Late November Report...Arkansas Updates!

Hi all! we hope you had a great Thanksgiving break! We’ve still been getting out on the water for pike, but are looking forward to January 2023 for the opening of trout season! While winter conditions can be challenging the cold months provide opportunities to catch some truly large trout. We’ll be booking trips this winter when conditions allow so give us a shout if you see a day above freezing and want to get out on the water!

The pike bite the last few weeks has been hot or cold depending on the weather. We saw some good bite windows with cooler nights into moderate days and on low pressure days. Ice has been an on and off issue on some stretches but the Connecticut is ice free as of this writing although flows are up on the river. We’ve been exploring the reservoirs, which remain ice free the longest and have seen some pike but have not connected to any yet. We hope to get out a few more times before Christmas to see what we can find.

This pike destroyed a Buford style streamer on a late November afternoon.

Tale of a good hook set.

Arkansas 2023

We are planning to head to the White River in Arkansas for March 2023 but need to hear from you all by January 1st 2023 if you are interested in booking! We are planning on booking March 15th to March 31st but we do have some flexibility on dates if you are able to make something work from the second week of March through the first week of April. As we said in our last report we will be staying at Copper John’s resort and also booking lodging through their sister location The Landing. We recommend flying into Springfield Branson airport which is just over a two hour drive from Copper John’s. We recommend booking at least two days of fishing if you plan to come out so that we can ensure you get some good fishing conditions during your stay. We rarely see two days of slow fishing in a row! If you would like more information on Arkansas don’t hesitate to give us a call at 508-598-1304.

A fine Aransas cutthroat!

Average Arkansas brown trout

Bookings and Gift Certificates for NH 2023

We are currently booking trips for NH for 2023, prime time dates through mid-July are going fast so be sure to give us a shout as soon as possible to get on our calendar. If you want to fish with us early next year, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Prime time dates typically fill by January! Trying to decide what to get that person who has everything for Christmas? Why not give them the gift that will create memories for a lifetime? Give us a shout if you would like to buy a gift certificate and we’ll send you a personalized electronic gift certificate! We’ll even throw in a complementary Hill Country Guides hat for all gift certificates sold between now and Christmas!

Give the gift of experience with a lucky hat included!

Spring Brown trout fishing is right around the corner get your dates locked in before it’s too late!

We hope you all have a wonderful Holiday season! We can’t wait to get back out with you in 2023 and we are very thankful for all of you enduring support in 2022!

Tight Lines,

Nate

Halloween Report...Arkansas 2023 Update!

Happy Halloween everyone! We’ve had some pleasant late fall weather as of late. We’ve been fishing on a variety of waters for a variety of species over the past few weeks. From Landlocked Salmon to our south, to Northern Pike on the Connecticut and smallmouth bass and trout on the lower Androscoggin. Although the regular trout season here in NH is now closed there are still plenty of fishing opportunities available to the angler looking to wet a line before the snow flies!

Lize with a fine first fish on the fly rod!

Lower Androscoggin:

The lower Androscoggin in NH from Berlin to the Maine border remains open to trout and smallmouth fishing year-round. Flows on the lower Andro are slightly above average for this time of the year but have dropped over the past couple of days from 3,000 cfs to around 2, 500 cfs. With warm daytime highs and cold overnight lows you can sleep in and still catch the daily bite window. Expect the best fishing this time of the year to be from late morning to around 4pm. Warmer days will result in longer bite windows and colder days will typically mean shorter ones. The next seven days are looking prime! Fish will be most concentrated in slow deeper water as well as shallower riffles where the sun warms the water quickly. With the higher flows we’ve been doing well with streamers like Mr. Kreepo’s in olive and white, Olive, black, and brown buggers, as well as zoo cougars, Bob’s better baitfish in whitefish, and Kreelix. Nymphing larger “high protein flies” like pink squirmy worms, mops, hellgrammites, prince nymphs, eggs and golden stones has produced results. The Andro should fish well until at least Thanksgiving or when water temps fall below 40 degrees.

This late October bow ate a large hellgrammite fly.

A fine Andro smallmouth that smashed a kreelix streamer.

Pike Hunting:

While many outdoors people hunt for deer in October and November we prefer to chase an equally elusive creature, the Northern Pike. We’ve spent the last three years studying the feeding behavior of these predators. While Pike rarely feed all day long, we have found that almost every day provides bite windows in which pike do feed. We plan our days fishing around these bite windows ensuring our guests get as many chances as possible at hooking these apex predators. Lately we’ve been getting between two and six eats daily with one to two pike landed on most outings. We should see the pike bite improve with colder overnight temps. We have found that, like trout, Pike do not like large swings in weather patterns but prefer colder nights to slightly warmer days in which water temps rise, but only a degree or two. Last week we saw water temps swing from 46 to 54 degrees in just a couple days. While this slowed the pike bite, we still got chances each day. This week I’ll be experimenting with adding stinger hooks to our more productive pike flies to see if we can increase hook-up percentages. Hook-ups are always tough with a fish whose mouth is made of bones and teeth. The key to increasing hook-ups is to pause on the initial take, which often feels like a subtle tap as Pike don’t so much as bite but inhale the fly. From here the angler needs to strip fast with quick 20 strips until the is in the net. Since we are using 40lb test to 30 lb wire there is little need to worry about a pike breaking the line. Still, we hope to give anglers even better odds through experimenting with different hook configurations on our flies. With the best pike fishing still ahead of us give us a shout if you want to test your skills against these amazing fish! We are booking through Thanksgiving and will continue booking until the waters freeze up!

This pike ate right at the boat and Kevin Brandon did a fine job of keeping the pressure on!

Kevin O’brien worked hard and was rewarded with this fine 30” pike.

Arkansas 2023!:

After receiving a lot of inquiries about guided trips on the White and Norfork rivers in Arkansas, we have decided to head back to the Ozarks in March 2023. We will be staying at Copper John’s Resort in Bull Shoals Arkansas where our good friend Jeremy Hunt owns and operates Fly’s and Guides fly shop. Jeremy and his team will be helping us with larger group trips. Copper John’s resort, as well as their other property, Newlands will provide a wide variety of accommodations to ensure that you have a fishy and comfortable stay! We are currently booking dates for March 16th to the 31st so please let us know asap if you want to get on our calendar for Arkansas!

Dick with an example of some Arkansas butter. Come get some next March!

In Closing:

I hope you are all able to get out a few more times before the real cold of winter sets in. Just a heads up, if you are looking to get on the calendar for next spring now is the time to book. We are already filling dates for Late May through July so if you want to get your prime-time dates don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you to all who fished with us in 2022 we greatly appreciate your support and friendships! Looking forward to seeing you again soon!

Tight Lines,

Nate

Foliage and Fish Report

Hi everyone, hope you are all enjoying this beautiful fall weather we have been having!

We have seen quite a few changes in the fishing conditions and foliage over the past few weeks. Late September rains brought flows up to above average for this time of the year and trout are starting to acclimate more to the cooler water temps. Water temps dropped from 66 to 53 degrees from mid to late September this year and temps may be even cooler as of this writing after another frost last night. With higher flows and lower water temperatures fish metabolisms slowed down and catch rates dipped for a week as fish adjusted. Fishing has picked back up with warmer days, consistent flows and water temps. We have also been seeing some better size trout in the mix over the past two weeks. As of this writing the foliage is right at peak in the white mountains and a little bit past peak in the north country.

Prime time fall fishing on Oct 4th 2022

Current conditions:

Flows on all streams large and small are at or above average for this time of the year. The Andro is flowing at 1800 out of Errol dam and around 2k in Gorham. This is a bit above average for this time of the year and much above what we have had the past two seasons. The higher flows have pro’s and cons. On the plus side the fish have more water and protection from predators. Also, larger trout are more likely to key in on streamers. On the downside, trout are more spread out and catch rates are slightly lower simply because there is more water to cover to catch fish. Smaller streams in the White Mountains will be cold and slow from here to the rest of the seasons, however lower elevation wild trout streams will still produce with both streamers and dries until the close of season.

A fine fall streamer eater from last week.

Looking forward:

The forecast Continues to look favorable for good fishing through the end of the work week. A brief cold front this weekend could make for a little slower fishing but with fish now adjusted to colder temps expect fishing to remain decent even on the cooler days. The last week of the “regular season” looks to remain favorable with highs in the mid to upper 50’s most days.

October 4th was a great day for foliage and wild rainbows!

Hatches and Flies:

Although the Isonychia mayfly hatches will be winding down with these colder temps, we are still seeing some good Iso hatches on the warmer days. A lot of these bugs did not come off during the colder weather in late September and they are arriving a little late to the party this fall. We are already seeing BWO’s around and there will be more and more as we head into Mid-October. Look for subtle rises in the slower eddy’s and seams late in the afternoon and fish an olive sparkle dun or small klinkhammer in the film. We will continue to see sporadic October caddis and Rhyacophilidae (free living green) caddis hatches over the next few weeks. Prince nymphs, birds nest nymphs and olive caddis pupea will all work for these bugs. In higher flows tan and olive mop flies seem to grab the attention of larvae seeking trout! Later in October worms, eggs and hellgrammite patterns will become more important. For streamers carrying a good variety of buggers in olive, brown, black, and white will get you far. In addition, we continue to do very well with copper/ gold Kreelix, Bob’s Better Baitfish (Whitefish color), and Mr. Creepo’s in white and Olive, along with the trusty Zoo Cougar in Yellow, Tan, White, or Olive. When it comes to streamers keep rotating until you find what triggers the most interest. Often times if the streamer bite is really “On” fish will hit a wide range of patterns as long as they are fished well.

A fine wild Rainbow from last week.

Prime for Pike!

Last fall the pike bite really didn’t turn on until early October when water temps finally dipped below 50’ degrees. Right now, we are already seeing prime time pike conditions as water flows have settled, and water temps hover around 50 degrees. We have already had reports of good pike being caught and with air temps at or below freezing over the last few nights, the pike bite should only improve. We will start targeting pike as soon as our trout trips begin winding down later in October and we are booking pike trips Starting October 24th through late November or until the water freezes. We have found that Pike fishing remains productive as long as there is open water to cast into. So give us a shout if you want to get on the calendar!

This could be you this fall! looking forward to chasing more Pike on the fly!

In Summary:

It has been another successful year hear at Hill Country Guides and we appreciate all of you who have taken the time and money to share the water with us this season. It is not too late to get on the calendar for a late season trip so let us know i you want to hit the water before the snow flies. Lastly, we are already taking bookings for 2023 so if you are looking to get out for some prime-time fishing next year be sure to let us know asap so we can get you locked on our calendar! I hope you all have a wonderful fall and winter. Looking forward to hitting the water with you all again soon!

Tight Lines,

Nate

Late Summer/ Early Fall Report

Things have certainly turned a corner up here over the last two weeks. Typically by late August we have as many fall like days up here as we do summer days. This is the pattern we have been seeing as of late, with rain and cooler temps about half the time, and warmer days with highs in the 80’s the other half the time. This combination of cool and warm days really energizes the trout. Colder water and higher flows coupled with hatches spurred on by warmer days combine to send trout into a feeding frenzy.

Client Andrew Forauer with a nice hopper eater from a recent float trip.

Bugs and such:

We continue to see daily baetis hatches which fish are eating both on the surface and underneath. The andro and tribs are also still seeing good morning black caddis hatches and we’ve done well fishing foam emergers both in the film and under an indicator with a small split shot. On warmer days we’ve been seeing flying ant nuptial flights. Trout are keyed on these ants any time water temps are in the mid 60’s or lower. We’ve mostly done well with the larger female ants size 16 but a good warm day in the evenings will see fish transition to the male ants in a size 20 or smaller. In addition to ants, the hopper fishing has also been great, specifically on warmer windy days after a cold rain has cooled water temps. We did well on hoppers from about 11 am to 2pm yesterday.

A fine wild brook trout caught exploring some new beaver ponds with my son Ellis on my back!

Our guide Tom Freedman took a stomach pump of trout on the Andro during our last cold rain and found them full of Isonychia nymphs. This hatch will become more constant over the next week as water temps drop on the Andro. Fishing a size 12 purple pheasant tail or zug bug will do the trick as will a purple peacock and grizzly soft hackle when fish are actively feeding on the swimming nymphs. I like a purple haze or purple comparadun for the dries. I talk a lot about Isonychia as being one of our most consistent and productive hatches. This bug will be important from now through early October and can provide some of the best big river dry fly-fishing opportunities of the year. It is convenient that Iso’s hatch mid-day anywhere from about 10am to 5pm. In addition to Isonychia be ready for fall golden stonefly hatches from now through September as well as October caddis. A size 12 orange stimulator or orange foam EHC can sometimes out fish the Iso dry as fish key in on this less abundant but juicy bug.

A fine double bow brown caught this week on a double nymph (black caddis and baetis) rig by client Parker Coleman!

Looking forward:

The ant flights will subside with the last warm humid days of September. We’ll start seeing more BWO’s mixed with the Isonychia’s by early October. At this time fishing a size 12 Iso dry coupled with a smaller BWO can be a great dry fly strategy. Flows on the Andro just bumped to 1800 today and should remain at prime fishing levels through October. It does not look like we will see minimum flows at all this fall even if we get little rain. Small stream fishing will remain productive with orange stimulators and hoppers until about mid-September. From there we seem to do better on the slower lower elevation streams where wild brook trout are feeding voraciously before the spawn. Hunting for bright brook trout among bright foliage in late September and Early October is one of our favorite past times. Fishing brightly colored streamers or attractor dries like the Royal PMX typically does well through the end of the open season.

This salmon ate a small Baetis nymph mid-morning. We typically start seeing more salmon as fall progresses.

Availability:

We still have some prime-time dates available this fall. Nate has Sept 7, 13,14, 19, open at the moment and we have other guides available other dates. We also have more dates after the regular trout season closes on October 15th. Don’t forget we still have great fishing on the lower Andro through at least mid-November and from Late October until Ice in we will again be offering Pike trips. There are few freshwater fish that produce the adrenaline rush of an Adult Pike inhaling your 6”-8” streamer. We are addicted to hunting Pike and look forward to sharing this addiction with you! Give us a shout if you want to get on our calendar for this fall.

Tight Lines,

Nate

August report

It has been a long time since we posted a report. A busy spring and first half of the summer as well as time spent with family has kept me off the computer. We had a lot of productive float trips this June and early July with water temps hanging on for the month of June on the Andro and some of our other floats producing through July. Lately the small stream fishing has been very productive with dries and dry droppers producing very well.

A fine male brown that took a size 16 caddis pupa on a float earlier this season.

Current conditions:

With the hot weather this week we’ve been doing some smallmouth floats and have found some larger bass lately. These fish fight hard, jump like crazy and take surface poppers and dragon flies out of the air what is not to like? Today looks to be the hottest day of the summer which is one reason I am sitting here writing this instead of getting out on the water. Fortunately, things begin to cool off tomorrow with rain in the forecast for tonight through tomorrow night. By next week a cooler pattern takes over with highs in the low to mid 70’s and lows in the lower 50’s from Tuesday through the end of the work week. While most of our streams are on the lower side of average for this time of the year there are rain chances again next week and we should see some happy trout as things cool and flows bump a bit.

Cody Floyd of Ledge Brewing holding a trophy smallmouth caught while throwing streamers just the other day!

Bugs:

On our smaller streams We’ve been doing well fishing black caddis in the mornings. An emerging pupae in size 20 as well as adult black caddis cdc dries size 20-16 have been working well. By late morning when the wind picks up ants, beetles and hoppers begin producing. A high floating attractor dry with a Baetis nymph below has been a deadly combo. For smallmouth our own mini crayfish jig as well as Clouser style streamers have done well along with Chris Thompson’s foam dragonfly for when the fish are up top.

We love guiding kids for wild native brook trout. Nate’s nephew Rowan with a fine specimen!

Looking forward:

As we get into the middle of August fish will become a little more educated and fishing 6Xinstead of 5X can make the difference between looks and eats. By the third week of August we should begin seeing some fall hatches of October Caddis, Light Cahill's in the evenings and Isonychia mayflies on the Andro. As soon as the Andro cools off these bugs will be prominent, and the fish will take advantage of this bigger mayfly. Along with these aquatic insects look for flying ant swarms on humid late summer days. I’ve written a lot about these ants over the years as they can produce some of the best dry fly bites of the season. Some years we only get a day or two of good ant swarms while on other years they give us many days of great dry fly fishing. Usually beginning in the early afternoon you will see the larger female ants arrive first typically in a size 14-18 the color of honey or cinnamon the fish are eager to eat these bigger ants. After a few hours the males arrive in droves to mate with the females outnumbering the girls by about 100 to 1 the trout typically switch their focus to this smaller but more numerous food source. fishing to a trout rising to millions of natural size 22 ants can be a frustrating experience but an accurate cast on a consistently rising fish with a small chocolate ant usually gets the job done and can result on very large trout on small dries.

Nicole with one of many nice browns she caught while Tenkara fishing with us the other day!

Availability:

Our books for the fall are filling fast. We still have some dates for late August and early September (5-7 and 13-14 come to mind). October 13th and 15th are still open and we have a good number of dates available with our other guides. After the regular trout season closes October 15th we still have productive trout water open on the Andro as well as the Pike game on the Connecticut and some local lakes and ponds. Give us a should asap if you want to get out this summer or fall! As always thank you to all who have fished with us this season and we look forward to seeing many of you later this season!

Tight Lines,

Nate