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Penobscot River Fishing Report

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

Maine’s restored river: the Penobscot runs salmon, smallmouth and stripers after historic dam removals.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
2 cfs
Air / High
74 / 74 F
Wind
NNW 8 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01037000, 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.

Penobscot River sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The river is running 2 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind NNW around 8 mph, rising pressure near 1008 hPa and a high of 74. 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.

Brown troutGood

Terrestrials tight to the bank; streamers through the deeper runs on cloudy days.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 66 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 from Kenduskeag Stream near Bangor (regional).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01037000.

3572 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp74 F
High / Low74 / 61 F
WindNNW 8-13 mph
Pressure1007.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain11% cloud, 27%
Sunrise / Sunset06:00 / 19:06
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, 74/61 F, wind 8 mph, rain 27%

Fair or better. A 8 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Penobscot River: 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.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Terrestrials tight to the bank; streamers through the deeper runs on cloudy days.

When to come: the Penobscot River 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
Brown trout
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 Penobscot River 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 65 F, wind to 11 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 75 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Landlocked salmon led the card at good. High of 77 F, wind to 5 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 license. Sea-run Atlantic salmon are endangered and fishing for them is prohibited: know the identification. Smallmouth and striper rules per current MDIFW and DMR regulations.

Access

Ramps and bank access at Bangor, Old Town and Orono; West Branch access near Millinocket.

About this water

A 109-mile river draining a third of Maine to Penobscot Bay at Bucksport, site of historic dam removals.

Fishing Penobscot River: the full guide

A river reopened

The Penobscot River drains a third of Maine, flowing 109 miles to Penobscot Bay at Bucksport. Between 2012 and 2013, the removal of the Great Works and Veazie dams reopened roughly a thousand miles of habitat in one of the largest restoration projects in American history. Atlantic salmon, shad, herring and striped bass have responded, alongside a strong smallmouth fishery.

Smallmouth and stripers

Smallmouth bass hold the rock and current throughout the main stem, an excellent and lightly fished summer fishery on tubes, crankbaits and topwater. Striped bass run up the tidal river from Penobscot Bay in summer, reaching further upstream than they had in generations thanks to the dam removals.

Salmon and the restoration

Atlantic salmon are endangered in Maine and the fishery for them is closed: the restoration aims at recovery, not angling. Anglers should know this clearly. Shad and river herring runs have rebuilt substantially, and the West Branch above Millinocket holds landlocked salmon and brook trout in a separate, open fishery.

Penobscot County logistics

Access is via Bangor, Old Town, Orono and the towns along the river, with ramps and bank access throughout. The West Branch reaches near Millinocket are a distinct destination. Check current regulations carefully: sea-run Atlantic salmon are protected and their identification matters.

Common questions

Can I fish for Atlantic salmon?

No: sea-run Atlantic salmon are endangered in Maine and fishing for them is prohibited. Learn the identification.

What did the dam removals achieve?

They reopened roughly a thousand miles of habitat, with shad, herring and striped bass responding strongly.

What can I target?

Smallmouth bass through the main stem, striped bass in the tidal river, and landlocked salmon on the West Branch.

Is fishing good at Penobscot River 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

Grand Lake Stream43 miWest Branch Penobscot River56 miMoosehead Lake58 miKennebec River61 miRangeley Lake101 miKennebago Lake104 mi
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