Kingsbury Stream Fishing Guides
A Piscataquis tributary in Maine's central highlands holding wild brook trout in its upper reaches and salmon and smallmouth where it meets the main river.
Guides on the Kingsbury Stream
Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.
No guides listed yet
Guide or outfit this water? Create your profile. Listing is free, the commission is 10% or 7% with a premium profile, and premium profiles list first on this water.
About the Kingsbury Stream
Kingsbury Stream runs east from Kingsbury Pond through the small settlement of Abbot Village and joins the Piscataquis River in the quiet central highlands of Maine. It is a stream in name and a small river in practice, draining about ninety-five square miles of mixed woodland and old farmland in a part of the state where the roads are few and the traffic is mostly logging trucks. This is not destination water in the way the Kennebec or the Penobscot are, and that is precisely its appeal: it fishes well, and it is almost always empty.
The upper reaches hold wild brook trout, the most characteristic fish of this part of Maine, in water shaded enough and cold enough to support them through the summer. Brown trout are present, and where the stream approaches its confluence the fishery changes character, with landlocked salmon moving in from the Piscataquis and smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, fallfish and white sucker occupying the warmer lower water. The transition happens over a fairly short distance, which makes the stream a useful place to fish two quite different ways within a single day’s walking.
The gauge at Abbot Village reports discharge and stage, and the stream is flashy in the way small Maine drainages are: it comes up hard after rain and drops back within a day or two. Low summer flows concentrate the trout into the deeper shaded pools and make them approachable but wary. Access is from the town roads and from woods roads of varying quality, and anglers should expect to walk. Maine’s general law regulations apply, with specific provisions worth checking for the brook trout water in particular. Anglers heading in should also treat the woods roads with some caution in wet weather, because several of them are maintained for logging rather than for passenger cars and can deteriorate quickly after a heavy rain.
This water needs a real photo
The photo at the top of this page is not Kingsbury Stream.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
Add a photo of this water
Landscape, not fish — the water itself. Reviewed by hand before it appears. The first one published here earns the Pioneer badge.
Fished this water? Add a photo
Reviewed by hand before it appears. Pick the water, not the spot — we never publish exact locations.
Access
Abbot Village - the gauge location and the main road access to the middle stream.
Kingsbury Pond - the headwater pond at the top of the system and the upstream reference point.
Piscataquis River confluence - the downstream end, where salmon and smallmouth move in from the main river.
Guilford - the nearest town of size, for supplies and as a base for the area.
Route 16 corridor - the road following much of the valley and the practical way between access points.
Monson - a nearby village and a useful starting point for the upper watershed.
Blanchard - a small settlement upstream providing additional road access to the headwaters.
Seasons
Spring: high cold water and the best flows of the year, with brook trout active throughout and salmon moving near the confluence.
Summer: low and clear, with trout concentrated in the deepest shaded pools and the lower stream turning over to warmwater species.
Fall: cooling water brings the brook trout onto the feed before spawning, and the woods are at their best for walking in.
Winter: frozen through most of the season, with the stream effectively out of play until the spring thaw.
From the water
No logged trips yet. Be the first to put this water on your map.
Log this water
Fished it or cleaned it? Log in or create a free account to log a trip with photos and earn the waterway badge.
Questions
What is the current flow on the Kingsbury Stream?
As of Nov 2, 6:30 am, the USGS gauge Kingsbury Stream at Abbot Village, Maine reads 23 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Kingsbury Stream?
Anglers target Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Chain Pickerel, Fallfish, Landlocked Salmon, Smallmouth Bass, White Sucker on the Kingsbury Stream in Maine.
Where can you access the Kingsbury Stream?
Abbot Village - the gauge location and the main road access to the middle stream. Kingsbury Pond - the headwater pond at the top of the system and the upstream reference point. Piscataquis River confluence - the downstream end, where salmon and smallmouth move in from the main river. Guilford - the nearest town of size, for supplies and as a base for the area. Route 16 corridor - the road following much of the valley and the practical way between access points. Monson - a nearby village and a useful starting point for the upper watershed. Blanchard - a small settlement upstream providing addit...
When is the best time to fish the Kingsbury Stream?
Spring: high cold water and the best flows of the year, with brook trout active throughout and salmon moving near the confluence. Summer: low and clear, with trout concentrated in the deepest shaded pools and the lower stream turning over to warmwater species. Fall: cooling water brings the brook trout onto the feed before spawning, and the woods are at their best for walking in. Winter: frozen through most of the season, with the stream effectively out of play until the spring thaw.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Kingsbury 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