OQUOSSOC – Rangeley was transformed from a rural farming community in the mid 1800s, when word of the huge wild brook, trout that were found here, spread throughout the angling community. Until then, the Adirondacks produced the largest brook trout known to exist, but they seldom reached 4 or 5 pounds.
All that changed when George Shepard Page brought to New York eight trout that weighed over 52 pounds. He sent a fish to each of four New York newspaper editors and they made headlines. Thus began a stampede to Rangeley that was to change this quiet farming community forever and begin the age of discovery of Rangeley’s incredible fishery.
Now you can view some of the region’s most famous and important mounts, cut-outs, paintings and carvings of the wild brook trout and landlocked salmon that swam in our local waters. Almost 50 examples of these amazing fish are on display until the end of September in the Trout and Salmon exhibit at the Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum.
The tour of our amazing fishery begins in 1867 with a fish George Shepard Page brought to New Jersey for propagation. It is estimated that the fish when caught weighed 12 pounds. The smallest fish on display are four 30-day-old brook trout fry that were hatched at the Bemis Hatchery in 1877. Perhaps one of the most impressive pieces in the exhibit is a painting of two huge (12- and 9-pound) spawning brook trout from Middle Dam. This life sized 1880 painting by Baldwin Coolidge reminds us of Rangeley’s premier position as the center of outdoor sporting experience.
my great great grandfather, my great grandfather, my grandfather, my dad and now me has all been registered Maine guides in the Rangeley area. I have heard stories told by fly fishing legends told in grand parents kitchen since I was a wee little one. as it is said “it is the land of fishing legends”
Some years ago, I took my 14 year-old nephew fishing on Rangeley Lake on a June 21st in the afternoon. My next older brother had called me from there in the morning, and told me the salmon were really biting. My nephew hadn’t done much fishing, and hadn’t caught salmon before. I ran back and forth in Greenvale Cove, running 2 top rods and 2 leadcores 1-3 colors out with frozen smelt. I let him bring the fish in, I just drove the boat and helped tend rods, as we sometimes had 2-3 fish on at once! He brought 34 salmon into the boat that day (we didn’t keep many, though almost all were keepers), and later on in the afternoon, when we hadn’t had a fish on for about 10 minutes, he figured the fishing was over and wanted to go get an ice cream, which we did! He may still remember that day, I’ll never forget it! The biggest fish I caught there over the years were usually up near the State Park. Must have been amazing back in the day!