Saco River Fishing Guides
The mouth of the Saco at Camp Ellis, where southern Maine's largest river meets the Atlantic and stripers stack against one of the longest jetties on the coast.
Guides on the Saco River
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About the Saco River
The Saco River runs about a hundred and thirty miles from the White Mountains of New Hampshire across southern Maine to the Atlantic at Camp Ellis, between the cities of Saco and Biddeford. The gauge at Camp Ellis reads tidal elevation at the river mouth. The upper Saco is a well known canoeing and trout river; this entry concerns the estuary, which is a different fishery entirely.
The mouth is dominated by the Camp Ellis jetty, a stone breakwater built by the federal government beginning in the eighteen sixties and eventually extended to roughly sixty-seven hundred feet. It is one of the longest on the New England coast and it defines the fishing. Current sweeps along it on both tides, bait piles against the rocks, and fish work the structure from the beach out to the end.
Striped bass are the main quarry from late May through October, taken from the jetty, the beach and from boats working the mouth and the tidal river above. Bluefish arrive in mid-summer and can be aggressive around the jetty tip. American shad run the river in spring, American eel are abundant, and brown trout are present in the freshwater river well above the head of tide.
Access at Camp Ellis is good, with parking, a pier and the jetty itself walkable in reasonable conditions, though the outer rocks are hazardous in swell and are not a place to take chances. There is boat access upriver in Saco and Biddeford, and the tidal reach above the mouth fishes well on a moving tide.
The jetty is the main attraction and the main danger. Waves break over the outer section without much warning in swell, the stones are uneven and slick with weed, and people have been swept off it. Fish the inner third in anything but calm conditions, wear a flotation device, and treat a rising sea as a reason to leave rather than a challenge.
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Access
Camp Ellis - the gauge site, with the jetty, pier and beach access at the river mouth.
Camp Ellis jetty - the long breakwater, the central structure of the fishery.
Saco River tidal reach - the estuary above the mouth, boat and kayak water.
Ferry Beach State Park - shoreline access north of the river mouth.
Biddeford Pool - the tidal pool and shoreline south of the river.
Hills Beach - the south side of the river mouth at Biddeford.
Cataract Falls - the head of tide at the Saco and Biddeford dams.
Seasons
Spring: American shad run the river and the first striped bass arrive in late May.
Summer: the peak, with stripers on the jetty and bluefish around the mouth.
Fall: strong fishing into October as bass stage before moving south.
Winter: the estuary is done, with no meaningful fishery until spring.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Saco River?
Anglers target American Eel, American Shad, Bluefish, Brown Trout, Striped Bass on the Saco River in Maine.
Where can you access the Saco River?
Camp Ellis - the gauge site, with the jetty, pier and beach access at the river mouth. Camp Ellis jetty - the long breakwater, the central structure of the fishery. Saco River tidal reach - the estuary above the mouth, boat and kayak water. Ferry Beach State Park - shoreline access north of the river mouth. Biddeford Pool - the tidal pool and shoreline south of the river. Hills Beach - the south side of the river mouth at Biddeford. Cataract Falls - the head of tide at the Saco and Biddeford dams.
When is the best time to fish the Saco River?
Spring: American shad run the river and the first striped bass arrive in late May. Summer: the peak, with stripers on the jetty and bluefish around the mouth. Fall: strong fishing into October as bass stage before moving south. Winter: the estuary is done, with no meaningful fishery until spring.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Saco River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Maine agency site: https://www.maine.gov/dmr/fisheries/recreational