Fly Fish
New England
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Fishing Reports - 2008
This is a running report of what is going on in New England (and wherever I travel!) in the way of fly fishing. If you have something for me to add, just drop an email. If you would like a guided fly fishing trip go to NH Rivers Guides .
I spent the last two and a half months in Florida, but now I am home and into New England fly fishing in a big way. Welcome to my fishing reports - 2008 edition.
I have a busy spring planned. You are welcome to attend one of our free presentations this spring. Please introduce yourself and tell me you visit this fishing report. Also, we only have a couple spots open for our special, all-inclusive guided trip to the Androscoggin River in the Great North Woods of New Hampshire in June. Details at Androscoggin Special Package.
April 22
In anticpation of guide trips I have booked, I scouted quite a few MA rivers today. My buddy Ron wanted to see some of the MA rivers I fish, so he rode shotgun on the trip. We did a drive-by of the Nissitissit at the Prescott St bridge and only saw a couple trout. Then we went to the Bertozzi WMA in Groton to check out the Squannacook. Both pools I fished yielded a small rainbow. (They must have been hungry, since I only cast twice into each pool and got a fish in each!) We then went out to the Quinapoxet River at the Wachusetts Res. We didn't fish much, but saw no evidence of fish in any of the "old reliable" spots. We ran into Dave, a former client and an expert fisherman. He had only been fishing a few minutes, but had not seen anything either. Here is a picture of Ron deftly mending line on the Quinnie.
We jumped over to the Stillwater and Ron got a hit on a small Prince nymph. No other fish seen there. We then went back to a couple different spots on the Squannacook and caught some fish at one pool. (Two rainbows and a brookie) There were quite a few bait anglers at one place, but we didn't see them get anything. We then walked into the Columbo WMA in Pepperell and fished the Nissitissit River for a few minutes. I got one fish. Overall findings: All water levels were great! By far the most insect activity was on the Squannacook River. Loads of mayflies, caddis and stone flies. The mayflies looked like dark Hendrickson spinners waiting for the females to make their appearance. We did not see any rises, except for a fallfish on the Squannacook. All the fish I caught were on a small olive beadhead woolly bugger. All probably recent stockers. I broke off a good fish on the strike. It took the green copper john nymph on the dropper. We didn't stay more than 10 minutes at any spot we looked at, but that was long enough to tell if there were any fish there.
April 17
The Squannacook river was stocked- probably yesterday. I caught 5 rainbows in about an hour of poking around the Bertozzi Conservation area in Groton. The fish were generally smaller than those stocked in the last couple years. Better get out there and fish for them, because they'll be gone soon. About a half hour after I released the fish Icaught a guy with a spinning rod caught four trout in the same pool and took them out on a stringer. I am sure this is being repeated today and this weekend. Lots of small stoneflies, caddis and mayflies were buzzing around, but I saw no rises. As I moved up and down the river, I didn't see many fish mingling around, so I suspect this first stocking was a little sparse.
The NH rivers are still a little too high for good fishing. The Piscataquog River in New Boston should be at a good level, although I have no word yet that it has been stocked.
April 12
They finally stocked the Nissitissit River in Pepperell - 1,000 rainbows. Plenty of fish stacked up at the Prescott St. bridge. Fish a small woolly bugger or heron-fly with a small soft hackle dropper slow and deep. Any day now the Squannacook should get some stockers. The water in NH is still too high and cold to stock. The recent stocking of the Sugar River in Newport was probably a waste of fish. The river is almost at flood stage. Within a week or so ourchoice of rivers should greatly expand as the run-off recedes in most areas, except up north, where the tremendous snow-pack continues to melt.
April 6
Here is a video of brown from the Farmington River caught by Stan.
April 1
Local man wins big fishing tournament! See story
March 18
Stan and I took a drive out to the Swift River in MA. We got there about 11AM and caught quite a few fish, despite the 35F water temperature. We found some fish in the Y-pool and the lower end of the Bubbler arm. Stan got some nice rainbows on small red beadhead nymphs and I got a nice one on (see picture) top using a greased-up size 20 red Shadan soft-hackle (SSH) in the surface film.
It is so cool to see the "body language" of the fish as they spot the food; swim over to it; slowly sip it and then take off when they feel the tug of the hook. Not too many people around all day. Dave Able (hi Dave) was leaving as we arrived. He told us he had picked up a few nice rainbows. After a couple hours in the FFO section, we went down and fished below the hatchery pipe. I caught quite a few rainbows, mostly smaller ones around 9 inches. Most on size 22 midge emergers on top, but a number also fell victim to the EJG Special, fished on top. The fish (at least some of them) are still there, in spite of the hook-and-cook regulations now in effect. Have a GREAT SEASON! See you on the water.
Be sure to look at past year fish logs. I look back at them to see when the hatches started, what they were biting and where the good spots were in past years.
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