Best Fishing Times in Maine This Week
Near Greenville, Rangeley and Bangor: today on a 24 hour timeline and the next seven days rated Fair to Best.
Working out the moon and the sun for Greenville, ME, and reading the forecast.
Fishing somewhere else? Enter any ZIP for your own spot
Photo: “Fall fishing on the Madison River at sunrise”, Jacob W. Frank, Yellowstone National Park (NPS), Public domain
Maine at a glance
Solunar windows plus the agency calendarWhen fish bite in Maine
Maine's fishing year turns on landlocked salmon near the surface in spring and fall, lake trout below 45 feet in summer, and brook trout close to shore in winter.
Each entry below is from Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife or its published guides, quoted word for word and linked. Line the season up with the week above: a run in its prime and a Great day with a window at first light is the morning to take off.
- Spring and fall
Landlocked salmon
Landlocked salmon feed near the surface and close to shore in spring and fall, and can be caught by fly fishing, casting or trolling with lures or bait.
“During the spring and fall, you might find them feeding near the surface and close to shore, and can catch them by flyfishing, casting, or trolling with lures or bait.”
How to Catch a Specific Fish: Maine Fishing Guide: Fishing: Fishing & Boating: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, read October 9, 2026 - Spring and summer
Smallmouth bass
In spring and summer, smallmouth bass hold in shallow rocky areas or off rocky drop offs in 5 to 15 feet of water.
“In the spring and summer months, smallmouth bass are found in shallow rocky areas or off rocky drop offs in 5 to 15 feet of water, while their largemouth cousins prefer more vegetative shallow areas or weedy drop offs.”
How to Catch a Specific Fish: Maine Fishing Guide: Fishing: Fishing & Boating: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, read October 9, 2026 - June to August
Lake trout
In June, July and August, lake trout are typically caught at depths below 45 feet.
“In June, July, and August you'll typically catch lake trout at depths below 45 feet.”
How to Catch a Specific Fish: Maine Fishing Guide: Fishing: Fishing & Boating: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, read October 9, 2026 - Winter
Brook trout
In winter, brook trout are generally close to shore in 4 to 12 feet of water.
“During winter months, you'll generally find them close to shore in water depths of 4 to 12 feet.”
How to Catch a Specific Fish: Maine Fishing Guide: Fishing: Fishing & Boating: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, read October 9, 2026
License, stocking, ice and tides in Maine
Reading the Maine timeline
Each day has two major solunar periods of about two hours, centered on the moon overhead and underfoot, and two minor periods of about an hour at moonrise and moonset. A window within an hour of sunrise or sunset is marked in gold. The rating adds the moon phase, the gold windows and a capped nudge from the National Weather Service forecast for each town. Every factor and its points.
Dawn and dusk are the reliable part; the moon windows are the old angler’s rule.
