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7 . Magalloway River

Location: Northwestern Maine, about a 3-hour ride from Portland and Bangor; a 3-hour ride from Manchester, New Hampshire; and a 4-hour ride from Boston, 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.