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.
Nice brookie, caught and released by our guest Jeff Molesso, under the expert guidance of TTL Fly Fishing Guide Mickey Cunliffe. Let’s be honest, that’s a nice fish, but take a look at his nephew’s fish (Lucas, below), and you be the judge …
We’re close to our favorite time of the year, when the annual Hexagenia hatch begins on Back Lake, but we’re not quite there yet. According to one of my more credible sources, there were a couple of hex sightings yesterday evening on the lake, but that was the extent of the action, and with our upcoming weather pattern, the hatch might be a little delayed this year.
The beat goes on up here in the northern reaches of the upper Connecticut River. We have entered the “sweet spot” of the fishing season, as the river flows are good, numerous caddis, mayfly and stonefly hatches are occurring, and the trout are present and active. Many thanks to TTL Fly Fishing Guide Mickey Cunliffe for his image above, a common sight for his clients so far this season.
The fishing season is well underway here in New Hampshire’s north country. Trout are being found in nearly every body of water at the moment, whether you’re fishing the big lakes, Back Lake, any of the outer brook trout ponds, the smaller streams, and of most importance to some of us, the Connecticut River. The options are literally endless right now, and Pittsburg has plenty of fishing opportunities, in case you’re visiting for a week or a weekend.
Smoking hot out there the last couple of days. Sweltering for someone like me that prefers the cool of spring and fall to the heat of summer, but summer is what it has felt like up here lately. We had 4″ of snow fall just a few weeks ago, so this has been quite amazing. While an excessive amount of vitamin D has been great, especially after winter, the high sun has affected the fishing a bit, as most of the fish are staying low in the water column.