It’s by no means an exaggeration to say that Maine boasts some of the very best fly-fishing anywhere in the United States. After all, the biggest state in New England harbors an absolutely dizzying share of waterways: thousands and thousands of lakes and ponds, tens of thousands of miles of rivers and streams, and a convoluted North Atlantic coastline that accounts for nearly 3,500 miles of tidal shorefront. There’s a magnificent lineup of both freshwater and saltwater game fish, including some of the healthiest and most notable stocks of wild freshwater salmonids in the Lower 48.
As the ice recedes with spring’s burgeoning warmth and powerhouse sunshine, open-water fishing season gets underway in Maine, and fly casters are very much part of the picture. In this guide, we’ll give you an overview of spring fly-fishing in the Pine Tree State: from popular catches to go-to waters.
So whether you’re reaching for waders or giving the drift boat some seasonal TLC, read on for some springtime fly-casting tips!
Examples of Sought-After Spring Gamefish in Maine
Fly anglers have a whole range of awesome fish species they can target during springtime in Maine, but the following are among the stars of the show:
Landlocked Salmon
Maine offers some of the best fishing in the world for the landlocked Atlantic salmon, historically restricted here to the West Grand, Sebago Lake, Sebec, and Green watersheds. This species is a landlocked subspecies of the normally sea-run (aka anadromous) Atlantic salmon; many authorities now believe these landlocked salmon simply eased off the anadromous lifestyle of their own accord, if you will, rather than (as the old theory went) being trapped in freshwater systems following the retreat of Pleistocene ice.
Sometimes weighing on the order of five pounds, landlocked salmon rank among the top angling prizes in Maine, which accounts for their status as the official state fish. Fly-casting is a top method for landing them in spring, when salmon are often frequenting nearshore surface-layer waters and can be effectively targeted with smelt lures—rainbow smelt are the salmon’s chief prey—and streamer flies. (Fly fishing remains promising in summer as well, when salmon—a coldwater fish—tend to retreat to deeper waters.)
Brook Trout
Among the real treasures of Maine’s aquatic ecosystem, wild brook trout find here their greatest stronghold within their native U.S. range. These gorgeous salmonids, also known as squaretails or specks, occupy a much more extensive geography in Vacationland than any other Eastern state, being found in well over 1,000 lakes and ponds and more than 22,000 miles of streams; although stocking does occur, the majority of Maine’s “brookies” are truly wild and self-sustaining, only enhancing their preciousness.
Both dry flies and streamers are good choices for spring fly-casting for brookies, which, this time of year, are often foraging near the surface or close to shore. The best brook-trout fishing goes down in the cool, often wild waters of Maine’s interior and western highlands, absolutely prime habitat—and less affected by non-native fish, to boot.
Lake Trout (Togue)
The biggest native freshwater fish in Maine and North America’s heftiest trout, the lake trout—often nicknamed “laker” and also known as the togue or the Mackinaw trout—is another premier game fish in the Pine Tree State. The largest documented lake trout caught in Maine was a nearly 40-pounder hauled out of Richardson Lake. Long-lived, high-level predators, lake trout feed on a wide variety of prey, including (as adults) other good-sized fish, from bass and white perch to brook trout and landlocked salmon.
These mighty impressive coldwater fish can be effectively targeted by flyfishers in nearshore waters in spring using streamers.
Arctic Char (Blueback Trout)
Among the most unique freshwater game fish in Maine, Arctic char—which, by the way, is the northernmost fish species on the planet—is exceedingly rare south of Canada, with much of the native New England population destroyed in historical times. That New England stock, as well as populations in adjoining southeastern Canada, is a landlocked form of Arctic char often called the “blueback trout”—a name originating from Maine’s Rangeley Lakes, where the species was extirpated—or the “Sunapee trout,” after a New Hampshire lake where, similarly, the Arctic char is no longer found.
But a bit more than a dozen lakes in Maine continue to host Arctic char, from ponds up in Deboullie Township in Aroostook County and scattered around Katahdin country to Downeast Maine.
Spring’s a great time to cast for Arctic char, given how widespread its optimal cool temperatures (low to mid-50s Fahrenheit and below) are this season. Streamers and both dry and wet flies hold promise for the fly angler.
Striped Bass
Late spring opens up opportunities to fly-cast for “stripers” in coastal and estuarine waters along that luxuriously long Maine seaboard. These legendary gamefish, which can grow to five or six feet long and weigh more than 100 pounds, migrate northward this time of year on the tail of baitfish. Armed with a saltwater fly rod, you can find success surf-casting from beaches and rocks or setting up shop along piers and jetties.
Good Spots for Spring Fly Fishing in Maine
You’ll find outstanding fly-fishing opportunities all throughout the Pine Tree State in the spring, from the sparkling lakes and ponds of the North Maine Woods to the sandy beaches and salt marshes of the southern coast. The following is a by-no-means-exhaustive list of some particularly noteworthy fly-casting destinations:
- Kennebago Lake:Â Said to be the biggest fly-fishing-only waterbody east of the Mississippi, Kennebago Lake in Maine’s western highlands is a great place to cast for brookies and landlocked salmon.
- Rangeley Lakes: Close by in the rugged western country of Maine, the many lakes, ponds, and rivers of the Rangeley Lakes Region—one of the Pine Tree State’s premier outdoor playgrounds—offer topnotch fly-fishing for brook trout, lake trout, landlocked salmon, and other species.
- Allagash Lake:Â This deep, cold, and secluded North Maine Woods lake serves up great brookie and togue opportunities.
- Nesowadnehunk Lake & Stream: This pristine watershed on the doorstep of Baxter State Park offers exceptional trout-fishing, with Nesowadnehunk Lake ranking among the larger fly-fishing-only lakes in the state.
- Moosehead Lake:Â Maine’s biggest lake, and the many smaller water bodies and flows in its vicinity provide world-class fly-fishing, including for lake trout, wild brookies, and landlocked salmon.
- Saco River:Â Brook, brown, and rainbow trout are among the primo fish in this great stream of southwestern Maine.
- Kennebec River:Â Fly-fishers can cast for everything from brook and brown trout to landlocked salmon and smallmouth bass in the mighty Kennebec, which runs right through the heart of Maine.
- Casco Bay:Â Though it doesn’t flow directly into Casco Bay, the Kennebec River supplies a lot of the freshwater that ends up mixing into this great estuarine realm, which happens to be one of the best places to fly-cast for stripers along the Maine coast.
Where to Stay for Spring Fly-Fishing in Maine
The statewide abundance of fly-fishing opportunities in Maine gives you loads of options when it comes to lodging, from hotels, inns, and bed-and-breakfasts in town to lodges and resorts in the backwoods.
Some of the most angler-friendly accommodations come in the form of the rustic-luxe sporting camps that are most plentiful in Maine’s interior, western highlands, and the North Maine Woods. Many of these locations sit right along lakes, ponds, and rivers, including some of the premier places to fly-cast in New England.
Welcome in Spring With a Maine Fly-Fishing Getaway
From the shimmering flats of Casco Bay to a far-flung trout stream deep in northern Maine’s backcountry, it doesn’t get any better than kicking off open-water angling season in Vacationland with a fly-fishing escape!
