In Review
We had a great month of September throwing dries to wild rainbows, landlocked salmon and brown trout. Now it is October and we have been doing a lot more streamer fishing. While BWO hatches will still bring fish to the surface, water temps in the lower 50’s have fish hunting for bigger meals. Nymphing still has its place and larger offerings such as stoneflies, hellgrammites, eggs, worms and mops will get the job done.
Alec caught this fine wild rainbow nymphing the head of a large pool. This fish put up an incredible fight.
Client Rob Wolfchuck gave guide Nate Hill a chance at this dry fly eater in early October.
Late Season Trout Fishing
While many people associate streamer fishing with high water, fish will also take streamers in low water when conditions are favorable. In fall this is especially true as fish are hunting for larger meals to store up calories for the winter. Also, browns and brook trout are generally more aggressive as they get ready to spawn.
While rivers like the Saco have been on the lower side of average, rivers like the Andro, while not high, are still running at 1,000 cfs on average. This is plenty of water to throw larger buggers, muddlers, zonkers, and zoo cougar style flies on sink tips and full sink lines. In skinnier water or when the sun is bright, we have done better by sizing down our offerings to smaller muddlers, wood-duck herron flies, woods specials, and olive leech patterns.
Client Kevin O’brien had this fish smash a small streamer rigth as a thunderstorm was rolling in.
With just a few days left of the regular trout season it looks like a shot of rain today may give us one more chance at streamer fishing on the Saco and its tributaries. Late season rains like this are some of the best times of the year to get larger trout.
As the storm got closer we switched to a larger Mallard’s Better Baitfish pattern and this fish crushed it!
Although the regular trout season closes on October 15th, we will continue to guide on the Lower Androscoggin which remains open year-round. Late October and November offer some of the best chances of the year to chase larger trout on streamers.
Extended Season Landlocked Salmon Fishing
If we get enough rain, we will venture over to some of our lake tributaries that remain open through October 31st for landlocked salmon and rainbow trout. With the current forecast it looks like this fishing will turn on any day now.
HCG Guide Kevin Gordon with a LL Salmon caught in mid-October of 2019. This fishing should turn on any day now!
Time For Pike!
With the help of our new Stealthcraft Skinny Skiff we will be scouting out the NH pike fisheries this fall and plan to begin guiding for pike asap. We will keep you posted on our progress!
Mountain High Fly Owner Jon Zukowski with an October Pike from 2019. We’ll be hunting these fish in the coming weeks!
While the foliage is almost over the fishing season will last on. We hope you all stay safe and healthy, and keep fishing as you are able. Let us know if you want to get out before the snow flies!
Tight Lines,
Nate
Tight lines,
Nate