Foliage and Fish Behavior...an October Report

Well we are just past peak foliage here in the mountains.  I have been on the water every day for the past three weeks. Either exploring or guiding, so I am sorry for the lack of reports. While this season has provided some of the most breathtaking foliage I've ever seen, we have been finding more than just brightly colored leaves. The fishing has been outstanding. 

One thing I love about guiding, and being on the water every day is that I get to see the subtle changes that the river and her surroundings go through on a day to day, week to week, and month to month basis. As I drove through the notch every day over the past few weeks I could see the colors continue to brighten. Then over the past few days they have  begun to dull a little. As for the fishing the changing of the seasons causes many behavioral changes in trout. Browns are in pre spawn and moving to their spawning grounds. They have been aggressively chasing streamers, and hitting dries and nymphs...if you can find them. Brook trout have just about finished spawning in many of our mountain streams and are in spawn in our lower elevation streams. (Most waters containing brook trout closed on October 15th) Rainbows, who are spring spawners are only concerned with fattening up for winter at this moment. 

In rivers like the Androscoggin that are nutrient rich, fish have been very active at some points of the day and almost completely inactive at other times of the day. This is a common pattern in the Fall. During the summer months bug activity tends to be more consistent with at least some insects hatching or falling into the water all the time. As hatches become more pronounced and concentrated to certain days and certain times of day the fish wait for their opportunity to feed and then do so with reckless abandon. This weeks trips will provide a great example of this phenomenon. I'll explain them here for my own future reference as well. 

On Saturday I guided Matthew Martin and Thomas Karens. Neither had ever fly fished before and the forecast called for a stiff breeze throughout the day with sun and temps in the 50's. I knew this was going to be a challenge as sun and cold temps can make for some of the toughest days on the water in the fall. This is because the most prominent bug this time of the year are BWO's. BWO's hatch best on overcast and calm days. With wind and sun, even if they do hatch they get blown off the water and the fish can't take advantage. On these day's nymphing is usually your best bet. 

So we began with nymph rigs and both Matthew and Tom missed multiple fish in the first two pools. I find that teaching the hook-set can only be done through first hand experience.  Although neither had landed a fish I was happy that they had both missed fish before lunch. After lunch the fishing really slowed. After nearly two hours without another bite I told Matt and Tom to remain patient as the fishing could turn on at any moment. One that should present it self as the sun dropped and the bugs popped. Minutes after this explanation I noticed a few BWO's float by the boat. I mentioned them to Mark and Matt and told them to stay focused. As if on cue Matthew's indicator went under and he came tight to a fourteen inch rainbow. From there we hooked half a dozen or more fish and landed three more. It was a pleasure to see the look of sheer gratification on Matt's face when he caught that first fish. And I could tell that he completely understood the need for patience on the water. 

On Sunday I guided Andrew Hodson and Thomas Hodson for a half day float. We started around two pm. Although we were on a different stretch of water the fishing was very similar to Saturday. We missed a few fish in the first few runs and then the action slowed to a crawl. Then as the sun dipped the fish went crazy with three landed and many lost in the last hour of the float. Fish were taking dries and nymphs indiscriminately. 

On Monday I guided Bob Norton. Bob floated the Androscoggin with me this spring and had a banner day fishing emerging caddis. With a weather forecast of sun and high sixties I was curious how the fish would respond. Bob seems to have a four leaf clover tucked in one of his pockets because the fish were crushing nymphs and dries throughout the float. We landed a healthy fifteen inch wild rainbow on a size twenty emerging BWO and many more rainbows on both the BWO and a larger purple haze.

Can you find the fly?

So it seemed that the high temps had gotten the bugs and trout active a bit earlier in the day. But what would Monday hold? Forecast: Wind 5-10 mph chance of showers in the afternoon. A tough forecast to figure out. If the wind stayed down and the clouds hung in without too much rain it could make for a great day. However if the wind blew at 10-20mph and the sun came out the fishing could be slow. I was guiding Penny Lindsay and Donna Vann of Panama City FL. I wasn't sure how either would like the cool New Hampshire weather but these women were both tough as nails and loved every minute of their adventure. Luckily the forecast was way off and we had calm wind with partial clouds and temps from 55-65 degrees all day long. We were on the water at 11 am and the fishing was slow for the first hour...then both women hooked up at the same time. In that instant I knew it was going to be a great day. We hooked, caught, and lost fish for the next four hours straight. It was a half day trip but I think we may have gone a little long. There were just too many big noses rising for me to leave too soon. We never got any of the monsters to the boat but both Penny and Donna landed some beautiful rainbows. Ladies, I'll send you what I got for pictures. Please send me yours!

Wednesday's forecast looked suspect as well. It seemed the weatherman took what he had predicted for Tuesday and simply moved it to Wednesday. I was scheduled with Bob Norton for another half day. With rain and wind scheduled for Wednesday afternoon I called him to suggest we get an earlier start. I woke up at 6 am on Wednesday and checked the forecast. They had dropped the wind speeds down from 10-15 to 5-10 and the timeline was 25% chance of showers with consistent wind all day long. I sent a text to Bob explaining that we might as well start a bit later as the fishing had been better later in the day. We met at 10 am and were on the water by 11am. I had chosen a stretch of water that had more islands and side channels where we could hide from the wind. We landed our first fish, a brown, around noon in the first side channel we came to. From there on we landed rainbows, browns and even a nice brook trout from side channel riffles and slow foam pockets. Bob got another fifteen inch wild rainbow on a large dry to end the day. 

Thursday I was scheduled to guide Mark Hogopian a regular client of mine. We were considering searching for Landlocked salmon but with a chance of sunny weather we opted for the Andro. Landlocked salmon tend to go lock-jaw in sunny weather while with trout you can at least get some on nymphs through the faster water. And we did miss a few fish on nymphs through the first half of the day with one fish caught on a swung dry fly. However it was not the same fishing that I'd had with Penny and Donna a few days prior. With a high sun and slow bite we decided to take an early lunch with hopes that we would not skip too much good water before the hatch started. After lunch we made our way to a slower stretch of water where I had seen some large rises two days before. At first we saw nothing but glassy water in the last of the days bright sun. Then, just as the sun fell behind the first tree there was a rise,, and then another. I handed mark the already rigged dry fly rod armed with a size 16 purple haze. Mark cast and I studied the trout. The fish were not touching the parachute dry and their rises looked like boils (mouths sucking bugs in from just under the surface) I dug through my fly box for a floating nymph and tied it behind the purple haze. On the first cast there was a boil behind the purple haze. Mark came tight but lost the fist fish...then landed the second. We took two more rainbows and had one beast slash three times at the nymph before becoming educated. We worked down the river and found another pod of risers that struck our flies until darkness made them impossible to see. 

So what is the moral of this story? If you are fishing in the fall be persistent. Know that just because the fish are not biting doesn't mean that they wont. This weeks trips presented different scenario's and the fish fed in different ways at different times of the day. The important part is that even on the toughest of days we had at least a few hours of very fast action. 

So what is to come? Although many waters closed on October 15th our float stretches are still open for the rest of the year as are all ponds and some other rivers in the state. Look for ponds to fish well until they ice over. Here midges and streamers are your best bet. As with the rivers fish will be very sporadic in their activity levels. On the rivers look for fish to continue to feed on hatches of BWO's, midges, a few Iso's and perhaps even a swarm of lady bugs (if we get any unusually warm calm days). As Fall progresses egg patterns will become  important especially in waters that contain brown trout. Look for rainbows to take advantage of their spawning behavior. As the hatches become more sporadic be sure to transition your focus to streamer fishing. Large trout can't pass up a big meal to help hold them over through the long New Hampshire winter to come. Late October and November represent one of your best chances to get a true beast on a streamer. That being said always be prepared to switch to dries or nymphs. Under the right conditions BWO's and midges will hatch throughout the fall and into the winter months. 

If you haven't been out fishing in a while and think that you missed your chance, think again. It is not too late to get your fly fishing fix for 2015. We are booking trips through October and November. Let us know of any dates of interest. 

Tight lines, 

Nate

See other catches from this month below!

Mid-September Report (Fishing Edition)

A lot has been happening since I last checked in with you all! I spent a few quality day on the Saco in early September with some nice rainbows to hand.

From there I've been at the oars on most days. It has been a pleasure to guide many husbands and wives mothers and sons as of late. We've had many ladies get into their first trout on the fly this fall. Many have also been from the boat, a very cool first experience. As for what has been working...We've continued to have success on Isonychia nymphs and dries with swung wets also being very effective. Woolly buggers and other small streamers have been producing, especially when fished on a type five sink tip. Last week I finally got to take a few casts from the boat with my good friend Matt. The fish were taking caddis on the surface at the put-in. Matt prefers to fish fiberglass rods with traditional wetflies and his technique produced a large brown that crushed his offering as it swung through the glassy morning water. As we moved downstream we began taking fish  streamers, I landed a two pound rainbow before we had to pull off the water. That afternoon I had a half day float and the streamers continued to produce with nice rainbows throughout the float. 

When not on the bigger rivers I have been guiding on mountain streams quite a bit. We've taken some surprisingly large rainbows from small water over the past few weeks. On Sunday I guided my regular clients the Schoenbachers. Owen the older son got things started catching four healthy brookies by expertly stripping a small streamer by a large rootball. Then Dean the younger son got into the action landing an 11 inch wild rainbow in the fast currents of a plunge pool. It has been a pleasure to see these boys develop over the last two years into avid young anglers. It is cool to see kids taking up this sport at a young age, as I know they will have much time to absorb all that fly fishing has to offer. These mountain streams will continue to fish well for only a few more days as this cold fall weather will have fish migrating to the bigger rivers to winter over. As they move expect the larger rivers to fish well through October and early November (where open to angling.)

Another thing worth reporting are the wild brook trout waters. These waters are mostly low gradient and off the beaten path. Some I have access to on private land. Since these fish are all wild, and to be honest, un-managed, it is very important to fish barbless hooks and to catch and release with the utmost care. With the cooler temps I hit one of my favorite streams last night. The fish were extremely aggressive towards a fast stripped woods special streamer. I was impressed with their size, the smallest fish was 6 inches and most were from 8-10 inches. Even more impressive were their colors of bright reds, greens and blues. I will never get tired of catching and photographing these prehistoric jewels. 

So what is to come? The Saco and Ellis will fish until the end of the season. Cover water to find the bigger fish and don't be afraid to fish large streamers. Bright colors are key this time of the year with orange, yellow and red being preferred...just look at the leaves and take it from there! For dries think small or big. Midges are now our predominate surface bugs with October Caddis still providing some action. I like to fish an orange stimulator with a midge about fourteen inches back. 

On the Andro expect Isonychia and October Caddis along with green caddis or Rhyacophila to produce through early October. As fall progresses BWO's will become most important with rare but sometimes crucial swarms of lady bugs providing the last terrestrial snack for trout looking to fatten up for winter. Last year I had a banner day fishing small orange foam patterns on the surface and fished like nymphs through the faster runs. As smaller trout begin to enter the system from tributary streams don't be afraid to fish trout like streamer patterns. Large trout take advantage of their smaller brethren in order to stock up on calories for the coming winter. Last year we did very well with baby rainbow trout patterns fished when the hatches were done. 

If you haven't booked a trip yet for the rest of 2015 there is still time. We have the last two days of September open as well as many days in October. Don't let the end of the season fool you the best drift fishing of the year is often had in October. Don't forget that some sections of the Androscoggin are open year round so don't hesitate to book for after October 15th. I look forward to seeing many of you this fall!

Tight lines,

Nate

Mid-September Report Wild brook trout edition

Well it has been a while since my last post...but this has not been for a lack of time on the water. On the contrary I've been out just about every day this month. I'm finally getting caught up on sending out pictures and letting you all know what we've been up to...so here it goes. This first report will be dedicated to work we have been doing with Wild Brook Trout.

Shortly after I last checked in with you I went out with state and federal biologists to survey the wild brook trout population on the Wildcat River in Jackson NH. This past fall I wrote a proposal for the Wildcat River to be added to the list of NH Waters Managed for Wild Trout. See here . The state requires waterbodies to meet a minimum criteria of 13 lbs a hectare of trout for wild trout designation. So last year I did my own research on the wildcat. I came up with a study published in 1958 on the Saco River watershed. Towards the back of the report I came to the survey of the Wildcat River. The survey found that the Wildcat held a population of 44 lbs a hectare of trout. 

After writing my proposal through a new non-profit I have started called NH Trout (see our facebook page here) I garnered support from the local TU chapter, Back Country Hunters and Anglers and North Country Angler. Then the proposal was sent to the state fish and game commissioner. Shortly thereafter we got an email from coldwater fisheries biologist Dianne Timmons asking for volunteers to help survey the Wildcat. The big question was...will the wildcat support the same density of wild trout that the 1958 report purported? Will it at least meet the states requirement for wild trout designation? 

Having fished the Wildcat from a young age I was confident that the river would be somewhere near what the 1958 report found. 

For those who don't know trout populations are surveyed by state and federal agencies across the country using electric shock probes. With smaller streams like the wildcat packs are worn with a prop and a grounding wire that enter the water. A group of biologists and volunteers slowly walk up the river sending mild electric currents through the water which stun the fish for a few seconds. Participants use nets and buckets to collect the trout as they float to the surface. Often times fish snap back to life before one can get the net around them so it is necessary to make three passes through any stretch of water to get a accurate statistics on the wild trout population. 

We met Dianne and other volunteers on a hot September morning. Dianne laid out her plans to shock four locations above Jackson falls. I suggested we start with one location below the falls where stocking and fishing pressure is highest. Dianne agreed that this would provide a good comparison to the more remote stretches upstream. In our first location, depsite heavy stocking and fishing pressure we surveyed over 195 trout in 100 meters of river. Of these fish only one was hatchery bread. 

Now for the good stuff...On our second day we headed into the national forest with Federal fisheries biologist Mark Prout. As we walked into the location Mark explained that he had shocked this stretch before, " I couldn't believe how many fish I was finding, I figured they must have been stocked." But Dianne Timmons countered, "There is no way you would find that many stocked trout this far in the woods, we don't stock that many trout and you wouldn't be finding that many smaller ones. 

After three passes and over eight hours on the river we had amassed a large collection of brook trout in mesh laundry baskets held in the river with stones. After tediously measuring and weighing each fish we came to our final number. 494 trout out of 430 feet of river. I asked Mark what that number would equate to in terms of pounds per hectare, " Oh about 45 lbs" So with the data we needed now  in our hands we look forward to moving towards wild trout designation. This designation would mean the cessation of stocking over wild trout and catch and release barbless single hooks along with no bait. Research has shown that stocking over wild trout populations drastically reduces their density and average size. Our hope is that the Wildcat will have more productive water throughout it's course and will grow more fish over 8" in the future. 

If you would like to support wild trout management see our facebook page or email me at nate@whitemountainflyfishing.com for more information.. Thanks for reading.

Nate

End of August Report

It's that time of the year again. Kids are headed back to school and the fall hatches have begun! This year I will be taking advantage of the fall fishing and guiding as I have opted to continue guiding full time through the autumn. So if you haven't booked a trip yet for this fall be sure to contact me, I still have many weekdays and even some weekend days still available. There is a lot to be excited about in terms of trout fishing in the Whites right now. Over the past week I have seen many changes both in fish activity and bug activity. Despite the impending heat wave we have seen a shift to fall weather with cooler night time temps and shorter days. This heat wave looks to be a good thing as flying ants began to pop. I write about these ant swarms every year as they represent my favorite dry fly fishing of the season. The ants swarm on warm humid days from late August through September. Expect the larger female ants to appear earlier in the afternoon in moderate numbers. The females are usually between a size 14-18 and can be anywhere from a cinnamon to honey in color. The males which range from a size 20 to 32 will coat the water in the early to late evenings and make for some challenging but very exciting dry fly fishing. Tie your male ants in a dark chocolate brown with white to silver grey wings. 

With the impending heat wave these ant swarms should be at their zenith over the next few days. If you'd like to book a trip to catch the swarm I do have this Wednesday and Thursday open. Let me know asap if you'd like to experience the magic of the ants.

Over the last week I have seen a multitude of other hatches beginning on our local waters. Last Monday I had the good fortune of guiding my brother, Jordan and father, Jim. The fishing started slow but my brother soon landed a nice rainbow on a grasshopper.( Right now grasshoppers are a huge food source for trout looking to fatten up for the winter. When no hatches are on I often switch to the hopper in order to entice a surface strike.) With my brother on fish I shifted my focus to my father, moviing him downstream to a stretch that I suspected would hold some large rainbow trout. As I approached the pool I saw a large rainbow wavering in the crystal clear flow. I stopped moving and watched. The fish wavered but did not dart. As my father approached the fish rose from the bottom and sipped a small bug from the surface. Instinct told me to tie on a small cinnamon flying ant. My fathers first cast was a bit short but his second cast landed at the perfect distance and I instructed him to simply follow the fly downstream with the tip of the rod. He did and the fish rose confidently engulfing the size 18 ant. "Set!" I said and my father was . The fish turned on the hookset revealing her large size. With a broken finger on his right hand my father struggled to keep tension. he stumbled backwards shreaking with excitement and I gently took hold of the line, letting it slide through my fingers when the fish ran but keeping tension when it bolted back towards us. Finally I was able to slide the net underneath and we managed a few pictures of this eighteen inch beauty. 

The rest of the day progressed with similar moments of excitement as my brother landed three more rainbows and three more browns and my father managed another bow and a large brown before his hand made it too hard for him to set the hook. The day ended at a secluded pool where my brother insisted that we fish side by side. The fishing had been slow so we took a break to light some cigars. As I took a pull I saw a fish rise. I let out a cast and hooked a fat sixteen inch rainbow. I yelled to my brother but he said, " Hold on a minute." As I fought my fish he took one precise cast to a large boulder and hooked a twelve inch wild brown trout. We got both fish in the net, took some pictures and pounded fists. I told Jordan to hook another one. On his next cast he was tight to a 13" rainbow. We hooked but lost a few more fish to end the evening. 

As a fishing guide I spend many days fishing with fathers, sons and brothers. But rarely do I get a chance to fish with my own brother and father. To watch my brother and father hook large trout by my side is a moment I will never forget, and one I hope to re-live in the coming years.

Over the week I did four floats on the Androscoggin. I won't detail every trip here but overall, the fishing was phenomenal. The isonychia mayfly hatches began this week and were the most important bug to imitate all week long. In their nymphal form isonychia swim rigorously to the edges of the river or centers of riffles to hatch, either on rocks or through the surface film. The "Isos" represent one  of the fastest swimming nymphs out there. Thus it is often effective to strip your nymphs or wetflies back up stream at the end of a dead drift. This technique often bewilders fishermen accustomed to the importance of a motionless dead drift. Some even suspect that the fish are simply dumb to be eating a fly that is moving upstream. This is not the case, in fact an actively retrieved Iso results in some of our biggest wild rainbows of the season. 

Rainbow caught by Angler Mark Hogopian on an Iso emerger tied by Mark Hogopian. 

When you hook a large wild rainbow it can often be a challenge to land. These fish react one of two ways once hooked. Scenario one: On the hook-set the rainbow takes off pulling drag and jumping. In this scenario the fish can often break the line on the hook-set or will throw the hook during an acrobatic leap. The best reaction to this scenario is to point the rod tip at the fish during his initial run and turn the rod down and to the side to prevent jumps. Scenario two: On the hookset the fish swims directly towards you, at a moderate speed. These are often the hardest fish to prepare for as we often believe that we have a smaller fish on the line. After swimming right towards you a large rainbow will suddenly change directions and break your line or throw the hook. If you are ready you can soften the inertia by letting line out and quickly getting the fish on the reel. If you are fighting a large rainbow on the reel always be ready to strip line if the fish decides to run straight towards you. Even with  a large arbor reel these fish swim too fast to keep line tension through reeling line. 

I included this quick instructional piece because we have lost two large rainbows over the last week due to scenario two. The beauty of these fish is that when you do land one it is a great achievement. Even a fourteen inch fish will test your fighting skills and an eighteen inch fish will have your heart pounding out of your chest.

Wild rainbow caught on an iso emerger 8/28. This fish took line on the hookset but we managed to land him. The next fish was much bigger and broke off when she turned directions. 

Yesterday I guided a wade trip with angler Ashby Miller of Virginia. Ashby was a Tenkara enthusiast. We began our day on the bigger river and I was surprised to see a Yellow Sally stonefly hatch coming off. We landed three on the sallies before the fish switched over to BWO's. After hooking a few more fish on the five weight Ashby  asked if we could try some mountain streams with the Japanese technique. Never having tried Tenkara I was curious to see how a long rod without a reel would work on our mountain streams. I have to say that I was very impressed. The light weight line and long rod length allowed Ashby to fish micro currents and tucked away pockets with deadly effectiveness. Within a 200 yard stretch of river he must have landed over 20 trout.... all on the same orange stimulator dry fly.(I chose the orange stimi because I saw October Caddis casings on the rocks. Along with Isos October Caddis will be important into October.)

Anyways, Ashby was gracious enough to let me take a few casts with the Tenkara rod and I was impressed enough that I will be purchasing one for next season. I will be offering Tenkara lessons next year. While a traditional fly rod can probably catch just as many fish the delicacy of presentation achieved with these rods is worthy of experimentation. 

So what is to come? The fishing will continue to improve as fall temps begin to dominate. Look for flying ants, beetles, and hoppers to remain imporotant through our remaining warmer days. As temps cool be prepared for Iso's and BWO's. BWO's are also important on many early mornings and some evenings. As Fall progresses the BWO's will become the predominant hatch with midges also becoming more important. Along with nymphs, emergers and duns, do not forget to fish spinner patterns in the evenings for both the isos and BWOs. As for caddis, the October Caddis will be important. Fish orange stimulators, breadcrust soft hackles, and birds nest nymphs to imitate this bug. I also like to use an orange foam caddis to float above a dropper. Rhyacophillia or green caddis will also be important through the fall. 

Personally the next two months represent my favorite time to fly fish. The days are cooler, the fish are brightly colored and hungry and the crowds are low. If you'd like to experience Autumn fly fishing in NH be sure to book soon! 

Tight lines, 

Nate

First week of August Report

The first week of August has come and gone and our bigger rivers are fishing as well as they have all year. This is due to the cold fronts that pushed through last week. Water temps have dropped significantly in the last seven days and the fish have responded in a big way. About a week ago I was pushing clients to schedule trips early and late in the day, while we still caught plenty of fish at those times, the recent cooler temps have had fish rising right through mid-day.

On July 30 I guided Garry Peterson in the Afternoon. With the threat of thunderstorms in the forecast we were uncertain if we would be able to stay on the water. Luckily after a brief shower the rain abated and the fish began to show signs of life. We had a few misses on big attractor dries before we switched to small streamers that helped us to a nice 15" brown, a rainbow and a brook trout... With the Saco grand slam complete we moved downstream to finish the evening on some good dry fly water. With the sun setting the water began to boil. I quickly tied on a rusty spinner that has been reliable all season. After ten casts without a strike I began to wonder. The air was thick with humidity and although about a month early I took the chance with a size sixteen cinnamon flying ant. I tied the fly on and we landed three big rainbows in near pitch darkness...Garry setting the hook to their splashes. Thanks for getting them to the net Garry!

Monday was the last day of the heat wave and Steven and I had Scott Vokey his brother Craig and Mark and their friend Mark Fallen. When Scott booked the trip I secretly wondered if he had any blood relation the recently famous April Vokey of FlyGal adventures. Well it turns out that she is a distant niece of Scott's. I had Scott tell Steven that April was on our way to film with us and after last weeks brush with fame Steve almost believed us. 

With none of the guys ever having touched a fly rod before I knew we would have to focus on casting for a while before getting to the fish. But we needed to be in position to catch as the sun was only going to get hotter. So we made our way to a stretch of water that offers open casting room with trout to catch nearby. Once the men had their casts calibrated Steve moved down river with Scott and Mark Fallen and I worked with the other Mark and Craig. We were on rising fish immediately but they were being very picky. Mark was able to sting four and  almost landed two before we took a break for lunch. 

After lunch we headed to the wildcat where everyone was able to hook into some wild brook trout. Mark even hooked a large rainbow in the Ellis which would have been landed if it weren't for a large boulder that it was able to burrow under.

Last Tuesday I guided client Garry Marshal. Garry was a seasoned angler from the White River in Arkansas. He was thrilled to fish small dry flies to rising trout here in NH. We found fish quickly rising to black caddis in a small riffle and Garry quickly hooked into a wild rainbow. Then a brown, then a brook trout. Now all we needed for the grand slam was a salmon. Salmon are a rare catch in the southern stretches of the Andro as they migrate from lake Umbagog in Maine and need to come down seven or eight dams. I was skeptical that we would find one. But as we fished on Garry hooked into a silvery fish that shot into the air and a salmon came to the net. With a grand slam under our belts before lunch we worked the river with patience focusing on bigger rises in the slower water. Garry missed a few good fish before a thunderstorm rolled in and pushed us under the cover or a tent where we were able to eat lunch in comfort. With the thunderstorm through we were back on the water and Garry was able to get a few more bows to the net on nymphs before the day was through.

I had a quite a few beginner half day trips scattered throughout the week as well and all clients were able to test their new casts on wild brook trout. All were able to catch quite a few with some gorgeous specimens landed.

On Thursday I was back on the Andro with client Michael Kimball. We were again on a black caddis hatch from the get go with hits on just about every cast for the first hour of the float. With a few good fish just missed on dries I tied on a small dark nymph to see if we couldn't get a solid hook-set sub-surface. On the first cast Mike came tight to a nice brown and we landed the fish after a solid battle. We were able to get a few more wild rainbows on dries before the action slowed and we moved downstream. With time for only a half day float we had to move fast and we were able to get one more rainbow on the dries and a few close calls stripping nymphs before the day was through.

Can you find the Owl in this picture?

On Saturday I guided long time clients Carl Schoenbacher his boys Owen and Dean and his grilfriend Cathleen. I always enjoy guiding this crew as the boys have really taken to fly fishing at only eight and ten years old. With a late start we decided to head right to wild brook trout water. All caught fish with Cathleen landing three wild brook trout of about eight inches in just three casts. The boys got into a few as well. 

After lunch I decided to show the group one of my favorite wild brook trout spots. (If you are interested in a very unique brook trout experience you will want to request a trip to some of my wild brook trout waters) I unlocked the gate to this gem of a wild brook trout stream and took the crew down to one of the larger pools where the boys eyes bugged out of their heads at the massive school of trout fining in the calm crystal clear waters. Dean ran for his fly-rod but I tried to slow him down. "These fish will probably not bite much right now, they can see us as much as we can see them." And after the first few casts the boys had the fish darting around in a tight ball. I told the group, "Our best bet will be to fish some of the pools that we can sneak up on better and then come back to this pool at dark. So we hiked through thick grass and dodged poison ivy to get to a secluded beaver pond well upstream. With the high grass I told the boys that I'd do the casting and let them do the retrieving. The deal was that they each got five casts or a fish per turn. Owen was up first and his turn was a quick one with a solid eight inch wild brook trout on the first cast. Then it was Dean's turn...it took him just two casts. Owen was up again and he got one more within three casts. From here every fish came unbuttoned before landing and the sun was beginning to set so we worked our way back to the big pool.

There were few rises when we approached so I put on a fluffy CDC caddis that we could pop through the surface film. I showed the boys the technique and they began taking turns working on the correct twitch. The fish in this pool hit like smallmouth bass and it was a blast to see the boys jump at every explosion. The boys were having trouble with the hook set as they were bantering back and forth while they fished, but Dean was finally able to focus in and hook one before the night was through. All in all a great day with good people. Looking forward to our next adventure together.

On Sunday I had David Clay an experienced angler from Ohio who spends a week each year in Bozeman Montana.

*If you follow us on facebook you will want to pay attention now to find out what we were catching those fish on!

 I was hoping to show David some solid White Mountain Fly Fishing. Luckily the weather was cool and cloudy and the fish were on the feed...But they were not feeding on my lucky ant or my trusty rusty spinner...What was it now? I scanned the water as David made cast after cast with beetles...ants, grasshoppers etc. All that I saw in the water was one drowned housefly...no trout food. Finally David hooked into a nice rainbow. It had taken a size sixteen rusty spinner...and I thought we had things figured out. Then after another twenty minutes of casting to explosive rises nothing touched the spinner. Time to re-evaluate again. The rises were explosive...so the fish were not eating something small and dead like a rusty spinner. They were eating something slightly bigger that was probably moving a little. Again I scanned the water and again all that I saw was a dead house fly...but then I saw another...and another. I looked closely at the moving water and I saw more...then I saw a head come up and take one. Quickly I rummaged through my boxes...a house fly? What on earth do I have that looks remotely like a housefly. Finally I settled on a flying ant with darker wings. I tinkered with the fly spreading the wings apart to give them that delta style of a houseflies. We tied on the makeshift fly and David hooked a brown...then lost a bigger brown. Okay we had things figured out...or so I thought from there on the fish seemed to ignore our imposter. We moved upstream and found some fish feeding on a wider variety of bugs. We got another brown on the darker ant and then  a few on beetles and hoppers. 

After lunch I told David that we needed to stop by the fly shop to scrounge up a better housefly imitation. I scanned the boxes and finally found a short dark flying ant with a grey and black mottled wing. I held the fly up and looked from underneath. to my eye it looked almost identical to the houseflies we had been seeing on the water. We drove to a new spot to try our new fly and as we approached the first pool there was a good fish rising. As an experiment David started with the same flies we'd been fishing before lunch. After about ten fruitless casts I tied on the new housefly. The fish hit as soon as the fly touched water. And it wasn't a fluke David hooked eight more trout and landed four on the housefly before the day was through. All fish landed were over twelve inches with a few in the 15-17 inch class. It was a good day to learn something new. 

On a side note I spoke with my good friend Bob Mallard later that evening. Bob said he had seen these flies himself and clarified that they are not exactly houseflies but a species known as cluster flies. I researched these bugs and sure enough they are exactly what we saw. If you'd like to learn more about cluster flies click here. http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/cluster-flies

I'll be working on a new pattern for these guys over the next few days. Of course who knows if I'll ever even see this phenomenon again. But if I do I'll be ready! 

So what is to come? I am scheduled for an evening Andro float tonight and I'm psyched because I think that there will be a good hatch of stoneflies, caddis and pale evening duns tonight. The rains tomorrow will have fish on the feed. Streamers may become more important if water levels rise enough. On cooler days look for BWO's and Cahills to become important. On warmer days stoneflies, flying ants and all other terrestrials will be important. As August progresses flying ants should become an even more consistent trend with the best ant drops on the most humid and overcast days. As fall nears Isonychia mayflies and October caddis will become more consistent. As you can see there are always surprise hatches or food sources that can pop up from time to time. Always try to be observant and never expect hatches to be exactly the same every day.

Tight lines,

Nate