We’re entering the sweet spot of our fishing season, if you speak to most seasoned north country anglers. The river flows are dropping, the water temperature is warming, the insect hatches are coming, and our fish are becoming much more active. The switch has been flipped, and we are near the best month of our fishing season: June.
“The Tug is the Drug”.
That’s the saying we’ve all heard in regards to fly fishing, but it is especially true for us that prefer to streamer fish. It really doesn’t matter how the tug is achieved, whether the fly is dead drifted, subtly manipulated in the water currents, or sporadically stripped … as long as a fish finds your offering appealing.
A happy byproduct of the salmon run is the chance of also landing a lake trout or two – TTL guest Mike O’Neill did that yesterday with the help of TTL Fishing Guide Mickey Cunliffe.
They did pretty well yesterday morning in their search for salmon, but this laker provided a good battle. Released to chase smelt again …
I must confess … I don’t always listen to advice from my elder siblings, but in the case of fly fishing, trout and salmon, I listen to my sister Cindy. She was one of the first female fly fishing guides in New Hampshire back in the day, so her sage wisdom carries some weight.
Much like that E.F. Hutton commercial from so long ago, “when Cindy talks, people listen.”
“603”, “506”, “810” … a collection of numbers that often represents area codes (especially 603), not usually river flows, but this has certainly been a different kind of spring, hasn’t it? The beat goes on up here in northern New Hampshire, and New England in general for that matter. Cool, windy and rainy weather at times has made it challenging for anglers so far.
More unsettled weather this week in northern New Hampshire, and none of it can really be considered “spring like” in any way. Chilly, frequently windy, and sometimes rainy has made for challenging conditions for anglers. While the water slowly warms to mid 40ish temperatures, it seems to have delayed bug hatching activity and has affected the fishing somewhat.