All waters · Maine · Penobscot River

Penobscot River, ME

River in Penobscot County, Maine. Maine's longest river, draining the central and northern part of the state to tidewater at Bangor and into Penobscot Bay. The mainstem and its branches support the largest Atlantic salmon restoration program in the United States; the lower river also offers strong smallmouth bass, landlocked salmon, brook trout in the headwaters, and a spring run of striped bass and American shad into the tidal section. Major dam removals (Veazie, Great Works) have reopened miles of habitat for sea-run fish.

60

Overall bite score

Scored 18 min ago · recomputed every 30 minutes

Water tempModeled100
Pressure trendNOAArising60
Flow vs medianUSGS30
SolunarComputedmoon 59% lit47
Recent stockingState data50
Time of dayComputed70
WindNOAA50
Cloud coverNOAA35
PrecipitationNOAA50

Each instrument reads 0 to 100. The score is their weighted blend, tuned for rivers and streams. No black box: every reading names its source.

What swims here

8 tracked species in Penobscot River, with the months each fishes best.

Smallmouth Bassabundant
American Eelcommon
Brook Troutcommon
Landlocked Salmoncommon
Striped Basscommon
American Shadpresent
Atlantic Salmonpresent
Chain Pickerelpresent

Water facts

TypeRiver
CountyPenobscot
StateMaine
WaterFreshwater
USGS gauge01034500

Public access at West Enfield, Howland, and numerous town landings on the lower river; tidal access at Bangor and Brewer. Flow is monitored at the Penobscot River at West Enfield gauge (USGS 01034500, discharge). Atlantic salmon angling is closed statewide; verify current catch-and-release and species rules. A Maine fishing license is required.

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