The landlocked salmon bite reaches a fever pitch during the annual run of their preferred forage, the rainbow smelt. (Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department photo)
June 11, 2025
By Bob Humphrey
For millennia, Atlantic salmon made their way from the ocean up ever-narrowing rivers and streams to spawn, then returned to the sea. At some point, a few skipped the return trip and established landlocked salmon populations. Originally limited to just a few drainages, they have since traveled or been transplanted throughout the Northeast and now inhabit many cold-water lakes in northern New England. While they may not match their sea-going cousins in size, they more than make up for it with blistering runs and acrobatic leaps. What follows are three great places to catch these silver kings of the North.
Its size and heft belies the fighting ability of the landlocked salmon, often referred to as the “tarpon of the North.” (G&F File) Great Lakes for Landlocked Salmon Right Now 1. SEBAGO LAKE | Maine Sebago Lake, Maine. (Shutterstock photo) Maine’s second-largest lake, and the one from which landlocked salmon get their scientific name (Salmo salar sebago), lies just 20 miles west of Portland and within a reasonable commute from almost anywhere in New England. It spans some 45 square miles with an average depth of 100 feet and a max of 300. Sebago’s salmon stock has waxed and waned over the years, based largely on the relative abundance of their preferred prey, rainbow smelt. Even in lean years, though, there are always enough landlocks to entice fishermen.
Early anglers follow the receding ice in search of salmon, but as the smelt run approaches fish begin congregating just outside major river mouths. The Raymond Boat Ramp off Route 302 offers quick access to Jordan Bay, a good place to start the season. The Lake’s south end is accessible from Sebago Station Landing near the intersection of Routes 114 and 35. Sebago Lake State Park’s ramp offers proximal access to the mouth of the Songo River, which is always popular during the smelt run.
Sebago produced the state-record landlocked salmon, a 22-pound 8-ounce specimen caught by Edward Blakely in 1907. Visit maine.gov/ifw for regulations.
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2. LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE | New Hampshire Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire. (Shutterstock photo) At 69 square miles, New Hampshire’s largest lake offers the most opportunity for salmon fishing in the Granite State. Here, too, early anglers have room to roam but may want to target more sheltered areas like Moultonborough, Meredith or Alton bays to dodge the wind and waves and find warmer water.
As the smelt run nears, seek out shallower areas around major tributaries. There are public and private boat launches around the lake in most larger municipalities including Wolfeboro, Alton, Gilford, Meredith, Center Harbor and Moultonborough. Bone up on the regs at wildlife.nh.gov .
3. LAKE CHAMPLAIN | Vermont/New York Lake Champlain, VT/NY. (Shutterstock photo) Landlocked salmon are also believed—or at least suspected—to be native to Vermont’s largest lake, which spans 435 square miles with an average depth of 64 feet and a max of 400. With that much water you have plenty of options, but sheltered areas with warmer temps are a better choice early.
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River mouths are better during smelt runs, while underwater structure gets the nod later in the year. Champlain shares a border with New York, so anglers should be aware of regulations for both states (vtfishandwildlife.com and dec.ny.gov ).
On the Vermont side, there are launches in Highgate, Saint Albans, Colchester, Burlington, Charlotte and Ferrisburgh. On the New York side there are a half dozen or so launches from Plattsburgh south to Ticonderoga. Vermont’s state-record landlock, a 12-pound 10.4-ounce fish, was caught in 1994.
BACKUP PLANS Solid options when conditions get rough on the big water. Weather can be a factor on big lakes this time of year. When wind keeps you off the water, you can always hit nearby rivers. On the east side of Sebago Lake, the Presumpscot River in North Windham offers good trout and salmon fishing from Route 35 down to North Gorham Pond.
Top tributaries to try in New Hampshire are the Pemigewasset River, west of Winnipesauke and the Merrymeeting River in Alton. Among Lake Champlain’s top salmon tributaries are the Winooski River in Burlington and Lewis Creek in Ferrisburgh. Best bets for early-season river salmon are streamer patterns like the Gray Ghost. As waters warm you may try bead-head nymphs or emerger patterns.
LOOK-ALIKE FISH Salmon and brown trout may look similar, but discrete differences set them apart. Landlocked salmon and brown trout can sometimes be surprisingly similar in appearance, so much so that anglers confuse the two. That can be troublesome when size and bag limits vary. The most obvious differences are in the head and tail areas. Both species have vomerine teeth on the roof of their mouth. On salmon, they are small and arranged in a single row on the central vomerine shaft, with few to none on the vomerine head. On brown trout, they are well developed on both the vomerine head and shaft, and arranged in a zig-zag row on the shaft. The caudal fin of a salmon may be slightly forked, while it is square and un-forked on brown trout.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has this great guide showing the differences between landlocked salmon and brown trout .
This article was featured in the May 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe
