The last two days in northern New Hampshire have been abnormally warm for this time of the year. “Winter isn’t like it used to be” is a common phrase lately among the locals, especially when we’re in the midst of yet another thaw. Weather like this rarely happened in Februarys past, but it seems to occur more often than we want to admit, particularly if you’re a winter sports enthusiast.
It’s the depths of winter in northern New Hampshire. Frigid cold has been the norm for the last two weeks up here, and the snow is beginning to fall more regularly now. No fishing for me lately, as its been better weather for getting out to snowshoe with my pack, but there have been a few hardy souls angling when the conditions have been marginal. It’s been tough from most reports, but every now and then a lunker reminds you that it is there and remains there after your brief encounter (image courtesy Mickey Cunliffe).
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.
The last hatch of supersized bugs for this season has started on Back Lake, as the “October Caddis” have been making their appearance this week. Unlike the much better known and anticipated Hexagenia hatch, October Caddis (also known as fall caddis or the giant orange sedge) come off in a sporadic fashion most of the fall until our fishing season ends on October 15.
This is going to be a controversial post for all of the trout snobs out there. It concerns the most recent addition to our Back Lake denizens of the deep: smallmouth and largemouth bass. Both species were illegally introduced to Back Lake at least twenty years ago, and at first it appeared to merely be a rumor of what had happened, but slowly we came to realize that there were indeed some of them residing, and flourishing, in Back Lake.
It’s difficult for some anglers to admit they need help when visiting a new area, or even advice on their fishing technique in general, but getting a qualified and professional fishing guide for a day or two can be money well spent.
That’s veteran TTL guest Richie Bernard on a drift down the Connecticut River with Chuck Degray of North Country Fly Shop & Guide Service yesterday. They had a good time, enjoying a beautiful day on the water and catching and releasing some fish too. Richie usually trolls lakes and ponds with flies, but he wanted to do something different yesterday and chose to cast flies on the river.