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Kennebago Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Kennebago Lake: a 1,700-acre, unstocked Franklin County lake with wild brook trout and landlocked salmon, fly fishing only from April through October.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~55 F est.
Air / High
47 / 47 F
Wind
N 9 mph

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

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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 is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. Today brings clear skies, wind N around 9 mph, rising pressure near 1028 hPa and a high of 47. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:15 AM-11:15 AM and 9:46 PM-11:46 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Brook troutExcellent

The best band: Vermont's ideal is 55-60Β°F. Fish feed in daylight, since Michigan DNR notes they are more diurnal than other trout, and in ponds and lakes Maine IFW says spring and fall bring them near shore and the surface.

Rainbow troutExcellent

This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66Β°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Brown troutExcellent

Close to Vermont's 53-66Β°F optimum, browns feed more freely; in fall, pre-spawn fish move toward tributaries and gravel, so fish streamers and keep off the redds.

Landlocked salmonGood

Spring after ice-out and the fall cool-down are the surface seasons, with fish near shore and at stream mouths feeding on smelt: troll or cast streamers and smelt imitations.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 52 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Maine requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $30.00 for residents. What a Maine licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing landlocked salmon here? Check the size and bag limits with MDIFW before you keep anything. The season dates for Maine, read off the agency, are on the Maine seasons page.

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.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp47 F
High / Low47 / 30 F
WindN 9-15 mph
Pressure1027.6 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:09 / 17:44
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Which day to fish Kennebago Lake this week

The best day on Kennebago Lake this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 2 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Tough

Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Solunar majors
9:15 AM-11:15 AM and 9:46 PM-11:46 PM
Minor period
3:37 AM-4:37 AM
Sun
07:09 to 17:44
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Partly cloudy, 10 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

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

Spring and fall near the surface, deep in summer, and under the ice in winter

Landlocked salmon are Atlantic salmon that complete their whole life in fresh water, feeding mainly on rainbow smelt in cold lakes of Maine and the Northeast. Spring after ice-out and the fall cool-down are the surface seasons, with fish near shore and at stream mouths feeding on smelt: troll or cast streamers and smelt imitations.

Brook trout illustration

Brook trout

Spring and fall in ponds and lakes, when fish come shallow; summer in the coldest headwater streams

The brook trout is a char native to eastern North America, a fish of cold, clean streams and ponds, and the state fish of Michigan. The best band: Vermont's ideal is 55-60Β°F. Fish feed in daylight, since Michigan DNR notes they are more diurnal than other trout, and in ponds and lakes Maine IFW says spring and fall bring them near shore and the surface.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66Β°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Close to Vermont's 53-66Β°F optimum, browns feed more freely; in fall, pre-spawn fish move toward tributaries and gravel, so fish streamers and keep off the redds.

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
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 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, Oct 22

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 54 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Brook trout led the card at excellent. High of 56 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Brook trout led the card at excellent. High of 56 F, wind to 11 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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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 fishing license. MDIFW special law (North Zone): closed to ice fishing; open April 1-October 31, fly fishing only; brook trout 6-inch minimum, only 1 over 12 inches. Tributaries except the Kennebago River: fly fishing only, closed after August 15. Other species: North Zone general laws.

Access

Gated gravel roads north of Route 16 (MDIFW).

About this water

A 1,700-acre lake, 116 feet deep at most, in Davis and Stetsontown townships, Franklin County, Maine.

Fishing Kennebago Lake: the full guide

Wild fish, no stocking

Kennebago Lake lies east of West Kennebago Mountain in Davis and Stetsontown townships. MDIFW gives it 1,700 acres and a maximum depth of 116 feet and names landlocked salmon and brook trout as the principal fisheries, with brown trout and rainbow smelt also present. The lake is not stocked: salmon and brook trout use its spawning and nursery habitat to sustain the fishery.

Growth and forage

MDIFW rates the water quality as excellent for coldwater gamefish. Brook trout grow well with light competition from other fish, while salmon grow slowly, partly because the lake's smelt are unusually large. Many small inlets feed the lake, and its short outlet runs west into the Logans, a flowed section of the Kennebago River.

The special law

The lake and its tributaries, including Big Sag Brook, are closed to ice fishing and open from April 1 to October 31 to fly fishing only. Brook trout must be at least 6 inches, and only one may exceed 12 inches. Tributaries other than the Kennebago River close after August 15; the river has its own rules, including a one-fish daily limit on landlocked salmon.

Getting there

MDIFW says the lake is reached by gated gravel roads north of Route 16 and that its shoreline is lightly developed.

Common questions

Is Kennebago Lake fly fishing only?

Yes. MDIFW opens it to fly fishing only from April 1 to October 31 and closes it to ice fishing.

Is the lake stocked?

No. MDIFW says salmon and brook trout reproduce in the lake and its habitat maintains the fishery.

What are the brook trout rules?

Brook trout must be at least 6 inches, and only one per day may be longer than 12 inches.

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 Lake9 miMooselookmeguntic Lake13 miRapid River26 miFirst Connecticut Lake27 miUmbagog Lake28 miAndroscoggin River29 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 45.0918, -70.7196 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 7, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 7, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.