there is a deep ledge pool that is quite a challenge to access but rewarding for visiting anglers. There is a good parking area near the dam and a trail down to the river; however, to access the pool below the dam one must essentially rock climb down to the water. This pool often holds brook trout and landlocked salmon, along with an occasional smallmouth bass. Just below the ledges, the river flows out into a large eddy where salmon, brook trout, and brown trout hold early in the year. It is a difficult spot to cast dry flies, but throwing streamers into the current and letting them drift down along the seam is an effective method. About a mile below the dam is the boat/kayak access point near the Route 16 bridge. From here there is a ledge on the west side of the river, across from Evergreen Campground, that has ancient petroglyphs from the Abanaki tribe. When you reach these petroglyphs there is a nice pool where the river dumps over a shelf that often holds brown trout, especially early in the season. Just below this pool, the river splits around Gray Island. The west side of the island is wide and shallow, which causes problems for drift boats and kayakers during low water. The better choice is to float the east side of the island and the sharp right bend called Elbow Pool. This long back cut channel holds all four cold water fish species, with brown trout being the most dominant. Here anglers can find Brown trout over the 16” range with regularity, who love to chase streamers. From the Elbow Pool downstream, there is a series of narrow runs and pools that all hold fish. Early season Blue Wing Olives work well through here until the caddis start coming off in numbers. Brook trout and salmon will be hiding in the fastest areas of current, while the rainbows and browns tend to hang in the deeper areas and along current seams. From here the river twists and turns through farmland and is dotted with a handful of riverside camps. There are several pools and channels throughout the remaining four miles to the boat landing, all holding good fish. The further down river one drifts, the slower the current and the warmer the water. There is one last pool near an old bridge pylon that provides good brown trout dry fishing, especially in the evening. Caddis is the mainstay of this section, and when trailed behind a stimulator, it is deadly.

 Below the once booming paper mill town of Madison, there were a series of dam structures, cooling ponds, and discharge ponds constructed all around the mill, completely re-shaping the river and its flow through the area. The remnants of the work still stands despite the mill no longer in operation. Below the madness of the mill work, there are two very steep boat launches on the west shore, as well as good walking trails along the river. At the first boat launch is a very large deep ledge pool that holds nice brown trout and brook trout, especially in the fall. This stretch is ideal for brown trout, boasting good catches in the 12-16” range. Just below the two boat launches, the river picks up speed and flows through the area called The Pines. On the east side of the river a once popular park provides easy access to The Pines with numerous parking areas along the road. The river here is easy to wade and provides tremendous brown trout fishing at all times of the year. All of the aforementioned flies work well in this stretch. Below The Pines, the river turns hard left into a large slow eddy where smallmouth bass fishing is very good. The rest of the river down to Weston Dam in Skowhegan is deep and slow,  making for great smallmouth bass fishing.

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Fly Fishing the Shawmut Dam on the Kennebec River

The Shawmut Dam in Fairfield is the last stretch of the Kennebec that holds any numbers of brown trout. There is a road and boat launch right at the dam on the river’s west side, as well as a small parking area and footpath to the dam from the east side. The area below the dam is very wide and shallow. During the summer, when water levels are down, one can wade across the entire river. This area was once a trophy brown trout fishery, but changes in water flow management and warming temperatures have led to massive decline in the cool water habitat for the trout to reside in, drastically reducing their numbers. Spring time offers decent brown trout fishing, but this stretch is best for smallmouth bass. From the dam down to the boat landing in Fairfield (about two miles), the river maneuvers through big ledge outcroppings and several small islands. This stretch is one of the best smallmouth bass areas in the state of Maine with nearly every inch of water holding smallies willing to eat just about anything thrown at them. Stripping poppers on the surface makes for fast action fishing with smallies occasionally reaching over four pounds.