Kenduskeag Stream Fishing Guides
The stream that runs through the middle of Bangor to the Penobscot, best known for its spring canoe race and genuinely good smallmouth and brook trout fishing.
Guides on the Kenduskeag Stream
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About the Kenduskeag Stream
Kenduskeag Stream is an unusual piece of water because it is a real fishery that happens to end in the middle of a city. It rises in the farm and woodland country north-west of Bangor, runs south-east through Kenduskeag village and Glenburn gathering tributaries as it goes, then drops through a ledge gorge and into downtown Bangor where it joins the Penobscot at the head of tide. Most people in Maine know it for the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race, which sends hundreds of paddlers down it every April on the spring high water, and far fewer know that the same ledges that make the race interesting hold fish all summer.
Smallmouth bass are the mainstay through the middle and lower reaches, holding on the ledge shelves and in the pools below the drops, and they run to a respectable size in the deeper water closer to town. Brook trout hold in the upper stream and in the cold tributary mouths, with brown trout in some of the deeper middle holes. Chain pickerel and yellow perch fill the slower flats, American eel are abundant right through to the tide, and fallfish and white sucker turn up wherever there is a steady feeding lane. The lower gorge in Bangor is fishable on foot and is far better than its surroundings suggest.
The gauge reports discharge and stage but no temperature, so the flow trace is what to read, and this stream is unusually responsive to it. A low steady trace means clear water, easy wading and visible fish on the ledges. A spring or storm spike turns it into the pushy brown water the canoe racers want and the anglers do not, and it takes a day or two to settle afterwards.
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Access
Bangor - the city at the mouth, with the lower gorge fishable on foot and every service within minutes.
Kenduskeag village - the upstream reference point and the usual start of the spring canoe race.
Glenburn - the mid-stream township with road access to the quieter middle water.
Six Mile Falls - the ledge drop north of Bangor, the best-known feature and good holding water for smallmouth.
Penobscot confluence - the head of tide at Bangor, the downstream limit and the best eel and shad water.
Penobscot River at Bangor - the big river next door, the obvious larger alternative.
Route 15 corridor - the road paralleling much of the stream and the easiest way to scout accesses.
Seasons
Spring: very high and fast, better for paddling than fishing, though the brook trout water upstream fishes well as it drops.
Summer: the best fishing of the year, with smallmouth bass settled on the ledges and the stream low enough to wade comfortably.
Fall: strong and quiet, with bass feeding hard and the city reach almost empty of other anglers.
Winter: largely frozen through the upper stream, with only the tidal reach at Bangor open in a mild spell.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Kenduskeag Stream?
As of Nov 2, 6:15 am, the USGS gauge Kenduskeag Stream near Bangor, Maine reads 9 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Kenduskeag Stream?
Anglers target American Eel, Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Chain Pickerel, Fallfish, Smallmouth Bass, White Sucker, Yellow Perch on the Kenduskeag Stream in Maine.
Where can you access the Kenduskeag Stream?
Bangor - the city at the mouth, with the lower gorge fishable on foot and every service within minutes. Kenduskeag village - the upstream reference point and the usual start of the spring canoe race. Glenburn - the mid-stream township with road access to the quieter middle water. Six Mile Falls - the ledge drop north of Bangor, the best-known feature and good holding water for smallmouth. Penobscot confluence - the head of tide at Bangor, the downstream limit and the best eel and shad water. Penobscot River at Bangor - the big river next door, the obvious larger alternative. Route 15 corridor...
When is the best time to fish the Kenduskeag Stream?
Spring: very high and fast, better for paddling than fishing, though the brook trout water upstream fishes well as it drops. Summer: the best fishing of the year, with smallmouth bass settled on the ledges and the stream low enough to wade comfortably. Fall: strong and quiet, with bass feeding hard and the city reach almost empty of other anglers. Winter: largely frozen through the upper stream, with only the tidal reach at Bangor open in a mild spell.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Kenduskeag Stream?
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