990 South Shore Dr, Rangeley, ME 04970
Lakewood Camps sits on the shore of Rangeley Lake in the heart of western Maine's most historically significant fly fishing territory, operating as a traditional sporting camp for over a century in a region that holds a foundational place in the American fly fishing story. The Rangeley Lakes — Rangeley, Mooselookmeguntic, Richardson, Kennebago — formed the epicenter of a nineteenth-century brook trout and landlocked salmon fishery of national fame, drawing sport anglers north from Boston and New York on overnight trains to pursue fish of a size that existed almost nowhere else in New England. Carrie Stevens, working from a camp near the Rangeleys, tied the Gray Ghost streamer and dozens of other landlocked salmon patterns that remain canonical more than a century later. Theodore Gordon drew inspiration from these waters. The dry fly tradition that would shape all of American trout fishing was partly born here, in these cold, clear, northern lakes.
Lakewood Camps preserves that lineage with an authenticity that has become increasingly rare: individual log cabins on the water's edge, guided canoe trips on the lake and its tributary streams, meals served in a central lodge, and the unhurried rhythm of a fishing day organized around the dawn rise. Resident guides — lifelong Mainers with generational knowledge of these ponds, rivers, and salmon lies — are the soul of the operation. The Kennebago River, which flows into Rangeley Lake, offers exceptional landlocked salmon fishing during spring and fall runs. High-elevation brooks and remote ponds accessible by canoe portage hold native brook trout in freestone water of pristine clarity. For anglers who want to fish the waters that made New England fly fishing legendary and understand why it mattered, Lakewood Camps is the essential address.
“Lakewood Camps is the kind of place you read about in old fishing books and wonder if it still exists. It does, and it is everything you imagine. Our guide had fished Rangeley his entire life and knew where the landlocked salmon held at each stage of the season. We rose fish to dry flies on the Kennebago River and canoed remote ponds for brook trout no road reaches. An irreplaceable experience.”
“My family has been coming to Lakewood for fifteen years and the combination of authentic camp life and extraordinary fishing never diminishes. The guides are exceptional — patient, deeply knowledgeable, and genuinely proud of these waters. The brook trout in the remote ponds above camp are among the most beautiful fish I have ever caught. This is where American fly fishing was born and it still feels like it.”
“Booked a week at Lakewood in June for the peak brook trout season. The camp delivered on every level — the cabins are comfortable, the meals are generous and excellent, and the fishing is as good as advertised. We portaged to three different remote ponds over the week and caught wild brook trout on dry flies at every stop. The Kennebago River salmon fishing was a bonus I hadn't expected to be so thrilling.”
