Fly Fishing the Rapid River. Bob Mallard

      Rapid River (Western Maine)

       Location: Western Maine, about a 4-hour ride from Boston; and about 3 hours from both Portland and Bangor, Maine, and Manchester, New Hampshire. Full-service airports are available in all four cities.

      The Rapid River is the finest native Eastern brook trout river in the United States. Anglers would need to travel to Canada to find a better one. There are also landlocked (Atlantic) salmon in the Rapid; the salmon are introduced. The trout and salmon in the Rapid are now naturally reproducing—none are stocked.

      The Rapid River is rich in angling history. Carrie Stevens developed her renowned Grey Ghost streamer just a few miles from the Rapid at Upper Dam, located

      between Mooselookmeguntic and Richardson Lakes. The latter is the headwaters of the Rapid. Louise Dickinson Rich wrote her book We Took to the Woods while staying at a cabin on the banks of the Rapid. For decades, the now defunct Lower Dam on the Rapid was synonymous with fly fishing in Maine.

      The Rapid River is located in a large, working forest. It is surrounded by conservation easements prohibiting logging or development within 165 feet of the water. There is minimal development, with just a handful of small, rustic cabins. There is no power except at Middle Dam—the beginning of the river. Access is via a network of dirt roads. It is restricted by locked gates and requires a walk of roughly 30 minutes—unless you hire a guide or are staying at one of the sporting camps. The closest paved road is roughly 5 miles away.