Salmon Serenade

It’s that time of the fishing season where we anticipate catching (and releasing) landlocked salmon in the Connecticut River. Sadly, we only have a few more weeks left to pursue Salmo Salar, the “Leaper”, before the season closes on October 15. That, in addition to the kaleidoscope of arboreal colors that form the backdrop that we play in on the river make this my favorite time of the year. Many thanks to NH Fishing Guide Mickey Cunliffe for his beautiful image of this male landlock.

My big problem, as is the case with some other fly anglers I imagine, is that the grouse woods call me off the river starting on or around October 1. Simply put, my pups require that I follow them in search of ruffed grouse and woodcock, so I often miss out on the final two weeks of the fishing season every year. C’est la vie!

As for the conditions, we have continued to get periodic rain, sometimes in heavy doses, throughout August and September, so there is no shortage of water in the Connecticut Lakes. The lakes are currently being “drawn down” to accommodate lake trout that spawn in the lakes, and the desired levels should be reached at Second Lake (currently flowing at 307 CFS) in the next week, and First Lake (currently flowing at 200 CFS) in the first week of October. Lake Francis (Murphy Dam is at 465 CFS currently) will come after that.

This all means that there should be a healthy flow of water for most of the remainder of the season, encouraging salmon to journey upriver to prepare for spawning. Perhaps five years ago, we had a fall similar to this one – plenty of water was moving in late September and October, and consequently a lot of salmon, some very large, were moving as well, and the fishing was exhilarating. Some awesome days out there for me personally, and for other anglers I suspect – it lives on in the memory bank for sure …

Flows are robust right now, but manageable. Nymphs are still preferred in the fall, but the higher than average flows can be good for those of us that use streamers. Bring along your split shot and an assortment of sink tips and you’re bound to find the right combination. Also, change up your offerings – white, gray, olive, yellow, tan, etc. – any of them could work on the right fish. For those dry fly purists, BWO and some CDC Caddis patterns could be the right flies to have in the box when the surface bite is on.

Only a few weeks left, folks. Enjoy it while you can …

Dries: CDC Caddis, BWO, Parachute BWO, Hot Mess Caddis, Resting Caddis, Ninch’s Iceberg Caddis UV, Morris May BWO Emerger, Stimulator, Ants

Nymphs: Worms, Eggs, BH Prince, Peridon, Slim Jim, Purple Lightning, UV Midge, TB Pheasant Tail, Angus’s Red & Black, Chuck’s Swing Fly, Zebra Midge, Little Green Machine, UV Soft Hackle Glitter Brown or Olive, Copper John, UV Prince Purple, Hot Belly PT, Pats Rubberlegs

Streamers: Chuck’s Soft Hackle Streamers in Gray/White/Olive/Tan, Golden Retriever, Putt’s Favorite, Gray Ghost, Black Ghost, Red/Gray Ghost, Royal Coachman, Buggers