We have had a great fall of guiding so far and the fishing continues to remain consistent. We floated the Andro yesterday and saw fish on nymphs, streamers and dries. While the upper river in Errol is closed we are still doing well on the lower river from Berlin to Maine as well as the stretch below bog brook in Cambridge.
Flows have been up and down on our open waters this fall and we have kept a close eye on flows in order to ensure our guests productive days on the water. Time has taught us when it is and isn’t worth fishing different flows and we have been consistent in keeping our clients rods bent by carefully selecting when and where we fish.
While we often think of the fall as a great time to streamer fish, and also associate good streamer fishing with higher water, this is not always the case in Autumn. Bumps in flow while often good at stirring up minnows, can, in the fall, increase the amount of debris in the water which shuts fish off and makes presenting streamers very difficult, couple high water with high winds and it can get even tougher. Along with debrise in the water, Austumn rains often come with cold fronts that drop water temps and consequently, fish’s metabolisms. This is not to say that one cannot catch big fish when waters are high and chocked with debris, but your chances will be higher if flows are more moderate and water temps are on the rise vs fall.
Our Client Jay Shields landed this nice male on a large streamer during a period of low flow with good cloud cover.
Of course with all things in fly fishing there are exceptions to these “rules”. A warm rain with good cloud cover after the leaves have fallen can be an excellent time to hunt big fish, especially in water that has definned eddies and inside seems that form during high flow. Fall is the best time of the year to focus on softer water, especially when flows are up. Another exception in regards to bumps in flow is when they are associated with tailwater dams. Because this water is often coming from a deeper reservior, higher flows do not as often cause increased debris in the river. With this, small bumps in flow can be just enough to trigger a bio drift of bugs, especially when the bump coincides with nymph movements during times of temperature change. Typically the larger bumps in flow are tougher to fish as they spread fish out making them simply harder to find.
Another exception to high water being bad for fall fishing is on migratory fish waters. Lake and ocean spawning runs often coenside with bumps in water flow. Here in NH, lake run Landlocked salmon begin their spawning runs into lake tributaries during spikes in flow. These fish are often followed by rainbow trout who seak to feed on the salmons eggs. Here in NH a few waters remain open and allow a good oportunity to hunt for large lake fish in riverine environments. Right now these fish are starting to move as recent rains have finally raised waters enough to trigger their migratory urges.
A female salmon caught by the Author that just entered an area lake tributary.
In the long run, time on a given water will teach you which flows are ideal for different styles of fishing, at different times of the year.
Autumn is one of our favorite times of the year to fish. Anglers are few, bite windows tend to fall in the middle of the day, and the fish are as pritty as the leaves. We still have dates open if you are looking to get your lines tight before the snow falls.
Tight lines,
Nate