Penobscot river Maine

Flyfishmedic732

Flyfishmedic732

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Question.....Has anyone been up there? My fiance and I are going there for our honeymoon for some fishing and other activities. I was wondering if 5wts will be enough???? Or should we consider something heavier????
 
Been up there a bit,a 9' 5 weight will work but a 9' 6 weight is also a must have backup, big water, wading staff is a must as is IMHO a pull cord type of inflatable life vest.It's very dark water you will not see bottom easily. Also depending on flows it is or can be treacherous,I am a very confident /good wader, this river demands respect. If you are headed up.
Don't forget to bring a smaller rod too for the smaller brooks/creeks. A 7'6" 4 wt will work out good as will an extra spool for a five weight line in case you get some good breeze in the woods.
What time is your trip planned for?Be sure to read the reg book, alot of waters have diffrent regs.Black flies and skeeters can also make you miserable too.Might want a head net , long sleeves. ect. need any info PM me.
 
When are you going? In the summer, the lower Penobscot is a great smallie river upstream from Bangor through Orono, Old Town, Milford and above. Lotsa SMBs in the mid teens with an occasional bigger one. It's really not too far of a drive from Bar Harbor, if that's where your staying.

A 5wt would be on the light side. A 6 or 7 would be my rod choice. Typical flies - buggers, streamers, poppers, sliders. etc.

You can easily fish on your own and catch fish. If you are looking for a drift boat trip and would like a guide, I can recommend Kevin Tracewski. He is a professor at the U of Maine and he wrote "The Fisherman's Guide to Maine" guidebook.

He's really a great guy and a great teacher if your wife or you would like to gain more knowledge and skills. Here is a link to his site: http://fishguideme.com/

Congrats and good luck!
 
I suppose it depends what you plan to fish for smallies then a 6 weight is plenty as long as it is a fairly fast action rod. Otherwise I've always used my 4 weight IXM 9 foot rod for trout and salmon all over Maine. So I'd say for trout and salmon a 5 wt. is fine.
 
I've been there. Not fishing, but canoeing. What a beautiful place.
 
Thanks for the info guys!!! This our plan we have a float trip planned for a fly in that's guided I think that's on a lake and we have a half day guided river trip planned as well we are heading up there the last week of June and gonna be there till the second of July. Moosehead lodge on moose head lake is where we are staying and from what we read we are after lake trout salmon and steelhead... They also say the equipment is included but I know we are gonna want to venture out on our own at least one or two evenings or mornings that week... All this info is helping decide what to bring as far as rods, flies I was gonna attempt to tie a few but I know I'll end up buying a few as well while up there!!!its already budgeted lol
 
We trailer our drift boat up last August, and spent two weeks floating and fishing.The main branch is HUGE (Medway down) productive, but the East branch is where it's at for Smallies! More fishable in size, and exponentially more scenic. We caught more fish between the 3 of us everyday than we could count; and if it rains; even better. Even in the worst storm the fish go bonkers! We landed fish every day in the 5-8lb range!! No BS. I mostly fished a 5wt, but an 8wt was honestly needed for some fish. Top water was productive, but Murdich minnows, and brown tan and gold clousers caught way more fish. The West branch is a totally different river all together. Colder faster flow, and predominately a land lock salmon river. I'm sure there are lunkers in there, but most were 12"-16". Better than most trout fishing anywhere. They're just more aggressive. A 5wt is plenty, and stonefly patterns is all I could get fish on!??! They did take them regularly though. Most of this water in NOT wade-able. Tanic water with big rocky structure. Some sandy spot. Oh yeah; lots of leaches in fast and slow water. Big ones! The salmon was fun, but dull in comparison to the smallie action. It's the real reason to go this time of year. There's a camp ground on the east branch about 4mi north of Medway called Pine Grove. They have simple, cheep, pleasant cottages.The owners name is Jeff and he's a real salt of the Earth kinda guy. If you do have your own boat they will take you and drop you off for a small fee. Basically gas money. The deal can't be beat because we found all of this out the hard way. A canoe is what 90% of people use to float everything but the West Branch. If you have one save yourself a pile of money on the guided trip because outside of the fly in stuff, the fish are eager and plentiful. Second thought; you probably could rent a canoe. Anyone up there; especially Jeff will tell you where the different launch and take out points are along the river. It's easy to do anything from a half day to a multi -day . Most importantly be prepared for possible cold weather snaps, and I highly recommend getting mosquito repelling clothing because I've never witnessed such bad bugs in the early AM and evening, and I lived in Florida. I know that's a lot, but I hope it helps.
 
Here's a taste. Notice my arms arn't extended either.
 

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I don't believe there are Stellhead in ME. But the West Branch has nice brookies in it, if you go between the 2 dams.
 
nice fish.

Have fun, be safe and take pics!
 
Pig, congratulations. Must have been a great fight. Any idea of the weight?
 
Sweet baby Jesus, thats a smallie!! 6lb?
 
cricketontherun wrote:
Here's a taste. Notice my arms arn't extended either.

Wow! Nice bass.
You hear all about brookie and landlocks in ME but dang, there's some mighty fine bassin there too.
 
Lord almighty that is a big bass!
 
Those smallies are the result of bucket biology, and not native. Most Mainiacs think they should all be harvested and I agree.
 
REALLY nice bass!

Yup Chaz, SMBs are not native to the waters in Maine and many up there consider them a nuisance fish, but I'd love to be bothered by fish like that!
 
Chaz wrote:
Those smallies are the result of bucket biology, and not native. Most Mainiacs think they should all be harvested and I agree.
It's too late
 
It may not be for rivers where they are trying to restore salmon runs, they could and up wiping them out so the restoration can progress.
 
A lot of people enjoy catching smallmouth bass. Do you blame them, Chaz? We cannot go back to ancient times, Chaz, otherwise, there would be a Native American run casino on every corner by now-- instead of a Starbucks. Time marches on. A great SM fishery provides as much, if not more, recreational opportunity to the populace than the best and biggest brookie water. As someone once said: get over it.
 
JackM wrote:
We cannot go back to ancient times, Chaz, otherwise, there would be a Native American run casino on every corner by now-- instead of a Starbucks.

Little know historical fact: The lost colony of Roanoke was actually lost at the craps table.
 
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