Anticipation

Much like that old Heinz 57 ketchup commercial (I realize I’m dating myself with this reference, but if you’re a child of the late sixties or seventies, you might remember this particular ad campaign), it’s only a matter of hours before the goodness in the bottle finally drips out to start the new fishing season on the Connecticut River on January 1. There’s a few of us up here that have been waiting anxiously, really ever since the waning of daylight that closed the season back on October 15.

It’s probably accurate to say that last year’s fishing season in northern New Hampshire (as well as the other northern New England states that share in the same weather patterns) left something to be desired. Near drought conditions afflicted us in May, June and the majority of July, putting our lakes behind the 8-ball as far as water levels go. Consequently, river flows were lower than normal nearly all season to try to retain the lake levels to some degree. The annual balancing act between the lake levels, the river flows, and the desires of anglers and other recreational groups is, shall we say, “sensitive” – any change in the formula due to the whims of Mother Nature affects the whole thing.

For us anglers, it created spooky fish, usually concentrated in the more defined pools. As the weather warmed in the summer, some fish also sought refuge in the more oxygenated runs and riffles, which helped spread them out a bit. It was challenging, and our guides that ply the oars on their drift boats and rafts really had a battle keeping their boats in the right spots to avoid obstacles, and out of the feeding lanes where the fish were – not easy when the river has half the water that it normally does.

For a rapidly aging wade angler like myself, it was wonderful being able to cross nearly anywhere I wanted all summer and fall, but this was a false byproduct of our low water summer. The fish often weren’t residing in the places that I have found them in the past, and definitely not in the same numbers. Of course, they were probably there the whole time, but were just laying low for the most important factor during times of low water: self-preservation.

We are currently still a bit down on lake levels, but this winter and spring will eventually determine what kind of fishing conditions we will have next summer and fall. Let’s hope for a lot of snow this winter, as most anglers are not huge fans of playing in the rain during the fishing season when it finally comes.

Here’s to a Happy, Healthy, and Fishy New Year for all of you!