Fall flows in the Moosehead Lake Region

By Tim Obrey, Moosehead Lake Region fisheries supervisor

GREENVILLE — Every fall, the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife in Greenville coordinates with hydro companies to maximize fishing opportunities in the region on rivers with dams. We hope to meet with Brookfield in the coming days regarding the Moose River, East Outlet, and the West Branch of the Penobscot, but until then I wanted to pass along some information related to the Roach River/First Roach Pond and Wilson Stream/Lower Wilson Pond because changes are coming soon.

IFW requests a release of around 100 cfs from the dam on Lower Wilson Pd each September. Wilson Stream is the primary salmon spawning and nursery habitat for native salmon in Sebec Lake about 20 miles downstream. The fall flow is essential to attract fish into the mouth of the stream and to the base of Earley’s Falls. The salmon have difficulty passing over these approximate 4-foot falls, so we try to help by attracting the salmon early then reducing the flow to a level where they can pass upstream. We repeat this process later in the month if possible. 

We start in early September because a heavy rain can stop all upstream passage for many days, even weeks, and this month can be wet. We’ve documented nearly complete year class failures in the past due to poor upstream passage conditions. So, we want to get fish over the falls while the weather is still dry. This means the campowners on Wilson Pond will see the lake level drop as water is released soon after Labor Day. The rate will depend on the amount of rain. Recently IFW made some improvements to the boat ramp to assist boaters during low water but be prepared.

IFW operates the dam on First Roach Pond which is the source of water for the Roach River. Of course, September is the best time of the year to fish this river. We attempt to hold the lake as full as possible for the camp owners during the summer recreational season. Then after Labor Day, we begin the fall flows in the Roach.

This year we plan to open the gates to around 200 cfs on Sept. 3. You can check the flow on the Roach River by calling our flow line at 207-695-4143. Similar to Wilson Pond, camp owners on First Roach Pd need to be prepared.  The pond will drop roughly 1.0 to 1.2 inches per day depending on any rain. So, plan accordingly if you must remove a boat or dock this fall. Also, the Roach River South Rd has been repaired and is passable.  

Here are a couple videos of the salmon at Earley’s Falls: https://youtu.be/q8UJMotUZg8 and https://youtu.be/ymx3S2QMouc.