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Kennebago Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Maine’s fly-fishing-only lake: Kennebago holds wild brook trout and salmon in remote western water.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
68 / 70 F
Wind
WNW 9 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Kennebago Lake offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 9 mph, rising pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 70. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Landlocked salmonGood

Transition depths: work 15-30 ft along drop-offs and points with trolled smelt imitations, or find them where cold tributaries enter. Early morning is the honest window.

Brook troutGood

Prime pocket-water fishing. Work upstream with an attractor dry or a dry-dropper, hitting every seam behind boulders and the head of each plunge pool. Short casts, quiet feet.

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Lake troutFair

Transition depths: work 40-80 ft structure edges with white tubes and flutter spoons. Early mornings can find fish surprisingly high over deep water chasing bait.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 61 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp68 F
High / Low70 / 58 F
WindWNW 9-17 mph
Pressure1009.6 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain24% cloud, 10%
Sunrise / Sunset06:08 / 19:15
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 70/58 F, wind 11 mph, rain 10%

Fair or better. A 11 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Kennebago Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Landlocked salmon illustration

Landlocked salmon

Best: ice-out through June, and September

Atlantic salmon that never see the sea: smelt-chasing acrobats of Maine and New England lakes, and the reason ice-out is a holiday up north. Transition depths: work 15-30 ft along drop-offs and points with trolled smelt imitations, or find them where cold tributaries enter. Early morning is the honest window.

Brook trout illustration

Brook trout

Best: May-Jun and Sep-Oct

North America’s native char: a small-stream specialist that demands cold, clean water and repays it with the prettiest fish in the woods. Prime pocket-water fishing. Work upstream with an attractor dry or a dry-dropper, hitting every seam behind boulders and the head of each plunge pool. Short casts, quiet feet.

Lake trout illustration

Lake trout

Best: ice-out and fall turnover

The char of the deep: 40-year-old predators patrolling the cold basins of glacial lakes, from the Finger Lakes to the Rockies. Transition depths: work 40-80 ft structure edges with white tubes and flutter spoons. Early mornings can find fish surprisingly high over deep water chasing bait.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

When to come: the Kennebago Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Landlocked salmon
Brook trout
Lake trout
Smallmouth bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Kennebago Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Landlocked salmon led the card at excellent. High of 66 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Landlocked salmon led the card at excellent. High of 65 F, wind to 12 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Landlocked salmon led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 6 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Maine requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Maine license. Fly fishing only with restrictive limits on this water: read the current MDIFW law book carefully before fishing.

Access

Private logging roads north of Rangeley with gate fees; sporting camps provide lodging and boats.

About this water

A 1,700-acre remote lake in Franklin County, Maine, north of Rangeley: fly-fishing-only water.

Fishing Kennebago Lake: the full guide

A private-road wilderness lake

Kennebago Lake spreads about 1,700 acres in remote western Maine north of Rangeley, reached by private logging roads and long associated with sporting camps that have operated for over a century. It is fly-fishing-only water holding wild brook trout and landlocked salmon, managed restrictively to protect a fishery of unusual quality.

Brook trout and salmon

Wild brook trout are the prize, running larger than most stream fish thanks to the lake environment, and landlocked salmon share the water. Ice-out through June and again in September are the seasons: streamers, wet flies and dries fished from boats and canoes, with the Kennebago River above and below adding stream fishing.

Regulations and access

The fly-fishing-only rule and restrictive limits are the reason the fishery remains what it is: read the current Maine law book carefully, as this water carries specific and enforced rules. Access is via private logging roads with gate fees, and the sporting camps provide the traditional way to fish it.

Franklin County logistics

The lake sits north of Rangeley, reached by the private road system with fees at the gate. Sporting camps offer lodging and boats. Services are otherwise nonexistent: this is remote country, and self-sufficiency matters. The Rangeley area provides supplies before the drive in.

Common questions

Is it really fly-only?

Yes: the fly-fishing-only rule and restrictive limits are why the wild brook trout fishery remains exceptional.

How do I get there?

Private logging roads with gate fees north of Rangeley. Sporting camps are the traditional access.

When is the season?

Ice-out through June and again in September, when brook trout and salmon are near the surface.

Is fishing good at Kennebago Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Rangeley Lake8 miMooselookmeguntic Lake10 miRapid River24 miAndroscoggin River27 miKennebec River43 miMoosehead Lake64 mi
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