Autumn Fishing on the Upper Connecticut

It can be spectacular, not only for the fishing, but the scenery is pretty special as well. The trout are almost as brilliant as the frequently drifting leaves that never cease to attach themselves to your fly. The weather is usually comfortable, though there is occasionally the spike of an indian summer or the plunge of what’s coming next … winter. It’s never far away here in northern New Hampshire.

While you may find numerous anglers out there looking to feel the thrill of a fish on their rod one more time before the season concludes, it can also be quiet on the water too at times. Hardly an angler out there yesterday morning when I ventured forth – it was peaceful and a reminder of the way things “used to be”.

There were a few fish working on top yesterday morning where I began. Looked like minuscule BWO’s that the fish were taking, though a couple stoneflies flitted by too. I managed to take a rainbow on a size 16 Purple Haze (think of an Adams with a purple body), but the fly was pretty damaged upon release. You guessed it, that was the last one I had in my fly box …

The streamer game just did not seem to be producing yesterday morning for me, perhaps a result of the modest Trophy Stretch flow (152 CFS), so I had to resort to nymphs. Anyone that fishes with me knows that this is the “sum of all fears”. I prefer to use streamers, tied on 1X tippet, and I can go a couple of sessions with the same fly on.

Nymphing for me is a war of attrition. I know I’m going to lose a lot of gear, the question is how bad the losses will be and at what point are they no longer acceptable and I say “No Mas!” and call it a day?

I tried several different combinations, usually involving a Prince or BH Pheasant Tail up front, but it wasn’t until I took some well timed advice from TTL Fishing Guide Mickey Cunliffe (cell phones are handy at times) that I tried a Little Green Machine as the trail fly. It worked, though I think that several other BWO nymph and emerger patterns would also have worked. A couple of pretty brook trout were brought to the net and released quickly.

Our NH ruffed grouse hunting season begins next week, and the opportunities to be on the water will disappear for another few months or so for me. It’s nearly time to chase bird dogs over hill and dale in search of “pa’tridge”, and some timberdoodles too.

It was nice to get some fishing in on the Connecticut before it’s over for another year.