April report Arkansas and New Hampshire

Right now the fishing is good at home in NH and here in Arkansas. While we've been having a great time learning the waters of the Ozarks we are looking forward to returning home to test some new techniques out in the Granite State. 

A mid-day streamer eater.

Fishing conditions here in Arkansas have been varied over the past few weeks with changing flows and weather we have been able to see the rivers in many different conditions which has provided a great learning experience. We have figured out how to catch fish in a variety of conditions, from sunny days with low flows to cloudy days with high flows and everything in between, we have learned that big fish can be caught no matter the weather and flow. It is more a matter of persistence than waiting for the "right" conditions around here. With so many large fish in the White River system it is just a matter of time before a large fish gets hungry. 

A late day streamer eater. Took a rainbow trout pattern.

We have found that these big fish can be taken on nymphs and dries but the most consistent method of taking them continues to be with streamers in just about every condition. The key here is varying your pattern choice, water type, and retrieve based on flow and weather. Yesterday we enticed a few big browns to take streamers in sunny, windy conditions with low flow. 

A nymph caught brown from the Norfork river. 

With our raft we have also been able to explore some more remote waters here in the Ozarks. One such stream has proven to be a true jem with wild rainbows to 20" and big holdover browns to keep things interesting. We have really enjoyed the beauty and remote feel of this water. It is like a piece of Montana without the crowds. 

A large wild rainbow from a remote stretch of water.

Back in NH our Guide Steve Bowman has been busy fishing and guiding the Lakes region of NH for large rainbows and LL salmon. Steve had a great day on the water the other day with brothers Mark and Luke Antal. Both caught twenty inch fish on size 22 flies and were able to join the prestigious 20 on a 20 club. See our facebook page for pictures of these beautiful bows!

We have two trips booked for this week here in Arkansas and then we begin our Journey home on April 16th. We plan to take the scenic route and should be back home to start fishing and guiding by April 25th. We are excited to test out some new streamer and nymphing techniques on the local waters of New Hampshire. The Saco especially has some potential for large browns in Late April and Early May (as we saw last season). 

If you would like to book a trip for this season please contact us ASAP, Dates are filling fast especially in June.  As  of this writing Nate Hill is available June 1st, 2nd, 3rd, June 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 17th, 20th, 24th,26th. If you are interested in other dates Steve Bowman may be available. Please let us know what you are interested in and we will do what we can to get you on the water. July and August are starting to fill fast so let us know if you are interested in summer datesThanks for reading and be sure to check out our facebook page for daily pics and videos. 

Tight lines,

Nate

Hello from Cotter Arkansas

Well we arrived last Sunday March 6th and the streamer fishing has been both educational and productive. We started things off with a bang with a 27" brown on our night of arrival. From there we've been getting large trout 25" + with many average fish in-between. With warmer weather and more moderate flows this week look for smaller streamers and nymphs to come into their own. Flows may increase later this week into next week as they draw water down in response to last weeks flooding. 

If you are interested in pursuing the fish of a lifetime this is the place to do it. We are booking trips up until April 11th. 

I hope to see you down here. P.S today it was 76 degrees and sunny....

Check out the video below and pics to SEE what we've been up to.

2015... A Year In Review

What a year 2015 was! We had our busiest season to date here at HCG with 153 trips on the books. That's a better than 50% increase over 2014. We started things off with a brand new fleet of Orvis rods, reels and waders which armed us for a year of many successful days on the water. We began the season floating new stretches of water on the Saco and found some amazingly large brown trout and rainbows on streamers. 

An early season Saco streamer eater!

With a busy season under way we took on a second guide, Steve Bowman of Wolfeborough  NH. Steve had a great season with positive feedback from all of his clients and many nice fish landed under his guidance. We look forward to working as a team again next season and hope to bring on a third guide to keep up with demand. 

Trips in mid to late may were exciting ones. We had some epic days hunting for wild brook trout and our clients made it count on some gorgeous native fish. As a bonus some of our lake outlet streams provided some fast action for rainbows and LL salmon. 

This native brookie gulped a large dry fly. Caught on a remote un-stocked pond.

Stealthy hook set on a wild brook trout.

Wading for spring creek brookies.

Spring creek brook trout.

A spring lake run rainbow.

As the season got underway we got word that WMUR's show, NH Chronicle, wanted to do a spot on us. After two rain postponements we were able to get a shoot done on the Saco. Although we got a late start we caught fish from start to finish.. When it came to editing the piece, Cindy Cupp Jones and crew were spot on, and captured exactly what we are all about. If you missed it, see it HERE!

Late May through mid June provided us with some epic caddis hatches on the Andro. On some floats we only needed one fly to catch fish from top to bottom. Mid June Through early July provided ample trips on the Saco throwing streamers and dries to hungry browns and rainbows. With frequent rain events we were able to find, and then explore  many new hot spots.

Wild Andro bow taken on an X Caddis Late May.

Streamer caught brown... we measured this big boy at 21"

Another streamer eater.

As July came around the Andro dropped to fishable flows and provided some of the best top water action on Golden Stoneflies that I have ever seen.. One memorable float accounted for over 30 rainbows landed on large foam imitations. 

July means Stonefly city on the Andro 

One of many trout taken off the bank with a foam golden stone.

later in July we got the call to guide well known country Singer Luke Bryan and friends. Luke was a truly nice guy and one heck of a fly fisherman. I especially enjoyed working with his nephew Til and Til's friend Christian. We'd like to thank Luke for the concert tickets to his shows at Meadowbrook in Gilford. What a great performance! 

Luke Bryan with a dry fly caught brown. This man can fish!

Eating lunch with Luke Bryan and crew.

Late July and August provided some banner dry fly and nymph fishing on the Saco. The rainbows seemed especially fat this season. And the browns were aggressive terrestrial eaters. We had some magical evenings fishing everything from flying ants, to Chernobyl ants and BWO's. It seemed that the fish chose new foods constantly, which kept us on our toes figuring out new strategies by the minute. 

This Saco brookie took a chubby Chernobyl 

This Saco Brown was fooled by a big ugly stonefly nymph.

A Saco Bow taken by yours truly during a late afternoon BWO hatch in early August. 

In Early August The Book 25 Best Towns: Fly Fishing For Trout hit bookstores. Written by  Bob Mallard the book chronicles the authors travels to the  Nations top fly fishing towns. The book is well organized with a national map of all towns included.  Each chapter profiles a different town and includes: information on the towns fisheries, and how to fish them,  points of interest, lodging, shops and guide services.. We are proud that our hometown of North Conway made the list and that the Saco, Ellis, and Andro all received worthy mention. We appreciate that HCG is listed as the recommended guide service and North Country Angler the recommended fly shop. 

In August and September the Andro came alive with Isonychia and we had some epic days swinging soft hackles to capitalize on this large mayfly hatch. Flying ants and October caddis also provided excellent big river and  small stream action late summer. As Fall progressed we had some banner days below some of the dams on the river and more successful floats using BWO's and streamers patterns.

Iso eater.

This sixteen inch Andro Brown exploded on a swung wet fly.

In September we had the opportunity to help NH Fish and Game and USFS Biologists survey the Wildcat River. They were looking to see if the river would qualify for Wild Trout Management designation. The biologists were blown away by the number of wild brook trout they surveyed. The river proved that it produces more than double the number of trout needed to qualify for wild trout management! More on this in our next report! 

Shocking the town stretch.

Wild brook trout just after release.

A dry dropper combo was often all we needed to get tight in October and when that wasn't the ticket a white or off white streamer often was. We  had some banner streamer fishing on the Saco. And we even used the boat to find some local LL Salmon just before the close of season.

A healthy Saco Rainbow.

Wild Landlocked salmon...we will be exploring this water further this year!

As November came about fish began to key in on Egg patterns and streamers. On warmer days midge and BWO hatches were discovered. We had success with emergers and dries. With a mild December we continued to catch fish on nymphs and streamers right up until Christmas. Fish were found on the Andro and some of our local lakes before they froze over just before the New Year. 

Chowed down on a white articulated Butt Monkey.

A late season wild Andro Bow taken on a nymph. 

December  lake rainbow caught on a streamer as it cruised the shallows. 

December Rainbow on the Andro. This fish slammed a flashy Angel Hair streamer.

So what is to come in 2016? We are excited to announce that we will be spending March and April guiding on the White and Norfork rivers out of Cotter AR. These rivers have defined themselves as two of the best trophy trout waters in the nation. If you are interested in booking a trip please contact us asap as dates are limited (We have already booked a few). Look for our Cotter reports in March and April. Before we leave for Cotter we will be presenting at the NH Fly Fishing Show on February 27th in Manchester NH. This years presentation will focus on our unique drift trip opportunities on the Saco and Androscoggin rivers. 

White River Brown.

When we return from Cotter you can look forward to local reports to come frequently.. We plan to explore new rivers this spring from the boat, along with new stretches on the Saco and Andro. When not hitting the rivers we will be hiking into our remote brook trout ponds and disecting our rainbow and LL salmon fisheries. There is a lot to be excited about for 2016. It is nice to see that others are excited as well. We have been booking trips and selling gift certificates as of late. If you are looking to book a trip for 2016 let us know ASAP!  We look forward to spending time wth you on the water this season! 

Tight Lines,

Nate

Early December Report

Fishing on the Andro has been consistent with at least a few good fish taken on every outing. Fish have moved to their wintering grounds. Focus on the biggest pools. On warmer days fish can be caught in the last bit of fast water before the river slows. When in doubt move downstream to slower flowing water. Nymphing is always a good bet with  buggers or stoneflies coupled with a pink san juan worm or egg pattern being  a good choice. Fish streamers on a full sink or sink tip line depending on depth. I prefer a kreelix or other flashy patterns to fish the slower waters. On warmer/ calm days expect hatches of BWO's and black midges to kick in around noon. Watch for subtle rises along the edges of currents and in the tail ends of slower pools. 

Be patient. With cold water fish activity will be concentrated to the warmest hours of the day. It is not a bad idea to get a later start. Skip the fastest water where you would want to spend time in the summer months. Focus on slower currents and deeper runs to drift your nymphs through. With streamers vary your retrieve, when in doubt slow things down and go deeper. Always be aware of surface activity, especially in the slowest, calmest water. 
I prefer a double dry rig including an adult and emerger pattern. A swung nymph is a good bet if bugs are on the water but fish are not rising.

Lakes and ponds managed for rainbow trout are also still fishing well. Here to you will want to focus on the warmest and calmest hours of the day. Look for rising fish to be cruising. To catch them you will need to lead them a foot or two. Black midge emergers and dries are your best bets. This is challenging but very rewarding fishing. Fishing streamers and buggers near drop offs or tributary inlets and outlets can also produce fish. I had good luck with an olive leach pattern at a lake outlet the other day. 

High temps over the next seven days will range from 39 to 47 degrees,  still on the warmer side for this time of the year. This weekend looks to be a good time to get out with temps in the mid to upper forties, bright sun and light west winds.

Early November Report

Over the past few weeks I have taken the opportunity to actually go fishing. Most of my clients seem to understand that although I am on the water almost every day of the season, rarely do I get to wave the magic stick myself. On October 21st I had the pleasure of taking out Bill and Janet of North Country Angler. You can read a full report of that trip on their website here .

On October 22nd I had the opportunity to  fish with my good friends Bill Rioux and Greg Inglis. I met bill nine years ago when I taught at Kennett High School. Bill was the head of guidance and hunted me down to talk fishing after work one day. I taught him to fly fish that summer and we fished nearly every day I wasn't guiding. Of course now-a-days that isn't often and this was our first day out together in over a year. Greg and I met years ago through a mutual guide friend Pat Ard. Greg guides full time for Lopstick Lodge up in Pittsburg NH. Greg and I make it a point to fish together every season when guiding slows down. We joke that when most peoples fishing season ends ours begins. 

The stretch of water we set out to fish is not easy to access and it took us a good half hour to get the boat into the water. As we set out the river was high, which is ideal for this stretch as it pushes the bigger browns into side channels and banks where we can entice them with streamers. Unfortunately as we pushed the boat out the water dropped to a trickle. The dam controls these flows and it is hard to predict when the company will stick to their scheduled releases and when they won't. The day started slow with only a few fallfish to net. As we came upon a juicy riffle I couldn't help but take out the nymph rig. . Greg and Bill stuck with the streamers. After a few fishless drifts I noticed a BWO flutter by. Quickly I tied a BWO nymph below my other two nymphs and made a long tension cast upstream. As my flies drifted past the indicator shot down. I lifted tight to a 12" wild brown trout. This stretch of river has a mix of both wild and stocked fish. Biologists track the stocked fish through fin clipping. The stocked browns have different fins clipped each year to determine holdover rates. This fish did not have any fin clips, indicating that it was wild. A few casts later I came tight to a 15" wild rainbow that rocketed into the air. Both fish ate the BWO.

Wild rainbow caught on a dead drifted BWO nymph.

While I was having fun with the nymphs neither Greg nor Bill were excited about nymphing. They were intent on catching fish on streamers. We got back in the boat with me at the oars. After another half mile without a streamer bite Greg said he would take a turn at the oars. I couldn't pass up the offer as I hadn't cast a fly out of my own boat in nearly six months. After another quarter mile I finally came tight to a trout on the big fly. It was a fourteen inch brown with a clipped caudal fin. I was guessing that it had been stocked this year as the previous year they had been clipping the adipose fins. We pushed on with Greg at the oars in search of larger fish. We concentrated on some side channels that were much lower than we would prefer. I cast to the bank of the channel, in almost dead calm water there was a violent boil on my fly. I cast again and again but the fish never returned. With these larger fish you often only get one chance. As we moved down the channel i heard Bill yell, he had felt the violent grab of a monster but the fish was gone. We continued to concentrate on the left bank when suddenly Greg shifted towards the middle of the river. "What are you doing?" I asked, "We should fish this left bank." I like the look of this seam forming on the right, it looks fishy." "Alright, I guess it's worth a shot" I wanted to fish water where I had seen fish before. But how could I argue, conditions were different and it always pays to experiment. 

On my third cast I came tight. 

"SEE!!" Greg yelled. We all laughed as I pulled a fat seventeen inch rainbow to the boat. As we released the fish Bill let out another yell. "Gahhhh missed another one!" 

Holdover rainbow caught on an articulated Butt Monkey.

We fished on and as we came to some slower water I spotted some trouty noses coming up.. With only an hour left of daylight we decided to stick with the streamers. We didn't land another trout, but it was a great day. We learned some new tricks on this piece of water and we had a few fish to come back for. 

Last week I finally got the chance to fish with my good friend and author Bob Mallard. Bob has been trying to get me out on the water now for over a week and we wanted at least two full days to fish together. We set out to fish a good stretch of water for BWO's. We were hopeful that the hatch would be in full swing. It surely was, in-fact it may have been the best BWO hatch I have ever seen.On top of that we had a bonus hatch of caddis both evenings. In two days of fishing together we conservatively estimated that we landed 80 fish, mostly browns. "Yeah right!" You must be saying. And I would be too. But when you get the perfect hatch and find the perfect water these numbers are possible. To give you an example of how furious the fishing was, below are two pictures of two of more than six doubles that we had. In many cases we were hooking multiple fish while the other angler worked to release and re-dry his flies. It was honestly the best brown trout fishing I have ever had. 

One of many Brown Trout doubles.

Tiger Trout?

This fish ate a Purple Haze on the surface sixty feet out.

One of many.

Since then I have been out a few more times. On Friday I got into some good rainbows fishing egg patterns and small buggers. Yesterday I had another great BWO hatch on a different stretch of water this one was more challenging. I hooked six fish but all threw my hook before I could get them to the net. My guess is that they were all big wild rainbows as they shook violently on the hook sets. I will be back there with the boat to get revenge.

So what is to come? November means colder water temps which will make the warmest hours of the day most productive. BWO and midge hatches will persist and your best bet for dry fly action will be from 1pm to 4pm. I can't count how many times I have seen anglers giving up on the fishing before the hatch has even started. When the bugs aren't on the water egg patterns can be effective in side channels where rainbows move to feed on the spawn of other species. When fishing these areas be aware of light colored gravel. These are often spawning beds and should not be interfered with. As the month progresses more fish will be moving to the slower pools and eddies where you would expect to find nothing but warm water species. This water can be streamer fished, or fished with nymphs, both dead drifted or stripped. This is also the best water type for BWO hatches. There is still plenty of time to get out on the water before ski season arrives. We are still booking trips through November. This is a great time of year to float the bigger rivers!