Magalloway River - Maine
The Magalloway River, flowing roughly 48 miles through remote northwestern Maine and into New Hampshire before joining Umbagog Lake and ultimately the Androscoggin River, is a fly-fishing paradise for native brook trout and landlocked Atlantic salmon. Originating in the Boundary Mountains, its upper reaches above Parmachenee and Aziscohos Lakes remain wild, free-flowing, and lined with dense forest and prime habitat for large, self-sustaining brookies and salmon.
Anglers prize the tailwater below Aziscohos Dam, where cold, oxygen-rich water creates ideal conditions for prolific insect hatches and robust fish growth. This section features fast pocket water and riffles interspersed with deeper holding pools, forming one of western Maine’s top nymph havens for brook trout and landlocked salmon. The fishing season kicks off in April and early season action lasts through late July, resurging in September until the river closes.
Native brook trout, historically abundant, still dominate the fishery—biologists have identified the Magalloway as one of the last strongholds for wild brook trout in the country. Landlocked salmon also flourish here, though their numbers fluctuated with smelt availability. Smelt patterns like our Bleeding Smelt can be killer in the early season, but more technical patterns like the PMD, P&O or Confrey Caddis are the tickets in the summer and fall.
Conservation plays a key role in protecting this watershed. A recent collaborative project by The Nature Conservancy, Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, Forest Society of Maine, and Northeast Wilderness Trust secured permanent protection for approximately 78,000 acres around the Magalloway and neighboring tributaries, including 100-foot no-cut riparian buffers to safeguard spawning grounds and regulate stream temperature. The Magalloway Conservation Collaborative continues to champion habitat conservation and sustainable forestry practices across this iconic trout and salmon habitat.
Special regulations were implemented in 2014 to protect larger brook trout: a mandatory catch-and-release policy, prohibition of barbed hooks, and encouragement of selective harvest practices. While smallmouth bass appear occasionally, they remain scarce in the cold tailwater reaches - many guides (including us) choose to kill this species on site to lower competition for the native species and preserve strong forage base conditions.
For fly fishers seeking solitude among rugged forests and crystalline waters, the Magalloway River provides a rare combination of wilderness ambiance and skilled angling opportunity. Its blend of challenging fast water fishing, technical fly choice and native fish, makes it a top-tier destination in Maine. Continued conservation efforts, strategic regulations, and community-based land protection ensure that this river remains a thriving sanctuary for wild brook trout, salmon, and the anglers who cherish them.
