Fall flows in the Moosehead Lake Region

By Tim Obrey, Moosehead Lake Region fisheries supervisor

GREENVILLE —We are sitting pretty at First Roach Pond with 6.5 feet of storage, so we are increasing flows from 80 cfs to 230 cfs.

Also, we spoke with Brookfield to sort out flows for the month of September to discuss flows on the West Branch of the Penobscot below Seboomook, East Outlet, and Moose River.

Flows were bumped up to 750 cfs on the West Branch below Seboomook Dam over Labor Day weekend. We will maintain this flow for now and reassess the water storage around the middle of the month. If we have some surplus water, then we can increase the flows for the last two weeks of the season. 

You may or may not know that Seboomook Lake is limited to a 17-foot drawdown under the current hydro license and DEP water quality certification. In the past the lake could be drawn down as much as 33 feet. There is also a 3.5-foot drawdown limit on Canada Fall Lake which is upstream of Seboomook Lake and can contribute to the water storage. In the past Canada Falls Lake could be drawn down 26 feet. So, we are working with much less water these days.

The flows at the Moose River below Brassua Dam will stay around 500 cfs for a few more weeks as maintenance is underway at the dam with divers in the water. We anticipate an increase in flows around the middle of the month. Of course, flows in the Moose River above Brassua Lake are totally unregulated and will only offer fishing opportunities if we get rain.

The East Outlet will remain around 1800 cfs for September, depending on rain. This is a flow that works for both wading and drift boats. We may ask for a few pulses in flow to help draw fish in periodically this fall, if the rain cooperates.

The temperatures are cooling this week. This should help stir the fish up. Good luck everyone.

For part 1, please see https://observer-me.com/2024/08/28/news/fall-flows-in-the-moosehead-lake-region/.