Unlike New Jersey trout season really never shuts down for the summer. Some rivers may get warm, but you just have to move upstream. Most rivers have their source up in the mountains. I never found water warmer than 64º. The reason I did not fish on hot days was that I was uncomfortable.
When I hit the mountain streams, the Ellis River being my favorite so far, I mainly caught wild brook trout. They are not big, but they are plentiful.
The Ellis River in Pinkham Notch.
The Ammonoosuc River up by the Mount Washington hotel and downstream by Lower Falls, I did well drifting a big Royal Wulff dry flies or swinging a streamer. I had several double-digit days. When I say days I mean 2 hours after work.
Mainly fairly big stocked brookies with a few rainbows peppered in. I understand the state had a shortage of rainbow trout to stock this year. But I’m very happy with what I caught.
I am mainly a catch and release fly fisherman. However, I did take two home for the grill this year. One big stocked Brookie one big stocked rainbow.
I went out to fish today. Probably one of my last days in the official trout season. Just a couple more weeks left. It seems that weather and schedules conspireagainst me.
After a full day of downpours, which we need, fishing was tough. First I went and checked out the Ammonoosuc River up in Bretton woods. Checked a few places where I had done well though out the summer. All washed out. So I moved on to a new location in the Zealand Camp ground area in the White Mountain National Forest. The Zealand River is much smaller than the Ammo and a river I wanted to check out all summer but “you don’t leave fish to find fish”.
This is a beautiful area. I would love to camp here next spring. No fish. The water was still high for a small stream. I was battling high winds and temps in the low 40s. I tried my hand at a very small stream that comes down off the Presidential Range in Jefferson Notch. Mount Jefferson to be exact, Jefferson Brook. The weather had gotten worse. Fog or light rain the dirt road Jefferson Notch Road seemed to be getting slick. The stream is a high gradient pocket waterand water fall stream. I fished a few pockets. It was hard to get any kind of drift in the fast water. The weather got the best of me and I decided to move on and find some fishable water.
I move over to the East side of the Presidentials to Pinkham Notch. The weather was much better on this side of the mountains. Sunny scattered clouds, no rain or fog. It was like the mountains squeezed the rain out of the clouds on the west side. it was still a bit cold and the wind was gusting hard. I did really well here all summer, so I was optimistic. I started fishing where the New River comes into the Ellis River. The water did not seem as high and I could get some good drifts with a heavy tandem nymph rig. I fished down the river for about a quarter of a mile. Drifting my rig through every slot, pocket, and run I could. Not a tap. I tied on a Mickey Finn streamer and worked my way back upstream swinging that streamer through some of the pools and runs. No Luck. I decided to call it a day.
Finished up my day with a local Coffee porter watching the clouds drift by. Hopefully, I’ll be out again next week.
So I’m 60 years old. I plan on doing more fishing than ever. I have got to know the fishery’s here in New Hampshire much better. Now if I could see my flies and tippet, that would be great!
I find it amazing how different the Fisheries are here in New Hampshire compared to New Jersey. My buddies down in New Jersey have been posting tons of fish porn for about the last month and a half.
Things are just popping off here now as if someone flipped a switch. I hooked this beautiful brookie on about my second cast.
Well, when I was in New Jersey, I could fish for trout pretty much all year round. Here in New Hampshire, to my surprise, the last day of trout fishing in the rivers is October 15th. My boss heard me say this and gave me a half day off so I could wet a line.
I fished two local streams, the East branch of the Saco River and the Ellis River, both to no avail. It was certainly nice to get out and feel the cool stream around my legs. I will certainly do some more exploring come springtime.
East Branch of the Soco. Fished the Flat Rocks area.The Ellis River. I fished from Timmy’s Bridge upstream about a 1/4 of a mile.
I love fishing for wild trout. Most people don’t think of New Jersey when they think of wild trout, but I caught these beauties in a local stream. I’m told this stream has not been stocked in at least 30 years.
I look forward to the Fly Fishing show. Although it’s a lot of work. I get to see new stuff on the market and meet new people from the outdoor industry. The crew here at Ramsey outdoor seem to have set up and break down locked in. All in all a good show.
On two Saturdays in February I will be teaching an Intro to Fly Tying Class. To be honest I’m not sure that I can teach. Sure I have given pointers to people at open tying nights and I have got a couple of friends and family started in their pursuit of fly tying. The question is can I teach a total newbie to tie? Will I be able to get my point across. Will I be able to hold their attention for the length of the class? Well, a preformed a bit of an experiment. I ask my wife Marylynn to allow me to teach her to tie a fly. She really had no interest, so I thought this would be a good test. We sat down and tied a Woolly Bugger. She picked up on it quite well even after getting over the hurdle of her being left-handed. We tied two flies. They did not come out bad at all. Well, this proved to me that I can teach. Thanks, Hon!
Tap 'n' Trout 