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West Branch Penobscot River Fishing Report

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

West Branch Penobscot: landlocked salmon water below Ripogenus Dam, fly fishing only down to the Telos Road Bridge with a 26-inch salmon minimum.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~55 F est.
Air / High
49 / 50 F
Wind
NNW 10 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.

West Branch Penobscot River rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. Today brings clear skies, wind NNW around 10 mph, rising pressure near 1027 hPa and a high of 50. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:09 AM-11:09 AM and 9:39 PM-11:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

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: 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 temp49 F
High / Low50 / 32 F
WindNNW 10-18 mph
Pressure1027.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset07:04 / 17:36
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 West Branch Penobscot River this week

The best day on West Branch Penobscot River 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
9:09 AM-11:09 AM and 9:39 PM-11:39 PM
Minor period
3:31 AM-4:31 AM
Sun
07:04 to 17:36
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 12 mph
Rain chance
1%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on West Branch Penobscot River: 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.

When to come: the West Branch 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
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 West Branch Penobscot River 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 16 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Landlocked salmon led the card at good. High of 55 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Landlocked salmon led the card at good. High of 56 F, wind to 10 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

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. 2026 law book: Ripogenus Dam to Telos Road Bridge, April 1-Sept. 30, fly fishing only, 1 salmon a day, 26-inch minimum. Telos Road Bridge to Pockwockamus Falls: April 1-Aug. 15 single-hook artificial lures, 1 salmon, 18-inch minimum; Aug. 16-Sept. 30 fly fishing only, 1 trout or salmon a day. Rivers are closed to fishing Oct. 1-March 31 under general law.

Access

Penobscot River Corridor (Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands), with vehicle access to some campsites and the river; North Maine Woods entrance fee applies separately from campsite fees.

About this water

The West Branch of the Penobscot below Ripogenus Dam in Piscataquis County, Maine, inside the state's Penobscot River Corridor.

Fishing West Branch Penobscot River: the full guide

Ripogenus Dam to the Telos Road Bridge

Maine's 2026 law book makes this reach fly fishing only from April 1 to Sept. 30, with a daily limit of 1 landlocked salmon and a 26-inch minimum length for salmon. The general-law maximum length on salmon does not apply on the West Branch.

Telos Road Bridge to Pockwockamus Falls

From April 1 to Aug. 15 only artificial lures with one hook (a single-pointed or treble hook) are allowed, with 1 salmon a day at an 18-inch minimum. From Aug. 16 to Sept. 30 the reach is fly fishing only, with a total daily limit of 1 trout or salmon and the same 18-inch salmon minimum. Below the red markers at the head of Pockwockamus Falls down to Ambajejus Lake, live baitfish and smelts may be used.

Penobscot River Corridor

Maine's Bureau of Parks and Lands manages the Penobscot River Corridor: 67 miles of river and 70 miles of lake frontage in undeveloped forest land, used for remote canoe trips, fishing and whitewater rafting run by commercial operators. Parts of the corridor have vehicle access to campsites and the river; camping is by per-person nightly fee, and the North Maine Woods entrance fee is charged separately.

Common questions

Can I keep a salmon below Ripogenus Dam?

Only one a day, and it must be at least 26 inches long, on flies only, between Ripogenus Dam and the Telos Road Bridge.

Is the river open in October?

No. Maine's general law closes rivers and streams to fishing from Oct. 1 through March 31, and the West Branch special seasons end on Sept. 30.

Where can I camp?

At designated Penobscot River Corridor campsites managed by the Bureau of Parks and Lands; some can be reached by vehicle.

Is fishing good at West Branch 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

Chesuncook Lake18 miMoosehead Lake33 miPenobscot River52 miEast Grand Lake65 miKennebec River67 miGrand Lake Stream82 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 45.8772, -69.1325 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 8, 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 8, 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.