits your hiking and fishing style, be prepared.  Be sure to bring plenty of water and food and let someone know where you will be going and when you will be back.

For stream anglers, June means the water is warming up, bugs are hatching, and the fish are feeding.  The western Maine mountains have plenty of spring opportunities for those anglers who enjoy casting a line from shore.  Temple Stream is the outlet of Schoolhouse Pond in Avon.  It flows down through the Spruce Mountains and enters the Sandy River in Farmington and is an excellent place to do some spring fishing for stocked brook trout.  Wilson Stream is another good early season spot.  The stream stretches from Hills Pond in Perkins Twp to the Sandy River at Farmington Falls and comprises both the main inlet and outlet of Wilson Pond in Wilton.  Wilson Stream is stocked with brook trout and may occasionally hold a salmon or two.  Both streams have plenty of access points and are usually a good bet for early season success.

Tips
Cold water fish like brook trout and salmon are generally more active in the early morning and late in the evening.  Getting up a little earlier and getting to your fishing spot at sunrise is often the best bet to find hungry fish and miss the crowds.

Reminder
2025 marks the third year of the Mooselookmeguntic Lake tagging study.  Over the last three years we have implanted wild brook trout and salmon with radio tags to track their movements and learn more about life history traits and behaviors important to this wild fishery. We currently have 68 active radio transmitting tags in the Mooselookmeguntic Lake system, and almost 600 fish have also been fitted with "floy-tags"; a small fluorescent yellow tag located behind the dorsal fin. Each floy-tag has a unique ID number and our department's webpage. If one of these fish is caught, we encourage anglers to report the fish's ID number, length, weight, whether you harvested or released the fish and any other comments you'd like to provide by following the website on the tag.  Angler participation is vital to the long-term success of this project.

This project was funded in part by the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund, in which proceeds from the sale of dedicated instant lottery tickets are used to support outdoor recreation and natural resource conservation. For more information about MOHF, go to www.maine.gov/ifw/mohf.  We also want to thank our partners in the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust and the Rangeley Guides and Sportsmen's Association for their help over the last three years.  We couldn't have done it without them.

From Fisheries Resource Supervisor Tim Obrey, 5-29-25

The month of May was wet and cool…and then more wet. While anglers may be grumbling, the fish love it.  Water temperatures are perfect for our coldwater gamefish.  Reports from anglers on trout ponds indicate that the wet fly fishing is very good. We had a half-hearted ant hatch in mid-May, but most insect activity is still subsurface. Early June will bring the first caddis hatches of the season, and the evening mayfly activity should improve.  This is a great time to hit your favorite trout pond.

June is also primetime for our bigger rivers like the East Outlet and West Branch of the Penobscot.  Caddis flies will soon start hatching and the stoneflies should be popping by the middle of the month.

The big lakes are also still producing some excellent fishing.  The cool water temps have prolonged the spring fishery.  Lakes like Moosehead and Chesuncook are hot! Anglers are marking fish on the surface and down to 50 feet.  It's a great time to troll your lucky hardware or streamer fly.

This is also time to stock up on your bug dope because the blackflies and mosquitoes are just waiting for a few sunny days before they burst out in full force. Don't leave home without it.

From Fisheries Resource Supervisor Kevin Dunham, 5-29-25

Prime angling opportunities abound for a variety of fish species in the Penobscot Region and the month of June is a particularly good time to target brook trout in some choice waters, whether you're fishing from shore or paddling a canoe or kayak. One such spot to experience some fast brook trout angling is Millinocket Stream just below the dam on the outlet of Millinocket Lake. Here not only will you encounter trout, but smallmouth bass and pickerel are also landed regularly. The stream gets stocked each year with harvestable size brook trout and is easily fished from shore or while enjoying a paddle, though paddling flows can vary. Generally, Millinocket Streams produce the best fishing during springtime and early summer before the water warms too much and fish become lethargic.

If early season trolling on larger waters is more your thing, a great place to try this month is the Pemadumcook Chain of Lakes. We've recently been receiving reports that the lake has been producing landlocked salmon at a steady pace. After many years with a successful stocking program the salmon at Pemadumcook are now naturally reproducing. After observing a large number of naturally reared salmon in our sampling efforts at Pemadumcook, we ended our landlocked salmon stocking program in 2018. Since that time the natural salmon population has developed nicely, thanks mostly to healthy rainbow smelt runs in the West Branch Penobscot River, and anglers have experienced an increase in salmon catch rates. In fact the salmon population in the Pemadumcook chain has recovered so well that we feel there are now too many salmon for available forage and habitat. In an attempt to thin the salmon numbers, we liberalized the size and bag limit to 12 inches and 3 fish respectively and encourage anglers to harvest their daily limit of landlocked salmon. The Pemadumcook chain can be accessed by boat launches at either South Twin Lake off Rte. 11 in T3 Indian Purchase Twp. or in T1 R9 WELS off the Golden Rd. at Ambajejus Lake.

Another Regional water in which we've liberalized size and bag limits to help reduce a population is Schoodic Lake, only here the species targeted for reduction is lake trout. Through our annual fall trap net operation at the lake it became apparent, based on diminished size quality and poor fitness, that the lake trout population has drastically exploded. During the past several years increased angler complaints of undersized, malnourished togue have backed up our observations. Beginning in 2016 we increased the daily bag limit on togue to 6 fish and decreased the minimum length limit to 14 inches (only one may exceed 23 inches). Both the Pemadumcook and Schoodic size and length limit liberalizations are used as an incentive for anglers to harvest more fish and help reduce population sizes, thereby improving size and fitness qualities of these two area fisheries. This strategy only works if anglers are willing to target the over-abundant populations and remove their allowable daily bag limits. 

Fishing tips: As the water begins to warm in June, begin to pick up boat speed just a bit when trolling to mimic natural baitfish, which tend to become more active as water temperatures become optimal.  During the end of June and into later months fish deeper as surface water temperatures warm, lakes stratify, and fish seek deeper, cooler, well-oxygenated conditions.

From Fisheries Resource Supervisor Frank Frost, 5-28-25

June fishing in Aroostook County is shaping up to be a great one after some May rain and cool temperatures brought our water levels way up.  Early reports from anglers fishing some of our local rivers indicate we have some strong year-classes of older-aged fish. Warmer weather is on tap which will bring on insect hatches and get our favorite sport fishes actively feeding.  Combine this with some ideal river flows, this is a great time to float one of northern Maine's larger rivers or streams, two of which are highlighted below.  For those looking for a quick trip close to town and who may not have a boat/canoe, there are lots of small ponds and lakes within a short drive of our larger population centers.  Two of these are highlighted below as well.  As of late May the forecast for the first few days of June is wet which will only extend some excellent conditions for fishing even further into the month.  We often tell anglers that the first two weeks of June are the best times to get on the water in northern Maine, weather dependent of course; our current conditions indicate this is very normal year for weather, especially rainfall, and this June will be excellent for fishing. 

Where to go:

1. Aroostook River, Washburn to Presque Isle; public boat launches in each town; wild brook trout and landlocked salmon
2. Aroostook River, Caribou to Fort Fairfield; there are three boat launches in these two towns providing for a short (approximately 5 mile) and longer trip (approximately 9 miles); wild brook trout and landlocked salmon
3. Hanson Brook Lake, Presque Isle; public launch available on East shore; lots of bank angling starting at launch proceeding south toward outlet; wild and stocked brook trout
4. Nadeau Lake, Fort Fairfield; located off Route 1A is a public boat launch and two designated bank fishing areas; wild brook trout

Tips: When fishing many of the rivers that Aroostook County has, anglers focusing on the early June time should be aware that many insect hatches occur mid-morning (10 AM) and midafternoon (3 PM).  While insect hatches can occur any time of day, we have observed these time periods to have some extremely large hatches that result in some heavy feeding activity.  Combined with our current river flows and water temperatures, anglers should focus on these times for the greatest success this month. 

Reminder: Anglers should be aware that harvest rules in our fisheries are in place to manage populations of fish species.  The catch and release ethic has increased dramatically in the past ten years to the point where we, as biologists, find ourselves reminding anglers that it is ok to harvest fish.  There are relatively few waters with catch and release practices stipulated in rule, meaning that harvest is allowed on most waters of the State.  Anglers should take notice when they see that harvest is allowed and know that in those waters, keeping their catch is perfectly fine.