Saco River Fly Fishing | Guided Fly Fishing Trips : New Hampshire, White Mountains

Saco River, Located in Bartlett, North Conway, Conway NH. Fly fishing for Brown Trout, Brook Trout, and Rainbow Trout. The Saco River flows out of Crawford Notch and winds its way right through the Center of North Conway where the Fly Fishing Only stretch provides exceptional dry fly angling. Trips on the Saco are recommended for early morning or late evening when the dry fly fishing is at its finest, and the crowds are low. The Saco is the ideal setting to work on your dry fly dead drift. Sighting large brown trout sipping mayflies provides ample motivation. The Saco also provides opportunities to catch monster trout on big streamers.

Saco River Trips

Milan Krainchich with an early season streamer eater.

Best time to come: June- Early July or Late August- mid-October (April through mid-May to hunt for large browns)

Trip Types: Full day/ Half day wade and Full day/ Half day floats

The Water: The Saco River flows out of Crawford Notch and winds its way right through the Center of North Conway where the Fly Fishing Only stretch provides exceptional dry fly angling. The Saco offers a variety of angling experiences from April through October. Prime time for dry fly fishing is from June through September. The Saco gets stocked with brook, brown and rainbow trout. Trips in June are recommended for early morning or late evening when the dry fly fishing is at its finest, and the crowds are low. The Saco is the ideal setting to work on your dry fly dead drift. Sighting large brown trout sipping mayflies provides ample motivation. Later in the summer anglers can sight fish to trout feeding on terrestrials right through the middle of the day.

The Saco also provides opportunities to catch monster trout on streamers. This fishing is best done from our rafts, early or late in the season. Fishing is best when water levels are up and wade fishermen are sidelined. We do a lot of this fishing before the river is stocked for the season, targeting wild and holdover brown trout. We recommend these trips for experienced anglers looking to hunt for trophy fish. Over the years we've studied these elusive fish, their movements, and feeding habits. It is not uncommon to go hours without action, but the persistent and confident angler is eventually rewarded with a jolt of electric gold on the end of their line. We are seriously obsessed with this fishing and look forward to sharing it with you!

Brown trout taken during an evening spinner fall.

Client Gary Kolanda with a pristine Saco Brown. Caught floating the river in Early June 2017.

Head guide Nate Hill with an example of what patient early season streamer fishing can bring.

What to Expect:

The Saco’s moderate flow of crystal clear water makes it a dry fly fisherman’s dream. With a bottom made up of mostly sand and gravel, it is not a difficult river to wade. Fishermen can spend an entire evening dissecting the behavior of a wary brown trout. Located right in downtown North Conway, it is a great location for experienced fly fishermen who don’t want to travel far for a quality angling experience. When the Saco is high, floating the river and casting streamers can be deadly for large browns, rainbows and brookies. Hill Country Guides is the first outfitter to offer float trips on the Saco. During the months of March, April and May you can have opportunities at large trout in complete isolation. If you are willing to deal with tubers and kayakers a bump in flow during the summer time can provide good fishing. While the Saco has some of the biggest fish in our area, it can be a challenging river, as trout become well educated in it’s slow, clear waters. Thus high water is key to targeting large trout.

In July and August Water levels aren't always ideal for floating but when they are we take advantage.