How to fight a big fish...

As a guide I have seen my share of big fish caught and big fish lost. People often ask me, "Is it harder to hook or land a big fish?" While it takes a lot of knowledge to get a big fish on the line, it is even more of a challenge to get that fish to the net. Here are some tips to help you land the big one.

1. Inspect your gear before and while you are fishing. Big fish are often lost when there is a weak point in your rigging.

A. Wind knots are a common culprit but nicks and frayed line are just as much of a problem. Improving casting technique can minimize these problems (see number 2) but it is always a good practice to inspect your leader and line regularly. Also be sure to match the correct tippet size to the flies and fish you are after. It is not necessary to fish 6X tippet when you are after big fish eating size twelve mayflies. I prefer 4X and even 3X in such situations. With streamers 2X to 0X ensure that an aggressive predatory trout does not break you off on the strike.

B. Gear selection and maintenance is important. I've often heard people say, "You are better off putting more money into your fly rod than your fly reel." This is under the assumption that the reel will not be used to fight a fish that can take line.  Once you lose a big fish due to a faulty drag system, you will understand the importance of  a good reel. As for fly rods, be sure to use faster action rods when fishing streamers and nymphs as these rods will give you better hook sets. When fishing small dry flies for big trout you will want a slower action rod that has a good flex and will protect lite tippets.

2. Casting technique and line control. When I introduce beginners to the fly cast I try to emphasize the importance of keeping a straight wrist on the back cast. While this is essential to get your forward cast to straighten out, it is just as important in keeping tippets and leaders from getting frayed and weakened. The next piece I introduce to beginners is how to shoot line and retrieve line from under the index finger on their casting hand. This seemingly simple practice is commonly done incorrectly and results in many problems when hooking and landing a big fish. Once the fly lands on the water a fish may strike. If the line does not come under the trigger finger on the casting hand, one cannot set the hook on a striking fish. Once the hook set is complete the angler must then keep the line under their trigger finger and keep tension.

3. Control the fish. The way to control a fish will depend on: the fish's size, strength, and water conditions. If I hook a fish in water with a good deal of debris I am going to be sure to lift that fish out of the structure, conversely if a fish is in open water I am going to keep a low rod angle (down and to the side) to ensure that the fish does not leave the water and shake the hook. If I have fast water below me I am going to keep my rod tip angled upstream to be sure the fish doesn't run into the fast water below. While all of this might sound complicated, it is not unlike trying to keep a kite under control in the wind. You want the fish moving under tension but in your preferred direction.

4. When a fish runs. When a fish runs the angler needs to be prepared to point the rod tip at the fish and let the fish take drag. If you hook a big fish it is a good idea to take up as much line as you can before the fish makes a run. Of course if you hook a very big fish she will take the line before you have time to deal with it. In such cases letting the line slide progressively through your fingers is your best bet. Once you have a fish on the reel the fish can be fought from the reel, especially with larger arbor reels. Of course if a fish decides to charge straight towards you it may be necessary to take line by hand again. 

5. If a fish tries to jump. When a fish tries to jump it is important to keep tension on the fish and a low rod angle. This ensures that the hook will stay in the fish's mouth even when airborn.

6. Landing a big fish. When landing a large trout, steelhead or salmon, a large net is a good ally and a good net-man is your best ally. You will want your net-man to be downstream of the fish if possible. When the fish begins to tire work to get the fish broadside, meaning that the width of the fish is turned to the surface. If you can get the fish broadside, a quick thrust with the net is the best bet to subdue your quarry. Often an overly cautious net-man will dip the net slowly, allowing the fish time to notice the net, and run. While smaller fish will simply let you net them, larger fish will not. The fear of snapping the tippet with a brisk thrust of the net needs to be overcome in order to ensure high rates of success. 

I hope this quick tutorial gives you at least one thing you can focus on when it comes to landing the big one. Feel free to leave comments on your own experiences with fighting big fish. 

Late August Report

The leaves are already changing at higher elevations and it feels as if fall is officially here. This is good news for trout fishing. Water temps have been ideal and we have been taking fish on dry flies, nymphs, and streamers from sun up to sun down. I have had a few full-day trips on the Androscoggin recently and we have caught a wide variety of nice fish.

Last Monday I guided Ralph Cooper, his son Evan, and Evan's Girlfriend Emily. It was Emily's first day fly fishing, but it was hard to tell by her fish count. She landed: Brook, Brown, and Rainbow trout. Her best fish, a 13" brown is pictured below. Evan also did well landing a few nice browns and a spunky wild brook trout that pulled drag and had me running up and down the river with the net. Of course Ralph caught plenty of fish as well, most of his being brook trout.

On Wednesday I guided long time Client Michael Chalsen and his sons Daniel and Johnathan. I always enjoy guiding this group as the boys have an annual competition to see who can catch the most fish. With two inches of rain in the forecast this was going to be an interesting match. This year Jonathan got on the board first with a nice brook trout, then Daniel quickly followed suit with one of his own. Daniel had figured out an effective slow retrieve with the nymph and hooked four more fish in a row, but lost all of them. I told him that he probably wanted to catch the fish too badly and was horsing them in. He agreed and in the meantime Jonathan caught another fish to pull ahead. Finally, Daniel landed another and the score was tied two- two. As the rain increased we decided to take a lunch break. We were able to escape the rain at Moose Brook State park where we warmed up in the office with hot coffee and plenty of food. After lunch we decided to try a smaller stream. Jonathan was able to land two trout right away so I decided to move the group to a larger pool where I gave Daniel first shot at the best water. I tied on a nymph rig with a large stonefly and a smaller birds nest dropper and pointed out a bubble line where the fish would be feeding in the increasing flow. On Daniel's first cast the flies drifted through the pool untouched and then, as the flies began to swing there was the flash of a fish, but no connection. On the next cast Daniel's indicator shot down and he set the hook hard...too hard, as a 14" trout shot out of the water and was gone. With a few rumbles of thunder, the competition was over. Jonathan had won by two fish. I could see Daniel plotting revenge for next year. In fact I think the group might be back this fall.

On Thursday I had Matt Donovan from Georgia. Matt is working his way around the country fly fishing every State. I had Matt scheduled for a full day drift trip. Unfortunately, both the Saco and Lower Andro were too swollen for any reasonable chance at success. Luckily the upper Andro was at average flow so we headed further north to wade fish. The fishing started slow and we soon switched from two dries to two nymphs. The fish were taking lite bites and we missed a few before Matt set the hook into something solid. It was a chubby rainbow that danced in the air and swam a few circles around us before finally ending up in the net. We fished on without many more fish and decided to move further north to the Fly Fishing only Section in Errol. As we pulled up to the long glide below Indian Bay I said, "We sometimes see fish rising right here." As if on cue a nice salmon slashed the water. " Sometimes or always?" Matt joked. "Well usually" I replied. We made our way slowly towards the rising fish but despite our stealth he seemed to know we were there and did not rise again. We moved downstream to some faster water where I hoped the fish would be a bit less weary. We soon spotted a few nice fish rising in a seam. Matt laid out my purple haze/ black caddis combo and got a quick refusal rise. On the next cast the fish took but the fly popped lose on the hook set. Finally the flies landed and a fish struck, A vibrant 10 inch salmon was brought to net. Matt then hooked another bigger fish that shook the hook loose right before the net. We moved further downstream where I pointed out a piece of calm water within a raging rapid. Matt made a few good casts with the dry fly and as I was wondering where the fish was he struck. A twelve inch salmon danced in the air and Matt fought the fish well, getting her into the net. We then switched to a nymph rig and took another nice rainbow trout from the same run. To end the day we moved back upstream to cast to the first fish we saw rising. Although the fish was there Matt looked at the clock and decided to quit. He had a trip scheduled in Manchester Vermont early the next morning.

It was probably good that I headed home as well, as I had a Friday trip set for 6am. I met Uppy Spencer of Anchorage Alaska at the shop. With the lower andro dropping fast I decided it was worth a shot. We started at a wide stretch of river where I hoped the fish would be turned on to dry flies. When we first arrived we saw no rises so we began by crawling  some nymphs along the bottom. Uppy was soon tight to a nice brook trout that shook loose just before the net. Then the fish did begin to rise. They were eating pulsating caddis that are nearly impossible to mimic without battery powered flies. We were able to get a few strikes but I had other water in mind at this point. We moved on to another glide where I knew we could also fish some good riffled water. There were some fish showing in the glide. They required a long distance cast. Uppy had the skills required but setting the hook at that distance was more than challenging and we missed the first few fish to strike. As I looked to the shoreline I could see six inches of wet on the rocks. With the water dropping that fast I had confidence that the riffle would fish well. We switched to a stonefly nymph and made our way downstream. I showed Uppy where he could cast to the shoreline and let the fly swing. On his first cast the fly landed a foot shy of the shore and began to track across the river. Then it stopped, Uppy raised the rod and there was nothing, "I definitely had something there." he said. "Well try that again." The next cast landed a bit further down and tight to the bank. The fly moved across and as the line straightened it came tight. I watched the rod rise, then bend, then throb. This was a large trout. My heart raced as I saw the flashing of a wild rainbow. The fish seemed to be moving in figure eights making every attempt possible to throw the hook. But having fought many large fish in Alaska Uppy stayed calm. Finally after a few more runs the fish came close enough for the net. I managed to slide the net under as Uppy lowered the fish downstream and a bright, arm long rainbow, lay in the net. 

Since the big rainbow I've guided two more trips on the Andro. Both times I've warned my clients that they might hook into something of unusual power. On Monday's Trip my Client Mark said that he was a steelhead fisherman. I explained that the Androscoggin wild rainbows fight just like steelhead. Later that day I placed Mark into a spot where I thought one of these fish might lie. I talked him through a few techniques and then told him to work his way across the riffle while I moved back upstream to help his son Daniel. A little while later Mark arrived on the bank above us, his jaw was down. "How big do the fish in here get?" he asked, with a tone of excited confusion. Over twenty inches I replied. Mark nodded his head, convinced. "I just hooked something huge, the fish hit and it was on my drag. It took fifty yards of line and never stopped then my hook popped free...it never stopped." He kept repeating this last phrase throughout the rest of the day. I knew how he felt, he hooked and lost a mermaid. 

Last night I guided Kevin Guthrie from Washington State. The fishing started slow and I could tell Kevin was wondering where the fish were. Then we saw a nice brown begin to rise. We hooked and landed the fish on a size 20 black caddis and then the river went silent again so we moved on. We stopped at a hole that I knew had the potential for big fish. I told this to Kevin to prep his focus. We started with dries and missed a few strikes. But when we threw out a double nymph rig his indicator shot down immediately. I knew it was a big rainbow by the way the line zigged and zagged without moving to the surface. Suddenly the line stopped and I knew we were in trouble. Kevin lifted the rod but there was no give. Then the line came loose, the bottom fly lodged in a stick. The fish had worked himself free. Kevin asked, "What could I have done?" I gave my best explanation. "The key to fish like that is to keep them moving, imagine that they are a kite that you are flying, you need to keep that kite (fish) against the wind (current) and if you let up the fish will find a way free." Of course this is the simple, logical explanation. The truth is that, even when fought correctly a big fish has a 50% chance of getting free. It was getting later in the day and I knew we would have at least one more shot. As the sun began to drop we set up at the top of a long glide where big fish typically move just before dark. In the last of daylight we could see a smorgasbord of bugs coming off the water. I tied on two of the most important, a rusty mayfly spinner and an emerging yellow sally stonefly. Matt hooked a few smaller trout on both flies. I could tell he was wondering where the big fish were, and so was I. As the golden twilight faded to gray I spotted one large stonefly bobbing above us. I quickly changed Matt's fly to a big deer hair Stone-fly pattern and told him to  cast it twenty feet and let it swing right below us. He tossed the fly, a distance that seemed too close, and asked, "So just let it swing like this?" As if on cue the water exploded, the reel screamed. The fish jumped like a skipping stone down the river, and was gone. 

On the drive home Matt was inquisitive. " I mean what could I have done? I've caught big wild trout in Montana, and Pennsylvania...they didn't fight like these fish. I agreed, the rainbows in the Androscoggin seem to have a genetic pre-disposition for fighting. I guess this is why I like guiding here. I look forward to seeing jaws drop. 

Last minute update... I was out last evening and saw the first flying ant swarm of the season. The swarm was light but we did hook a few fish on a size 16 cinnamon ant before dark. These ants present the best opportunity to land a large trout on a small dry fly. Now is the time to get out and fish! 

Tight Lines,

Nate

Emily with her first brown trout on the fly!

Evan with a nice Andro Brown.

Uppy Spencer's wild rainbow!

Cory Ellis with a Saco River Rainbow...the flying ant swarms are on!

Hot fishing in August

People often ask me, "When is the best time to come fly fish the White Mountains?" While I usually say, "June." I quickly follow that with, "Or any time during the summer." While June is predictably the start of good fishing, the fishing often remains strong throughout the summer. While a few hot days in a row can slow things down on the bigger rivers, the small streams fish very well on such days. And when the heat resides the fishing on the bigger rivers quickly picks back up. I was out on a float trip this past Saturday and the water temp on the Andro Was at 66 degrees at noon. Consequently, we began getting strikes right from the put-in. The black caddis were swarming and we took four fish on size 20 emergers. Many more were lost or missed. As we moved downstream we caught a few fish on nymphs and then the black caddis gave way to some mayfly activity. The fish were exploding on the surface and I think that our hook-sets were actually a bit too good, meaning too fast. The strike of a wild rainbow is so explosive that the angler often reacts too quickly. Finally, Peter was able to slow things down and landed a plump 13" wild rainbow that pulled drag and had me running up and down the river with the net. Peter was in awe, "I can't believe how hard these fish fight!" I love seeing a customer come to this realization. People often ask me how I can tell a wild from a stocked trout. While crisp fins are the best way to tell visually, you can usually tell when you set the hook, as the fish takes drag instantly. We ended the evening with Four more fish on dry flies from the boat with, of course, more missed. 

On Sunday I decided to take the girl and the dog on a reconnaissance mission to float a new stretch of water. I was happy to find a good take out spot that I'd been eyeing on satellite imagery. Then I found a few put in options. The option furthest upstream needs some maintenance so I'll have to go back and work on that soon. We put in just downstream of this site and Alicia got into fish right from the start. A few misses and then a few fallfish to net. Then she hooked into something more lively, a small wild rainbow trout. A few casts later the line went tight on the swing and a foot long rainbow shot into the air. I may have been a bit too stern in my fish fighting advice but Alicia still managed to get the fish to the net. After her accomplishment she was content to watch the scenery while I rowed and fished. I landed three rainbows and lost a few more before the girl and the dog were ready to quit. All in all  I was just happy to see the potential of this water. You can be sure that I will be back with a headlamp on my next expedition there.

Yesterday I had a full day trip on one some of our smaller streams. The brook trout were feeding voraciously on Japanese beetles. We landed many and lost many more. The highlight of the day were a few visitors to the stream (see below). After guiding I hit the Saco just before dark and caught three of the five fish that I hooked. The fish came on a Turks Tarantulla and hit like speeding bullets.  Enjoy the pictures, and don't let August keep you from the water...the fishing is hot!

Peter with his wild rainbow.

Dave the nymph master with a nymph caught rainbow!

Alicia with her first rainbow...(there is also a Fallfish in the net that I hooked at the same time.

Alicia's second rainbow 12"s and wild.

Alicia's rainbow up close.

Fishing with the wildlife!

Just released!

Evening brown on the Saco.

Mid July Report

Well it has been a while since I've had a chance to sit down and type a report. I have been guiding almost every day for the past few weeks. The fishing has been excellent on waters big and small, but for this report I will focus on the big. Last week I spent four straight days at the oars. I'll break this into chapters to make it more digestible. 

Chapter one: The Connecticut: I had a trip up north with Greg from Lopstick lodge on Wednesday and I headed up a day early to scout the river. We ended up floating a lower stretch than the one we planned to guide on (a place where Greg wanted to try my raft). The fishing was sporadic throughout the float with a few fish missed from time to time. Then within a quarter mile of the takeout we began hooking up. I was at the oars when we came to a deep pocket off of a steep sandy bank. I yelled to Greg, CAST CAST RIGHT THERE. Of course Greg was already making the cast and when the fly hit there was a quick boil, his reel screamed. The fish burned line to the other side of the river and I quickly crabbed the boat to the other side. We landed the fish, a buttery hook jawed brown that measured 18.5 inches. I still need to ask Greg for the pictures. We hooked a few smaller browns and some wild rainbows before calling it a day. That night it began to rain. When we awoke at 5 am, the rain was coming down in sheets, things did not look good. We met our guests in Colebrook and suggested that Greg and I go take a look at the river before we made a decision on whether or not to proceed with the plans. As we drove over the Connecticut a skunk crossed the road, "That better not be a sign." Greg sulked. 

We peered into the river. The water was an opaque brown.  "This is the worst" Greg lamented, "There is just enough clarity to make me think, maybe we can catch some fish." "Yeah, and we don't know if it is going to get better or worse from here." I countered. We decided to tell the truth to our guests and leave the decision up to them. "It's a total crap shoot." Greg Explained. Mike the most adamant of our guests cut in first, "Well lets do this! I didn't come all the way to Northern NH to sit around in the rain." 

To our pleasant surprise the trip went well. We got into fish right away above where one of the muddy tributaries entered. Then the fishing slowed through the middle of the day but we found rising fish again right before dark. It was a long twelve hour day on the oars and I had to be in Gorham for another drift the next day at 7 am. 

Chapter Two: The Andro Luckily the Andro wasn't nearly as brown as the Connecticut and we found fish quickly below the put in. Dan got into the first fish, a 14 inch brown and his friend Claude quickly followed suit with a ten inch brown of his own. We hooked and lost fish on dry flies until lunch time and then the wind picked up and the fishing shut down for a while. Then towards the end of the trip we began hooking fish on streamers. A few of the missed fish looked to be trout but all that got to the boat were bass and fall fish. 

Friday was another drift trip with Dave Peress a friend of my good friend Bob Mallard. We began fishing with nymphs and the first few fish were of the warmwater variety. I could tell that Dave was beginning to get discouraged and when he hooked a larger fish he immediately pronounced "Another Fallfish!" But I could see his rod thumping, the line beginning to zig and zag. "Are you sure?" I said, as I slid my net out from under the seat. Then a 14 inch rainbow shot into the air and threw the hook. "That was a trout!" Dave's focus increased. He landed the next rainbow that struck and then lost another larger one. We pressed downstream to some dry fly water. And I prepared lunch while Dave dealt with a conference call. We picked out a few rising fish while we ate and after lunch Dave fooled a wild rainbow and a good brown on dry flies. 

We slid down to the next run and I had Dave start with a large streamer on the sinking line. As I secured the boat I heard a scream, I looked up to see Dave's rod bend to a C and throbbing. Suddenly the rod shot straight, "AAAHHHH that was a pig!" "Man what am I doing wrong today!" I tried to console him, "Most of these bigger fish are wild rainbows. They didn't get that big by getting caught." Dave fished the streamer for a bit longer and then we switched to a dry fly. We landed a brook trout and then lost  a few  smaller rainbows. So I decided to switch to a larger stonefly to see if something bigger would look up. On the second drift there was a bright silver flash. Then on the next drift a sliver torpedo shot downstream and bumped the fly, before turning away. After many more drifts he never came back. I surmised that he had probably seen us when he turned towards the fly. 

We got back in the boat and threw streamers to the far bank,after a few fishless holes I decided to press back to the other side. I dragged the boat back upstream so that we could float the length of a long flat and fish the next right hand bank. I had Dave switch back to the stonefly with a heavy nymph dropper. We missed one swirl in the flat and then Dave hammered three browns in a row casting within a foot of the bank. We worked our way down to the next riffle and as I set the anchor a fish rose against the bank. Dave hooked the fish on the nymph, a fat twelve inch brown. We lost  a few more on a royal coachman before moving on. We fished a few more spots and Dave caught another brown and a beautiful ten inch wild rainbow along with a four inch brook trout and a four inch rainbow ( a good sight to see). 

Chapter Three: Charlie Lowe Although I should have headed straight home after a long four days on the water I couldn't help but stop at a long flat where I suspected there might be some wild rainbows rising right before dark. As I pressed through the woods to the river I saw a familiar figure. It was Charlie Lowe long time local and former river guide. "What are you doing here?" Charlie joked. "Same thing you are, waiting for the fish to rise." I didn't have a rod with me and I was content to watch Charlie fish. "Well they aren't here now." "Oh they will be here Charlie."As we waited for the fish I asked Charlie questions about the rivers history. He talked about how good the fishing once was. About spots downstream and up where he had landed trout over thirty inches. About a monster that his father had caught when he was a boy, "When placed head first in an oil drum, his tail still stuck out over the top, That fish must have gone over forty inches." he remembered. I asked Charlie where he thought those big fish had gone and he had a dozen or so theories. We both agreed that there were too many possibilities to know for sure.  "I just hope that this river comes back to her former glory." Charlie sighed. 

As we stared into the river a fish rose. Charlies, eyes lit up, "I guess I'd better put on a dry fly." In near darkness he fastened a size sixteen Grey caddis, "All you need on this river is a woolly bugger and a grey caddis." he explained. Then Charlie made his first cast of the evening. There was a quick splash and a hookset, a twelve inch rainbow danced in the air. He slid the fish in and I did the honors of unhooking it. You could still see the parr marks on the fish's sides, "You can tell that fish didn't come from no hatchery." Charlie explained. Then he made another cast. The fly drifted and then swung, a fish struck, Charlie set, and the line snapped. He turned to me,"Ohhhh, that was a fish." It was now almost completely dark, so I offered to tie the fly on. Charlie continued to fish, but the rises were diminishing. "I guess that's it" Charlie said. He made one turn of the reel handle and his rod jolted down, the reel screamed. "AHHHaaa" The fish made four or five solid 100 foot runs before it lay at our feet, a sixteen inch, chrome rainbow. As we slid the fish back to the river, I could see hope in Charlies eyes. 

The next night I returned with rod in hand. Charlie helped me land an eighteen inch wild rainbow. It was my turn he said. 

Start of Summer Report

Well the summer solstice was yesterday and while the fishing is hot the weather is ideal. With nights in the 40's and days in the high seventies, we couldn't ask for better fishing conditions. 

The Saco has been fishing well with spinner falls on most nights and Yellow Sallies and Caddis making up the difference on other nights. Last week I was able to get out on my own for an epic evening hatch. I arrived on the water at 8pm and the rises were everywhere. I caught a few decent fish before locking into something solid, a sixteen inch brown. After this good fish I took a break to watch the water, a peaceful scene of delicate rises. Then an explosion shook me from my meditation.  I took a breath, saw the fish rise again and made my cast. My fly alighted softly... and the water erupted. I set the hook, expecting a solid head shake...but this was a very big fish, my fly line flew from my fingers and my reel screamed. Before I could turn the fish he was buried in a pile of logs on the far side of the river. I pulled, the line was stuck. I contemplated breaking the fish off, but there was too much potential at the end of my line. Carefully I removed my vest and went in, I made it to the pile of logs and crawled up on the largest one. I was hoping to dislodge my quarry with this better angle, but he was gone, my fly buried in wood. Soaked and defeated I swam to shore, lit a cigar, and caught fish into the darkness. As I slogged my way back to the car I was reminded of Norman Maclean's last words in A River Runs Through it... "I am haunted by waters."

Back to more factual matters. The Ellis has been fishing well throughout the day. We have been doing well with brookies and rainbows fishing dry dropper combos. For dries, Beetles, and ants have been effective along with Yellow Sallies, Caddis, adams, and royal coachmen. Subsurface, birds nests, drowned beetles, and mini muddler minnows have done the trick. Small streamers such as eighty eights, herons, and muddler minnows have also been productive. 

The Andro has turned on recently as well. Black caddis hatches are on below all of the dams and the Alders have been coming off the past few days in the upper river. One hatch that people often don't notice is the Isonychia Mayfly. This size twelve mayfly often emerges sporadically throughout the day and we have been doing well using a royal coachman dry to represent the adult. This fly should be fished when smaller mayflies are seen, as the Isonychia often hatches along with more prolific hatches of pale morning/ evening duns and blue winged olives. 

Float fishing the Andro is the best way to cover a lot of water and catch a lot of fish. I've been drifting the river with clients over the past few weeks and we have been catching rainbows, browns and brookies on dries, nymphs and streamers. One benefit of fishing from a boat is that you can switch rods instead of flies. Another is that you have access to every piece of the river with optimal casting positions, (think about how many times you've had trouble casting with your elbows in the water!). I have a boat trip tomorrow morning and I'm looking forward to rowing up to big rainbows sipping emerging black caddis. 

If you are planning to book a trip this summer let me know ASAP. The rest of June is booked solid, but I do have days open in July and August. Thanks for all of the great trips so far this season, we look forward to seeing many of you again soon.