Our Trip Options…

We at KRO believe we have access to the best and most diverse trout fishing in Maine. In order to provide our customers with the best opportunity to enjoy the entire Kennebec watershed, we offer trips on a number of productive and scenic sections of river as well as a series of local lakes and remote ponds!

The Kennebec River (Trout and Salmon)

• Madison - Our favorite wading destination, The Kennebec below Abnaki Dam in Madison offers 2+ miles of continuous riffles and runs, reliable and diverse hatches (throughout the spring, summer and fall), and very good growth rates. This is primarily a brown trout fishery with some bows, brookies and salmon thrown in. Best suited for half-day, morning or evening wade trips, our Guides will bring you to the most productive (and least crowded) runs, show you the best flies and carry an extra rigged rod and long-handled net to make your life a little easier! We also offer jetboat trips in this section that allow us to reach water that no one else does. Spring mayfly hatches are very strong. Summer caddis and stoneflies are great as well. It is also your best bet for October/November BWO's – my favorite hatch. In fact, in my opinion, the Madison section of the Kennebec is the best fall dry fly trout fishery in New England. Madison is now a year-round fishery. Want to extend your season – give it a try.
  
  
• Solon/North Anson - Our most popular float trip since we opened, this 8-mile section of river boasts numerous braided channels, minimal shoreline development, and abundant wildlife (e.g., eagles, deer, beaver, moose, bobcat, etc.) Primarily known as a brown trout fishery, this stretch of river also offers a very solid wild landlocked salmon fishery. It also has some level of wild rainbows and stocked brook trout. Prime time on this stretch of river is Memorial Day through the Fourth of July and October. Although productive all-day during early season, starting mid-July the angler should consider getting an early or late start and staying on the water until dark. Streamer fishing from the boat can put up some nice browns. The nymphing is good as well. When the hatches are on the dry fly fishing is as good as it gets.
  
  
• Bingham/Solon - This 7 mile tailwater boasts Maine's only "wild" rainbow fishery. This fishery is the best of its kind in New England with fish up to 20” possible. There are also wild landlocked salmon and wild brook trout. Good specimens of each are caught fairly regularly. With a good mix of braided channels, riffles and flatwater (1+ mile at end of trip), this is a good summer destination when other sections of river have warmed up (Bingham is usually 6-8 degrees colder than the river below Skowhegan). It is by far the best place to fish on the middle river in July. It also starts a bit earlier than both Madison and Solon and can be fished before Memorial Day. This is the best nymphing water on the entire river. The hatches are strong as well and they last all through the summer – especially the caddis hatches. Due to high mid-day water levels, this section is best floated in the early morning and evening (rainbows love mornings!). The more we fish Bingham the more we all like it.
  
  
• The Forks/Carratunk - With over 8 miles of continuous light rapids and long riffles, this stretch of river is as much a "recreational" trip as it is a "fishing" trip. Primarily a smallmouth bass fishery, this section also produces wild landlocked salmon and brook trout; and the occasional brown or rainbow… Best fished from a raft, this scenic stretch of river makes for an enjoyable summer and fall foliage trip for the casual angler just looking to put fish on the line. The bass provide all-day action for families or novices – or those who prefer bass to trout…. Bass can be caught all summer long with the best fishing for trout and salmon being in the early spring and late fall.. Once in a while the stars align and the trout and/or salmon fishing surprise us. But in all honesty you are most likely to catch mostly bass but lots of them.. Great place to learn to fly fish… Everyone should float this beautiful stretch of river at least once!
  
  
• The Gorge - This is our “sleeper” trip.. In fact it may be the best kept secret in the northeast. Maine's most rugged wilderness "Canyon" fishing, the Kennebec Gorge offers 6 miles of "remote" fishing for wild landlocked salmon and brook trout.. Accessed during low water flows with our raft, you are unlikely to see anyone else on the water. Nowhere does a guide work harder, pushing the raft over rocks, hauling on the oars, etc. The good news is that you don’t have to do anything but fish! We also offer some half-day wade trips into the gorge. With radically fluctuating water levels, the Gorge is best fished with a guide as you can easily get in trouble. While available through a “hotline”, listed flow levels are not always reliable. Find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time and you could be stuck in the Gorge for hours or worse… When we do the Gorge we start early – crack of dawn.. If we are done early due to an unanticipated water release we make up the time by wading another river or stream for the rest of the day. You owe yourself a day in the Gorge.
  
  
• The East Outlet (Of The Kennebec) - One of the best places to be for fall landlocked salmon and brook trout fishing in New England, the "Outlet" offers miles of wading and driftboat fishing in a scenic and wild setting.. Whether slinging streamers in the early AM or drifting tiny nymphs under the mid-day sun, this is fall "Big Water" landlocked salmon fishing at its finest. Best fished from mid-September through the end of October, you are on the water in the middle of peak New England foliage, fishing for a true Maine treasure – salmon and brook trout! With cold weather almost a guarantee and snow a possibility, dress warm and fish hard!

Smallmouth Bass in the Kennebec Watershed

While we in no way condone the rash of illegal smallmouth bass stockings in the upper Kennebec Valley; the bass are here and they offer good sport… In addition, in many cases the smallmouth were introduced “legally” by state and federal fisheries managers.. By most standards, Indian Pond (an impoundment on the upper Kennebec) is the finest wilderness smallmouth fishery in the state.. There are also several productive moving water stretches located just south of the shop in Norridgewock and Skowhegan.. KRO Guide Chris Russell is probably the best smallmouth guide in Maine.. He is a long-time bass guide, tournament winner, and part owner of a well-know bass lure.. Using his jetboat, Chris can show you smallmouth bass fishing that is about as good as it gets in New England.

• Skowhegan - Between the Wesserunsett boat launch in Skowhegan and the bridge in Hinckley (Route 23) lies roughly 6 miles of relatively undeveloped "flatwater" loaded with better than average Smallmouths. Using our custom 21' Scott square-stern canoe with environmentally friendly Honda 9.9hp 4-Stroke motor, we can access the hard to reach coves without the use of an over-powered "Traditional" bass boat. Not a bad way to spend a mid-summer day!
  
  
• Norridgewock - Between the Norridgewock boat launch and just below the Sandy River in Madison lies 8 miles of prime smallmouth bass fishing in a mostly underdeveloped setting. Like Skowhegan, we utilize our 21' Scott square-stern canoe for fishing this section. This may be the best smallmouth fishing on the entire river.

The Dead River

The Dead River is the major tributary to the upper Kennebec. Entering the Kennebec just below the Route 201 Bridge in The Forks, the Dead runs northwest for 20 or so miles and offers miles of remote wading. Best fished in the spring and fall, or during the summer in the AM or PM as part of an split trip.

• The Upper Dead - The Dead River from Long Falls Dam at Flagstaff Lake to the beginning of the deadwater a few miles downstream is one of Maine's best "trophy" rainbow fisheries. It also has some decent sized landlocked salmon and brookies. Either waded or rafted (from the Big Eddy to the Deadwater), the Dead is best fished in the early spring (i.e., from April 1st through May) and then again in the fall. Our Guides will show you the best holes and runs, carry a long handled net, and help with fly selection and rigging. We also offer trips between the end of the fast water and the head of Grand falls using a motorboat. Fishing for rising rainbows, brookies and salmon in an almost pond-like setting, this trip is worth considering.
  
  
• The Lower Dead - The lower Dead River between Grand Falls and The Forks is a very remote stretch of river. The upper ¼ mile is also managed for C&R--one of the few in the state. Although best known as a spring and fall fishery, the lower Dead can fish well all summer long. We offer wilderness wade trips for wild brook trout and landlocked salmon here during most of the season. In addition, when the water level allows us, we offer last minute float trips in a fully outfitted "Expedition Grade" raft with rowing frame! Although primarily a "wild" brook trout and salmon fishery, this section of river also boasts the occasional rainbow or even brown. As far as large river fisheries go, they don't get any "wilder" or more remote in New England. This stretch of river makes for a great split-day trip wade/pond trip. It is also open through November!
  

Lakes and Ponds

• Remote Ponds - The "10,000 Acre Tract" and “Spencer” just an hour north of the shop are blessed with an abundance of better than average remote "wild" brook trout ponds. Starting at ice-out (usually mid-May), our Guides can take parties of up to three anglers (and larger in certain cases) into select ponds to fish from either canoes (stored in the woods or carried in by the Guide) or float tubes (yours or ours). The ponds range from a comfortable 10 acres to over 50 with the bulk in the 20 to 40 acre range. Fishable all season, these ponds are at their best during late-May/early-June (all-day), in early to late July for the "Hex" hatch when these giant (largest in the country!) mayflies bring the biggest fish of the season to the surface, and again in the fall when the brook trout move into the shallows to spawn…
  
  
• Pierce Pond - We offer guided trips on the famed Pierce Pond for wild brook trout and landlocked salmon in our fully outfitted 21' Scott square-stern canoe (designed with the "fly fisherman" in mind with room for 2 anglers, padded seats, full-length fly rod holders, bow mount anchor drop, large paddle for chasing "Riser's" and quiet 4-Stroke Motor). As far as "large remote brook trout" fisheries" go, they don't get much better in the state of Maine!