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Rangeley Lake Fishing Report

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

A 6,000-acre headwater lake in Maine's Rangeley region, managed for landlocked salmon and brook trout sustained by annual stocking.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~55 F est.
Air / High
48 / 49 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.

Rangeley Lake rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. Today brings clear skies, wind N around 9 mph, rising pressure near 1028 hPa and a high of 49. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:15 AM-11:15 AM and 9:45 PM-11:45 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.

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.

Yellow perchGood

Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

Tomorrow: Similar at 53 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 temp48 F
High / Low49 / 28 F
WindN 9-13 mph
Pressure1027.5 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 Rangeley Lake this week

The best day on Rangeley 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 9:45 PM-11:45 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 Rangeley 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.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Caught all year, including under the ice through winter

Yellow perch are schooling panfish of the Great Lakes and northern lakes, and Michigan DNR calls them the game fish most often caught in that state. Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

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.

When to come: the Rangeley 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
Yellow perch
Rainbow 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 Rangeley 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 56 F, wind to 14 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 7 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 58 F, wind to 10 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 (North Zone). MDIFW special laws for Rangeley Lake: closed to ice fishing; brook trout 2 per day, 10-in. minimum, only 1 over 12 in.; landlocked salmon 1 per day; smelts by hook and line only; direct tributaries closed to smelt fishing.

Access

Trailered launches at Rangeley Lake State Park (south shore), the Rangeley town park and on Route 4 (MDIFW).

About this water

A 6,000-acre, 149-foot-deep headwater lake of the Androscoggin drainage in Rangeley and Rangeley Plantation, Franklin County, Maine.

Fishing Rangeley Lake: the full guide

The lake

MDIFW's survey gives Rangeley Lake 6,000 acres and a maximum depth of 149 feet. It is one of the major headwater lakes of the Androscoggin drainage, fed by many inlets, and its outlet, the Rangeley River, flows northwest into Mooselookmeguntic Lake. Rangeley Lake State Park says the lake stretches nine miles.

Salmon and brook trout

MDIFW names landlocked salmon and brook trout as the principal fisheries and calls the deep, cool, well-oxygenated water well suited to them, with good growth despite many competing species. Tributaries provide spawning and nursery water but are too small to produce enough fish, so both species are stocked every year. Rainbow smelt, yellow perch and a long list of minnows and suckers share the lake.

Special fishing laws

MDIFW's special laws close Rangeley Lake to ice fishing, limit brook trout to two a day with a 10-inch minimum and only one over 12 inches, and limit landlocked salmon to one a day. Smelts may be taken only by hook and line, and the lake's direct tributaries are closed to smelt fishing. The Rangeley River below the outlet dam has separate fly-fishing-only rules.

Launches and history

MDIFW lists trailered launches at Rangeley Lake State Park on the south shore, the Rangeley town park and on Route 4. The state park has a 50-site campground near the lake and a launch with finger docks for day visitors and campers. MDIFW traces the region's angling history through Fly Rod Crosby, Maine's first guide, the Rangeley Laker boat and flies such as the Gray Ghost and Parmachenee Belle.

Common questions

What can I catch in Rangeley Lake?

MDIFW manages it for landlocked salmon and brook trout, both stocked annually, and its survey also lists rainbow smelt, yellow perch and many smaller species.

Can I ice fish Rangeley Lake?

No. MDIFW's special laws close the lake to ice fishing.

Where can I launch a boat?

MDIFW lists three trailered launches: Rangeley Lake State Park on the south shore, the Rangeley town park and a site on Route 4.

Is fishing good at Rangeley 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

Mooselookmeguntic Lake6 miKennebago Lake9 miRapid River19 miUmbagog Lake22 miAndroscoggin River25 miFirst Connecticut Lake29 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 44.9650, -70.7000 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 5, 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 5, 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.