We just had another great weekend hosting the ladies of Hope On The Rise, and even though the weather didn’t cooperate too well, there were quite a few trout that did! There’s our own Old Man River with one of last weekend’s participants.

HOTR-fish-onAnother nice turn out last weekend for the annual Hope On The Rise retreat at Tall Timber and the ladies looked like pros on their casting practice on Back Lake and then the Sunday morning guided fishing on the Connecticut River, as more than a few brook trout were brought to bay. That’s only half the story though, so check out the Hope On The Rise website when you have a chance, and maybe even contribute to their worthy cause.

Overall, the conditions remain remarkably similar to how they’ve been for the last couple of weeks: periods of intense rain and very little sunshine.  Throw in some blustery winds, and it has made for some challenging fishing days this week, but it still beats work!

Sounds like there’s some brook trout and salmon in the Magalloway Stretch (163 CFS) still being caught this week, for those that like to hike a little for their fish, while the Trophy Stretch (144 CFS out of the dam, but quite a bit more than that spilling over the boards) has had some action this week, leading us to believe that perhaps there’s been a stocking.

Still, the lower stretch of the Connecticut River below Pittsburg (right around 600 CFS) has had the most consistent action lately, and there’s been numerous caddis, stonefly and mayfly hatches to try to mimic. Sometimes there’s so many different insects coming off that it is nearly impossible to figure out what they’re taking – 20 to 30 flies later, you’re scratching your head and walking off the river, left to analyze your mistakes and figure it out for the next time.

Nothing to report yet on the return of the hex hatch to Back Lake, but the black caddis and brown drakes have continued their emergences on the lake, making for some pretty satisfied trout and bass lately. We haven’t had many classic quiet nights on the lake this summer, but it looks like this weekend we may get lucky.