Roach River (Maine) facts for kids

The Roach River is a cool river located in Piscataquis County, Maine. It starts from the Third Roach Pond in a place called Shawtown. From there, the river flows about 19 miles (30.6 km) west.

The river winds its way through a series of ponds, like a chain. It flows from Fourth Roach Pond, then into Third Roach Pond, Second Roach Pond, and finally First Roach Pond. After that, it empties into Moosehead Lake, which is where the Kennebec River begins. There are also Sixth and Seventh Roach Ponds, which connect to the Third Roach Pond. Interestingly, there isn't a Fifth Roach Pond on modern maps!

The areas around the Roach River's starting points and some of its ponds were bought by the Appalachian Mountain Club in 2009. This club helps protect nature. In 2014, a part of the Roach River that was very important for young fish had its water temporarily removed. This happened during a time when a dam on the club's land was being rebuilt.

Discovering First Roach Pond

First Roach Pond
First Roach Pond Location in Maine
Location	Piscataquis County, Maine
Coordinates	45°39′N 69°23′W / 45.650°N 69.383°W / 45.650; -69.383
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	6.5 mi (10.5 km)
Max. width	1.1 mi (1.8 km)
Surface area	3,320 acres (1,340 ha)
Max. depth	123 feet (37 m)
Water volume	176,410 acre⋅ft (217,600,000 m3)
Surface elevation	1,227 ft (374 m)

First Roach Pond is the biggest of all the Roach Ponds. It stretches across the northern part of Frenchtown Township. The Roach River flows into the north side of this pond. Then, the river flows out of the west end of First Roach Pond, passing over a dam.

This pond is a great home for fish like lake trout and land-locked Atlantic salmon. However, some fish populations have changed over time. For example, lake whitefish disappeared from the pond in the 1970s. Also, brook trout numbers have been going down since yellow perch arrived in the 1990s. The dam at the pond's exit helps stop fish like white perch and smallmouth bass from swimming up from Moosehead Lake.

Exploring Second Roach Pond

Second Roach Pond
Second Roach Pond Location in Maine
Coordinates	45°41′N 69°18′W / 45.683°N 69.300°W / 45.683; -69.300
Max. length	3.5 mi (5.6 km)
Surface area	872 acres (353 ha)
Max. depth	46 feet (14 m)
Water volume	16,553 acre⋅ft (20,418,000 m3)
Surface elevation	1,270 ft (390 m)

Second Roach Pond is located along the southern edge of Maine township 1, range 12. The Roach River flows into the east end of this pond. The water then flows out through what's left of an old dam at the west end.

This dam was built a long time ago, in the early 1900s, to help move logs down the river. But people stopped using the dam in 1969, and its remains were washed away in 1983. During the summer, the water in Second Roach Pond can get too warm for trout and salmon. Because of this, salmon that were put into the pond haven't survived very well, especially since whitefish disappeared in the 1970s. Native rainbow smelt might also struggle because of competition with yellow perch, which arrived after the dam was no longer used.

Visiting Third Roach Pond

Third Roach Pond
Third Roach Pond Location in Maine
Coordinates	45°39′N 69°14′W / 45.650°N 69.233°W / 45.650; -69.233
Max. length	1.9 mi (3.1 km)
Surface area	554 acres (224 ha)
Max. depth	26 feet (7.9 m)
Water volume	6,664 acre⋅ft (8,220,000 m3)
Surface elevation	1,303 ft (397 m)

Third Roach Pond is found in the eastern part of Shawtown township. The Roach River flows out of the northwest end of this pond. In the summer, the water here can also get too warm for native trout. They don't do well when competing with yellow perch, which were introduced to the pond. However, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has put salmon into the pond. You might even find a few splake here, which can swim over from the nearby Fourth Roach Pond.

Exploring Fourth Roach Pond

Fourth Roach Pond
Fourth Roach Pond Location in Maine
Coordinates	45°39′N 69°15′W / 45.650°N 69.250°W / 45.650; -69.250
Max. length	1.1 mi (1.8 km)
Surface area	248 acres (100 ha)
Max. depth	40 feet (12 m)
Water volume	3,548 acre⋅ft (4,376,000 m3)
Surface elevation	1,302 ft (397 m)

Fourth Roach Pond is located just west of Third Roach Pond in eastern Shawtown township. These two ponds are connected by a short, narrow channel and have similar water levels. Like the other ponds, summer water temperatures here are not ideal for native trout. They struggle to compete with the introduced yellow perch. But the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife regularly puts splake fish into this pond.

Sixth and Seventh Roach Ponds

The Sixth Roach Pond is about 40 acres (16 hectares) big, but it's only about 4 feet (1.2 meters) deep. This means it's not the best place for trout to live. Instead, you'll find lots of hornpout and white sucker fish thriving here. Sixth Roach Pond flows into Third Roach Pond to the south. It also gets water from Seventh Roach Pond, which is about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) to the east.

Seventh Roach Pond is about 33 acres (13 hectares) in size and is about 10 feet (3 meters) deep. The white sucker fish in this pond stir up the muddy bottom when they feed, which makes the water cloudy or "turbid." During the summer, the water temperatures are not good for brook trout. However, a few brook trout do move into this pond from smaller streams that flow into it.