East Branch Penobscot River Fishing Guides and Conditions, Maine
A remote North Woods river running from Grand Lake Matagamon past Katahdin Woods and Waters to Medway, with wild brook trout, landlocked salmon and almost nobody on it.
Guides on the East Branch Penobscot River
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About the East Branch Penobscot River
The East Branch of the Penobscot leaves Grand Lake Matagamon at the northeast corner of Baxter State Park and runs south through the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument to Medway, where it joins the West Branch. It is the quieter of the two branches and it is as close to genuine wilderness river fishing as you can reach by road in the East.
Wild brook trout are the reason to come. They are native, they are not stocked over, and in the cold reaches below Matagamon and around Whetstone Falls and the Haskell Rock Pitch they reach sizes that Southern New England anglers do not believe. Landlocked salmon run up from the lakes and pools, and the lower river below Grindstone warms enough to hold smallmouth bass and pickerel, which makes a summer float here a mixed bag in the best sense.
Most trips are canoe trips, and multi-day paddles from Matagamon down to Whetstone or Medway are a classic Maine itinerary combining fishing and whitewater. Guided single-day trips generally focus on the Matagamon tailwater and the pools around the national monument access roads.
The Grindstone gauge reads the whole East Branch. Spring flows are heavy and the whitewater sections are serious; by midsummer the river drops and the ledges get exposed, which improves the fishing and complicates the paddling. Look for a stable or falling river.
Millinocket and Medway are the supply towns and everything north of them is logging road country. Cell service is nonexistent for most of the corridor, gas is scarce, and blackflies own June. Plan like it is remote, because it is.
Access
Grand Lake Matagamon and the Matagamon dam: the top of the river at the Baxter State Park boundary.
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument: access roads reaching Haskell Rock and Whetstone Falls.
Whetstone Falls Bridge: mid-river access with parking.
Lunksoos and Stacyville: eastern access from Route 11.
Grindstone: access near the gauge on the lower river.
Medway: the confluence with the West Branch and the takeout for long trips.
Seasons
April and May: very high cold water, ice-out fishing on the lakes, difficult river access.
June: blackfly season and the best brook trout fishing of the year as flows drop.
July and August: warm afternoons, cold spring holes, mixed trout and smallmouth on the lower reaches.
September: the strongest month for salmon and big brook trout before the season closes; check current Maine rules.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the East Branch Penobscot River?
As of Sep 3, 10:00 pm, the USGS gauge East Branch Penobscot River at Grindstone, Maine reads 444 cfs, the 25th percentile for this date. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the East Branch Penobscot River?
Anglers target Brook Trout, Chain Pickerel, Lake Trout, Landlocked Salmon, Smallmouth Bass on the East Branch Penobscot River in Maine.
Where are the fishing regulations for the East Branch Penobscot River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Maine agency site: https://www.maine.gov/ifw/fishing-boating/fishing/laws-rules/index.html