Upper Connecticut River Fishing Report: 7/27

Summer’s flying by here in northern New Hampshire, and we have finally had our first dose of real “summer” weather. Hot and humid temps, with some serious thunderstorms mixed in, has made for changing river flow conditions on the upper Connecticut River lately. Still, the angling has remained good, due in large part to our bottom-release dams.

Last week saw several powerful storm systems roll through the area, dropping several inches of rain. Overall, that’s pretty good news as we probably needed the precipitation anyway, freshening the flow for the trout and salmon, but it blew out the river in the areas below major tribs (Perry Stream, Indian Stream, Hall Stream) temporarily. It only took a little over a day for the river to clear and eventually start coming down to a wade-friendly level.

All of the rain also started filling the Connecticut Lakes again, so the discharge out of First Lake was increased from 150 to 200 CFS and out of Lake Francis the river flows at 390 CFS (up from 300 CFS). We anticipate that these flows will remain constant for a while, at least until there is another major change in the weather. Don’t forget that the annual drawdown of the Connecticut Lakes will probably be going on a month from now, so flows could be elevated a bit more as autumn approaches.

The water temperature below Murphy Dam at Lake Francis remains in the low 50’s, perfect for trout and the insect hatches that support them. Meanwhile, we have heard some reports that temperatures in the Trophy Stretch are hovering near 70 degrees (69.5 degrees a couple of days ago), which is close to the danger point for trout and salmon. Caution should be used when fishing in the Trophy Stretch – angling when the water is several degrees cooler (in the morning and in the evening) is recommended, and fish should be played gently and released quickly. Keep ’em wet, folks …

We are also in the dry fly prime time, if that is what you like to do. There are still good numbers of caddis, mayflies and stoneflies hatching at various points of the day, and don’t forget about terrestrials. Twitching that juicy foam Hopper pattern on it’s way down the river as it gets slammed by a hungry salmonid could be one of the great experiences in fly fishing …

As usual, streamers and nymphs have also been doing damage in the right spots and at the right times. My streamer has been “hot as a pistol” when swinging through certain pools and runs either in the morning or in the evening, but rarely does it work in the same pool all day long. The fish can be awfully tight lipped, as they have seen it all so far this season.