November Report: Prime Time For Pike!

What We’ve been up to:

Since our last report we have been very focused on pike fishing and we have had some successful trips and scouting missions lately. Water temps are now in the mid 40’s and pike fattening up for a long winter. The fish we have been catching have been in very good condition and we’ve even seen some mid-sided pike with pike bites on them! There are some true monsters around! This past wednesday water temps were in the low 40’s with air temps in the mid 60’s and low pressure with west winds 10-20mph. This made for a long duration bite window from 10am until about 3:30 pm. We landed 4 pike with 3 at 30” and lost another 3 good fish with 4 or 5 other eats.

All of our pike were caught on a home tied verson of the Goodspeed Sucker pattern. This fly has been a game changer for our success rate and hook-up to landing ratio. With neutral bouyancy and a side to side swimming action these flies key in on the stalk and swallow instinct of essox predators. We’ve found that we can fish these flies with a slower retrieve than more traditional pike flies. Since these flies are tied on a shank instead of a hook the hook becomes modular. We can add two or three split rings then whatever hook will balance the fly effectively. The split rings allow the hooks to ride further from the fly and move freely in the pikes mouth instead of rotating out like traditional long shank pike hooks tend to do. Also whenever a hook gets dull or bent we can simply swap it out with a new one instead of needing to tie a completely new fly. We’ve done best with barbless 1/0 trebble hooks as they are able to find purchase in the bony mouths of pike 3X more often than single point hooks. We’d love to get you on the water and show you how to fish these innovative flies. Just watching them move through the water is a huge confidence booster!

We have also run a couple of trout trips since we last checked in. As of this writing temps on the andro are still in the mid- to upper 40’s and trout are eating the usual late season fair of worms, mops and eggs. Streamers have also been effective, especially with clouds and low pressure, but they are taking some fish on most days. We’ve done especially well with kreelix style flies. The best bite windows have been later morning throuh early afternoon when temps are at their warmest.

Looking forward:

While a cold front rushes in today we expect temps to bounce back on Sunday and Monday. We have both of these days open abs they look prime for pike! If you would like to get out for Pike or trout give us a shout asap! The next couple weeks look to provide good pike fishing on most days. Expect bite windows to tend to fall late morning into early afternoon on the colder days with wider bite windows on days with temps over 50 F. From here on any days over 50 with low pressure will fish the best and the coldest days will still offer some bite windows but they will be much shorter in duration.

Please give us a shout if you would like to get out before the snow flies. We still have some time but it is going fast! If you are looking to get on the books for next season now is a good time to give us a shout as we have already started booking dates for Spring of 2025. Just a heads up rates are going up for 2025 a bit, prices will run as follows: Full day float $550, half day floats $425, full day wade $500 half day wade $350.

Thank you to all who have fished with us this season! We hope to see some of you this fall and many of you next season!

Tight Lines,

Nate

Mid-October Report

Hi all, it has been a great season here in the Whites. We’ve enjoyed guiding many of you and have had some great trips with some fun and memorable fishing. We have had some real fall weather the past two weeks and the fishing has been really good as of late with many good sized rainbows, salmon, browns and brookies taken on nymphs and streamers.

A 19” wild rainbow caught while nymphing a deep run last week!

Recent observations:

Right now the name of the game has been throwing streamers and nymphing larger food items like pink worms, prince nymphs, stoneflies, and mops. We have been doing well throwing kreelix streamers just about every day. All species seem to like the gold flash of this fly and we have had some very aggressive eats! We’ve also been seeing some BWO hatches in the afternoons with fish keying on the nymphs especially on the warmer days. We’ve seen a few fish rising but have had too much wind for a consistent dry fly bite the last week or so. I predict any days from now through the end of the month with little wind will have the wild rainbows looking up for BWO’s. While the regular trout season closed yesterday we still have four stretches of the Androscoggin open year round. We fished one of those sections yesterday and did well landing a few rainbows and browns see the fish of the day below! This past monday I took advantage of a last minute cancellation to scout for some upcoming pike trips. The weather was a bit spicy with heavy rain and an air temp in the mid 40’s so basically great pike fishing weather. We were able to land two pike on a 9” perch goophead perch fly tied by myself but designed by musky legend Joe Goodspeed. We are gaining a lot of confidence in these flies for their ability to suspend, push water and move laterally through the water column. These are key fly characteristings to entice pike as they are ambush predators that like a vulnerable easy meal. The most exciting part of the day was watching a couple of pike smash this fly as it landed on the surface. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get the hookset on either of these but we will surely be ready for those quick eats next time out! If you are interested in hunting these apex predators we have dates available through November.

Large brown caught 10/15/24 on the Androscoggin section open to fishing year round!

Pike on a goodhead style fly caught 10/14/24

Looking Forward

With warmer weather in the forecast the trout fishing should be very good for the next two weeks. Expect streamers and nymphs to work well in the mornings with potential for good blue winged olive hatches in the afternoons. Don’t neglet the slower water this time of the year as a lot of the trout are holding in tailouts and slower edges of the bigger pools. Habitat that is usually bass and fallfish water is now holding some of the biggest trout. The pike fishing should be good the next few days as cold overnight lows transition to warmer days. Expect the best bites to occur as waters warm in the mornings and right as the sun begins to set. We try to make sure we are fishing over our confidence water at these prime times of the day and it usually pays off with a few opportunities. Look for low pressure days to provide longer bite windows through the middle of the day.

One of many salmon caught streamer fishing last week.

While winter will be here before we know it we still have availability for both trout and Pike trips from now through November. The weather over the next two weeks looks to be near perfect with highs in the 50’s and 60’s nearly every day in the extended forecast. We have this saturday open as well as plenty of dates in the coming weeks so please let us know if you want to get out before the snow really starts to fly.

Tight lines,

Nate

April Report: High Water Up North, Lake Run Trout And Salmon

Last week I finished up working for Attitash by helping out at Wildcat Mountain for the solar eclipse. With full snow coverage in the mountains it was surreal to see the sun covered by the moon over the winter landscape in mid-April. Flash forward one week and the higher summits are still white while there are a couple small snow piles melting in my yard.

Back in early March it was looking like we were in for a historically early start to spring. Then the lion came in at the end of the month into April dropping over 100” of snow on the higher summits and around 50” all the way down to the valley floor. These storms allowed for an extended ski season and promised for a relatively normal spring.

High Flows On The Big Rivers

As of this writing the Saco, Androscoggin and Connecticut rivers are high with run-off spurred from a big rain storm last week and copious snowmelt. As of this writing the Andro in Gorham is at 7k, at the dam in Errol the river is running at 4,500. The Connecticut in North Stratford is at 3k and at 7k in Dalton NH. The Saco River is at 3,990 cfs in Conway. With warm temps over the next week snowmelt will continue to keep rivers high and dirty for the next 10 days or so. If we can avoid any more major rain or snowstorms the rivers should be in good fishing shape around the end of this month.

Lake Run Salmon And Rainbows…The Bite Is On!

There are a few big upsides to this higher water. For one thing this will mean better fishing later this spring as fish will put on the feedbag to make up for energy lost. For another, the lakes region tributaries, which depend on high flows to trigger the migration of salmon and rainbows, are fishing better than I have seen in years.

My first fish of the season, a dark rainbow that had probably entered the system over the winter.

On Saturday I got out and scouted some tributaries in preparation for a guided trip on Monday. After a slow start I finally got into a good sized rainbow trout. This was a dark fish which had obviously been in the river for quite a while. I was hoping to find some fresh fish in from the lake so I moved downstream to see if I could intercept some moving up. After moving down a quarter mile I immediately spotted a lighter colored rainbow holding below a sandbar. I hooked this fish and she immediately tore downstream popping the hook. A few minutes later I saw a smaller salmon move up into the same lie. I hooked and landed this bright salmon of about 14”. I didn’t see any more fish in this spot so I went back upstream to see if any fresh fish had skirted by me. Fishing the first pool where I had started with no luck I landed a solid chrome rainbow trout. Later I checked another stream and hooked two fresh rainbows down low but none further upstream. With warmer weather on the way I was confident that more fish would move into the system over the next few days.

A chrome salmon caught by Parry Graham.

On monday I had the pleasure of guiding father and son Parry and Jared Graham. Two regular customers who were eager to find some early season fish. I told them that the fishing would probably start off a bit slow, as the fish don’t wake up until the water warms a bit. For the first hour we didn’t move a fish. Then without moving or changing flies Jared hooked three fish in 5 casts, landing the third fish, a 12” salmon. Knowing that the fish had been moving upstream over the past few days I took a chance and moved upriver to a pool where I hadn’t seen a fish on Saturday. We worked the pool from inside out and started getting hits has we worked the far seam. Parry hooked three rainbows landing the second two. After he missed a couple more strikes, he relinquished his spot to Jared. With some coaching from his dad on where the fish were holding, Jared hooked and lost a large salmon, then landed a fat 17” rainbow trout. After loosing a couple more fish in the fast flows we ate lunch and moved downstream to where I saw fish holding on Saturday. Parry got the first fish in this location, a fat chrome rainbow of about 18” and proceeded to land a 14” salmon shortly after that. With Parry ahead in the fish count I went over to Jared to see if I could sight a fish for him to target. I saw a salmon position istelf in front of Jared but the fish moved upstream before we could get a good drift. After seeing a second salmon scoot by us I walked with Jared upstream looking for fish holding behind sand and gravel bars. As the sun brightened from behind the clouds I caught a glimpse of a large rainbow trout cruising side to side. I instructed Jared to cast above the fish’s lie. Jared made perhaps a half dozen good drifts with no takes. We could no longer see the fish swaying in the current, so I told Jared to make a cast a few feet closer to shore. The indicator drifted about five feet and shot straight down, Jared lifted up and the water erupted into flashes of chrome. After a tense battle with line getting caught and freed from tree limbs I lunged forward and netted the fish, another fat rainbow.

Releasing a chrome rainbow.

After this fish Jared hooked one more salmon that shook the hook just before making it to the net. Satisfied with our success at this location we decided to end the day at a different stream. After seeing fish at this second spot on Saturday, and getting some good reports from other anglers I was confident that we would find more fish.

A fresh lake-run rainbow trout.

We started at the pool where I had seen fish on Saturday and plied the water thoroughly with no takes. We then moved upstream, fishing and looking for any signs of spawning suckers, (as the rainbows follow them to feed on their eggs). After hearing reports of good numbers of suckers in the system I was surprised to see none in the bigger pools and only a couple holding in the faster water. We could not locate a single rainbow in this stretch, and I know people had seen fish in the exact spot earlier in the day. One thing I have learned over the years about chasing lake run fish is that they are unpredictable. But I try to make sense of their peciuliar behavior. Perhaps with the warmer weather and higher water the fish shot way upstream? We hiked half a mile upriver but only found one small salmon parr which ate in surprisingly fast water. I saw no suckers upstream and concluded that the fish either moved further up or just dropped back to the lake as the late day cold front hit. It is fascinating to observe how much these fish move around and inspires me to keep exploring. With daylight fading we decided to call it a day, a great day overall.

Looking Forward And Availability

We should see the lakes region fishing hold up for a few more weeks. Water temps were hovering in the upper 40’s to lower 50’s over the past few days and the fish should remain in the system until water temps hit the mid 60’s. Any big rains will prolong the runs into May. Without any big rainstorms the lake run fishing will slow by the end of April but the bigger northern rivers will turn on as they drop. When this happens, expect to find some drop down salmon and brook trout in the Upper Andro. Holdover and wild browns will feed aggressively as the water drops and warms on the Saco and Connecticut rivers. Early May should provide some good streamer and nymph fishing before the bigger Hendrickson and Caddis hatches get going in mid-May. The wild rainbows on the Andro will begin spawning soon and will be hard to find until they are done sometime in the first half of May. Some of the best fishing for rainbows is from mid-May through early June when they have returned from spawning and feed aggressively to make up for lost calories. We have a couple dates left to target lake run fish this Thursday to Saturday. I’ll be unavailable next week as I am on a family vacation. My spring dates still open are as follows: April 18,19,20,29. May 1,2,3,13,15,20,21,23,27,28,29. June 6,29,30. Please note that we do have other guides available for other dates so please let us know if you have other dates in mind and we will see what we can do!

If you are interested in booking a spring date please let us know ASAP, dates are going fast right now. If you are interested in booking dates through the summer and fall please reach out and we will see what we can do! Thank you to all who have already booked dates with us this spring! We look forward to sharing time on the water with many of you this year!

Tight Lines and see you on the water!

Nate

Mid-Oct report

Well it has been a while since I have posted a report. When I’m guiding every day it is hard to find keyboard time. After a very wet summer flows finally stabilized this September and we had some great fishing for all trout species. Over the last two weeks of the regular season we got into some very nice rainbows and browns. Now it’s onto focusing on extended season waters, like the lower Andro, and chasing Pike!

Rob with a fine brown trout caught October 15th.

Current Trout Conditions:

With the regular trout season closing on Oct 15th we are focused on fishing the extended season water on the lower Andro which is open year round for catch and release fishing. We were out on monday and the BWO hatch was in full swing. This is some of the most consistent dry fly fishing we see all year and it should continue into November, with warmer calmer days being the best. I’ll be out on foot today with my boy on my back chasing heads! Pre-hatch and post hatch we’ve been doing well throwing a variety of nymphs including pheasant tails, squirmy worms, mop flies, and eggs.. When bug activity is low we’ve also done well swinging and stripping black and grizzly buggers. If you want to get in some quality dry fly fishing before winter the next few weeks offer a great opportunity, don’t hesitate to give us a shout!

At 88 years young, Joe was crushing the big browns!

Pike Conditions:

With seasonably cool temps forecasted over the next few weeks the pike fishing should ramp up as they put on the feed bag in preparation for winter. Pike prefer cold water temps below 50 F. Typically cold nights followed by mild but not hot days are best with low pressure days being even better. With water levels on the pike stretches of the Connecticut on the low side, even a little rain shouldn’t throw the conditions off too much. It looks like we have seasonable temps over the next ten days which should set up consistent bite windows mid-morning and early afternoon as the sun rises and sets. Pike will be holding on drop offs and dying grass beds chasing perch, suckers, fallfish, and trout that move into the slower sections and edges of the river to winter over. We’ve caught pike on a variety of baitfish and trout patterns ranging in size from 5 to 12 inches. It really depends on what you are comfortable throwing but our Exocett Predator rods from Thomas and Thomas make the job a lot easier. We like Beuford style flies for when the fish are elevated in the water column and active while we do well with jig style streamers when the fish are sitting on bottom and more lethargic. Best activity revolves around times of slight not drastic temperature bumps as well as low pressure. Fish are less active during high water events, or times of water temps dropping during the day, as well as spikes in water temp over a 2-degree change. During these times we resort to smaller jig style streamers to force feed the pike. We look forward to showing you these amazing fish as we love watching people tighten up on a thrashing pike!

Kevin with a fine pike caught off a drop off during a late day bite window.

In Summary

While the general trout season is over there are still plenty of options to get out and fish here in NH. We can find fun fishing for trout and or pike on most days through late November. If you have any questions about late fall fishing feel free to drop us and email or give us a call!

Tight Lines,

Nate

Mid- August Report: Cool Temps and Dropping Flows

It has been a crazy summer for sure with high water and cooler than normal temps. The fishing has remained very consistent this August with river temps staying in the 50’s and low 60’s on all of our mountain streams. And as of this writing even the Androscoggin is running around 66 degrees and should cool off more in the week ahead! The flows on the Andro are also scheduled to drop TODAY, meaning prime time float fishing THIS WEEK!

The mountain stream fishing has been about as good as it gets this August!

Current Conditions on Mountain Streams

We’ve been doing well with a variety of techniques on area tributaries. On warmer days we’ve done well with hoppers, and beetles as well as attractor patterns like the royal PMX. Fish are well spread out with all the high water we have and we have done well covering water with dry dropper rigs. On cooler days it seems the fish are keyed in more on the dropper, with a size 16-18 WD40 nymph taking most fish. Streamers have also been effective with cooler weather and higher water with buggers and baby trout parr patterns taking fish most days. Surpisingly we’ve also done well with egg patterns and it could be that some of our wild brook trout are already spawning due to these unusually cool August temps. Flows should be dropping closer to average over the next week and will be in prime shape for wade fishing.

We’ve been seeing some larger than usual wild rainbows on our smaller streams this summer. They’ve been moving upstream in all the high water we have had.

The wild brook trout fishing has also been some of the best we have seen this August.

Looking forward:

The Androscoggin river is scheduled to drop at the dam in Errol today to 1200 cfs. This will put the river at ideal flows with good water temps as night time lows drop into the lower 40’s this week. We have dates available from now through mid-October and we recommend booking a trip sooner than later as this fishing should turn on as of this writing! We expect some of the best fishing in years on the Andro as these fish have been feeding all summer long with little fishing pressure due to the high water.

The Isonychia hatch has already been coming off a bit on cooler days and should ramp up this week with lower flows and cooler weather. The flying ants really haven’t started yet but we expect to see them on any warmer days from here through early September. Golden stoneflies and October caddis will also be in the mix this week along with a constant trickle of BWO’s coming of almost every day.

We will be out tomorrow scouting the upper Connecticut river. Word has it the bite has been good up that way and we have a few floats up there next weekend. Higher flows have kept those fish fat and happy this summer as well and with lower flows and a lot of smelt in the river the fishing should be very productive.

We have openings August 23rd and 24th as well as August 29-31st if you are at all able to get up here we highly recommend taking advantage of these prime conditions. We also have dates available in September and just had dates open up for October 6th and 7th as well as Oct 14th and 15th so let us know if you want to grab any fall dates as well!

We have enjoyed guiding many of you this season and look forward to some great fishing this fall as well!

Tight Lines,

Nate