50 Best Places Fly Fishing the Northeast. Bob Mallard

Massachusetts. Full-service airports are available in all four cities.

      Sometimes overlooked in regional guidebooks, the Magalloway River is by any rational definition one of the two finest native Eastern brook trout rivers in the country. Brook trout here are measured in pounds, not inches. Nonnative landlocked Atlantic salmon are also present. These, too, can grow to trophy sizes. All trout

      and salmon in the river are wild—there is no stocking.

      The Magalloway is rich in history and lore. Roughly 10,000 years ago, Paleoindians camped along its banks below what is now Aziscohos Lake. Here they hunted herds of migrating caribou. Metallak, “The Lone Indian of the Magalloway,” hunted, trapped, fished, and guided the area. A pond and a mountain just over the border in New Hampshire were named after him. Parmachenee Lake was named after his daughter—said to be a beautiful young woman. President Eisenhower fished the river in 1955. A plaque on the bank commemorates his visit.

      The Magalloway River is divided into three sections: upper, middle, and lower. The river is nearly 30 miles long, not including two lakes. Each section is different in regard to topography, size, flow, and the fishery itself.

      The upper Magalloway originates from springs along the Canadian border. Several small tributaries converge to form the

      river, which flows into 2½-mile-long Parmachenee Lake. This section winds its way through thousands of acres of private timber company land. Access is via a network of logging roads, but is restricted by several locked gates—unless you are a camp owner, or a guest at the nearby sporting lodge. Here the Magalloway is a small freestone river with riffles, runs, and pools. Brook trout and salmon in the 6- to 12-inch range are plentiful. Larger fish ranging from 16 to 20 inches migrate upstream from the

      lake in the spring, fall, and after a heavy rain. These fish will stay in the river until the flow drops, or the water becomes too warm.

      Below Parmachenee Lake, at the remnants of Black Cat Dam, begins the middle Magalloway. Here, the river runs for roughly 1½ miles before entering 15-mile-long Aziscohos Lake. The river here is roughly 30 to 40 feet across in most places. Access can be gained via boat or from dirt roads on the east and west shores of the lake. Like the upper river, flow levels and water temperatures fluctuate greatly throughout the season. Smelt enter the river from the lake soon after ice-out on their annual

      Spring morning on Mailbox Pool. Pond in the River Guide Service

      spawning run. This brings brook trout and salmon into the river in search of an easy meal. After that, suckers move up from the lake to spawn. Trout and salmon follow them to gorge on their eggs.

      The Lower Magalloway begins below Aziscohos Lake. Here the river drops nearly 250 feet in elevation in less than a mile. This stretch of river is a tailwater, with coldwater releases throughout the year. This allows for consistent fishing through even the warmest months.

      Fishing above the power station. Pond in the River Guide Service

      Most of the flow from the lake is diverted into a power-generating facility that releases water roughly ¼ mile downstream from the dam. The section between the dam and the power station is a series of falls, plunge pools, and pocketwater that does hold some fish. However, the best fishing starts downstream of the power station. Downstream at Wilsons Mills, the Magalloway changes from a rugged freestone river to a meandering meadow stream. From there it flows toward its termination at Umbagog Lake, near the Maine–New Hampshire border. Brook trout outnumber salmon in this section. They run from 12 to 16 inches. Trout over 18 inches are caught on a fairly regular basis. Landlocked salmon range from 12 to 16 inches, with fish over 20 inches sometimes taken. Fishing usually starts by the April 1 season opener. The fishing drops off for a week or two during spring runoff. Hatches are similar to those upriver, but occur a couple weeks earlier on the lower river.

      Jake Borgeson with spring brook trout.

      Pond in the River Guide Service

      Flows on the middle and upper Magalloway River run between 50 and 150 cfs. Flows on the lower river typically run in the 300–600 cfs range. All sections are subject to spikes during ice-out and after rainstorms. Scheduled whitewater releases on the lower river in the summer run from 900–1,200 cfs. The entire river is wadable—albeit not always easily. Occasionally, boats and canoes are used in large pools, and where the river enters the lakes.

       Hatches: The trout and salmon in the Magalloway feed on insects, baitfish, crayfish, leeches, and fish eggs. Insects include mayflies, caddis, stoneflies, midges, and aquatic worms. The primary baitfish species is smelt (during both the seasonal spawning runs and intermittently through the season as they slip through the dam) as well as sculpins, and dace. The first major insect hatches—Quill Gordons and Hendrickons—occur in early to mid-May. Stoneflies hatch in the late spring and early summer, with Yellow Sallies and the larger Golden Stones. Caddis hatches start in mid- to late May, and continue through September.

      Fish in the Magalloway are very migratory. They tend to congregate in certain places at specific times of year. Hiring a guide—at least for your first trip—is never a bad idea. A guide can show you the safest places to cross the river, where the fish are at any given time, and the best flies to use. This is most important to the traveling angler who has a limited amount of time to fish.

       Regulations: The Magalloway River is restricted to fly fishing only. Above Aziscohos Lake, all brook trout less than 6 inches and longer than 12 inches must be released at once. This helps protect the larger fish. There is a two-fish limit on brook trout. Below Aziscohos Lake, it is catch-and release on brook trout, with barbless hooks required. Salmon are managed under a one-fish, 14-inch-minimum-length restriction. The river is open from April 1 through the end of September. Starting August 15 and running through the end of the season, all brook trout and salmon must be released.

      If big wild brook trout in moving water are what you are looking for, the Magalloway River is one of the best places to find them.

       Tackle: A 9-foot 5-weight rod with a floating line is the best all-around choice for most sections of the Magalloway River. A sink-tip can be helpful on the middle and lower sections if you wish to fish streamers. Lighter 3- or 4-weight rods can be used effectively in the upper river at certain times of the year. Fluorocarbon leaders and tippet are important on the lower river, as fish see a lot of flies, but it is not necessary on the middle and upper river. Large strike indicators are needed to

      Large fall spawn male brookie. Pond in the River Guide Service

      fish a pair of flies, and sufficient weight to get the flies down quickly in the fast-moving water. Flies should include smelt, minnow, and sculpin streamer patterns; mayfly and stonefly dries and nymphs; all stages of caddis in varying sizes and colors; as well as egg and worm patterns.

      KRIS THOMPSON resides in the Rangeley area— including maintaining a home on the lower Magalloway. He is co-owner of Pond In The River Guide Service in Rangeley, Maine. Kris is a Registered Maine Guide and has guided the Magalloway River for more than 15 years. He can be reached at 207-864-9140, [email protected], or www.rangeleyflyfishing.com.

      Closest fly shops

      Rangeley Region Sport Shop

      2529 Main Street

      Rangeley, Maine 04970

      207-864-5615

      www.rangeleysportshop.com [email protected]