Upper Connecticut River Fishing Report: 8/12

Not too many earth shattering revelations coming in this post, dear readers. The river flows are exactly the same as they have been all summer long (180 CFS out of Murphy, 95 CFS out of First Lake Dam, and 49 CFS out of Second Lake Dam), the trout and salmon that are in the various stretches have literally “seen it all”, and today it was pretty warm in the north country, but probably not nearly as warm as where you are …

This would be perfect weather for those that like to wet wade, though the water down below Murphy Dam at Lake Francis is still ranging from the mid to upper 50’s. It is the depths of summer in other words, and we have a couple more days of heat to deal with before it lets up again.

The young man in the picture above had a good morning with our fishing guide Mickey Cunliffe on his maiden voyage in to fly fishing. Corey managed to land five or six fish, which is better luck than most anglers (myself included) have been having lately. Hopefully Corey continues his journey in to the world of fly fishing …

As for the fishing, some anglers have found success utilizing nymphs and dries, where applicable, but the fish haven’t exactly been “jumping on the hook”. Time, patience, and sometimes frequent fly changes are needed to bring the quarry to net. Also, lighter leaders and tippets (5X, 6X, ?), small flies, and gentle presentations are generally recommended right now due to the lower than average water flows.

The trout and salmon and even us anglers are sadly getting used to these flows that we’ve been experiencing for going on four months now. Imagine what it will feel like on that day that the Trophy Stretch comes up to 150 – 200 CFS (whenever that is!) – it might feel like Niagara Falls …