The annual draw down of the Connecticut Lakes began today, in preparation for the long winter ahead – yup, winter’s never far from our minds here in northern New Hampshire, and even Great River Hydro (the local power company in charge of the lake levels and resulting dam flows) needs to prepare for it. What does this all mean for the river flows and those wade anglers that ply the water in search of trout and salmon?
Unlike the majority of central and southern New England, we have been fortunate to receive rain at the right times of the season, as the Connecticut Lakes and Connecticut River are in good shape as fall approaches. We received somewhere around 4 inches of rain just this past week, so there’s plenty of water in our system, meaning that more water will need to be released from the lakes to achieve the desired lake levels this fall.
It’s a balmy 56 degrees and rainy today at Back Lake, and while this is not typically weather that summer vacationers look for when they’re escaping to the north country, it is just what the doctor ordered for our lakes and rivers. Over an inch of rain has fallen between last night and this morning, and more importantly, the cooler weather should help the water temps moderate in the Trophy Stretch and brook trout ponds.
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.