Hello from Cotter Arkansas!

Needless to say this report is long in coming. We've been down here in the Ozarks for the past four weeks and the fishing has been spectacular. We arrived on March fifth and did a full week of scouting before the guiding began. We landed some large browns on streamers the first week. After some trial and error scouting. Our partner in crime Greg Englis got this nice fish right by the lodge on one of his signature streamer patterns. He landed all of his big fish despite a broken ligament in his right thumb! 

After a good week Getting Greg into fish despite a broken thumb it was time to get to work! Our clients have been landing some impressive fish from large cutthroats and bows to brute brown trout. 

Andrew hooked up with a big cutthroat 

Bob Parks with a 20" brown caught right above the second launch...out of the way of all of the bigger boats. 

With low flows on most days, the name of the game has been stealth and advanced nymphing techniques. We feel very good about adding cortland competition nymph rods and trouthunter leader sand tippets to our lineup this season. With these forgiving and long four weight rods and strong tippets our clients have been able to make efficient long distance casts without sacrificing the ability to set the hook at distance. Once hooked we have lost very few fish on trouthunter  5X and 5.5X tippets. Being able to fish half sizes has been crucial as fish have been weary but are not easily landed on 6X. This has also allowed us to fish double rigs without losing much tippet strenght between flies. 

Speaking of flies we have discovered some innovative ones down here this season. Our new friend Jeremy Hunt of Guides and Flies has shown us that heavy isn't always better with his signature 1/100th ounce jig hooks and we've been tying a variety of flies on these perfectly weighted hooks. The key here is that the fish are holding in shallow water and a fast falling fly does not look like natural food. These hooks allow the fly to flutter as it falls and it is common to see flashes of fish engulfing the fly as it falls through the water column. Jeremy's mega worm and another local pattern the Jimmy Jig have been particularly deadly in a variety of conditions. 

I will often couple one of these larger nymphs with a suspended hares ear or ruby midge tied above the jig. If the smaller fly is getting eaten more than the big one it is often possible to fish the single smaller bug to limit tangles and allow for longer casts. If you are not familiar with the ruby midge it is similar to the traditional zebra midge but with a red crinkle flash body ribbed with one strand of black embroidery thread. It is the hemoglobin in these tailwater midges that glows red and these fish key in on this color on days midges are hatching. While the actual midges range from a size 18-22 I tie all of mine on size 16 curved nymph hooks and I just vary the number of tinsel wraps depending on the size of the midge I'm trying to imitate. I started this practice last year when I saw that the bigger browns would often throw size 18 and smaller hooks. These size 16 competition nymph hooks have been deadly effective in holding fish up to and over 20". 

Jeff Smith landed this impressively fat 20" brown on a size 16 hares ear nymph. (here a hares ear nymph makes for a perfect caddis pupa imitation)

We have six more days of fishing here before we head back to the snowy land of North Conway NH. Nate will be out of the country for a week for his delayed honeymoon with Alicia. Tom and Steve will be available for LL salmon and brown trout trips while he is gone. By late April we will all be available for trips and will be searching for the large brown trout that should be waking up in the Saco river. 

We'll try to give you one more report before we leave here next week!

November Wrap up and December Report

Well it has been quite an end to fall here at HCG. We had our busiest November to date. Fishing in November was slower than in October but we had some great catches and some quality dry fly midging for wild rainbows. 

Wild rainbow taken on a size 18 parachute midge. 

We also got some time to explore with our good friend Milan who was home from guiding in Idaho.

Milan with a streamer caught brown. 

We were able to explore  some new water and were pleased to find some very large trout. One rainbow trout we found taped at 26" with a 19" girth...putting this fish at over 11 lbs. 

It is hard to  say whether this fish was bigger than the beast our client Charlie Houghton landed in the Spring. Both fish will go down as the two biggest rainbow trout we've seen caught here in NH. Hopefully we see more of these beasts next year. 

Last week Tom and Nate got out on the Andro again and found fish from the start fishing one of Tom's new horizontal leech patterns. The fish hit two feet down in about 3 feet of water.  It was interesting to see them come off the bottom this late in the season. From there the fishing slowed with a strong east wind blowing. 

Tom with a late season wild rainbow

This time of the year fish can still be caught in the Andro but good timing and the right technique need to coincide. Slowly swinging 2-3" streamer can produce as can bouncing a streamer downstream. Nymphing bright eggs and worms can also be productive as can nymphing darker leaches, buggers and green and cream caddis.

We've found that fish have been selective about when and what they eat. The key has been targeting slower runs and deeper riffles where we know fish lie this time of the year., then being persistent and changing flies until the fish decide to bite. 

After nymphing this run for over an hour this wild bow finally chose a dead drifted pink worm.

Fish can still be taken on dries in December, especially in slower back eddies and on bright calm days in the late afternoon. 

We will gladly show you this challenging fishing at our late season reduced rate of $275 for a half day float, $350 for a full day float.  Now is also a great time to buy gift certificates for 2017.  contact us now to give the gift of a White Mountain Fly Fishing adventure this year!

Tight lines,

Nate

Early November Report

Fish are now in what I like to call "Late Fall Mode"  Water temps are now in the 40's and fish are moving to softer water. Nymphing the inside bends of riffles and long slow runs has been productive later in the day. Early mornings this time of the year can be slow unless we have warm weather overnight and into the next morning. 

Nymphing through mid depth mid speed riffled water from the boat can be key late in the fall.

Brown trout are spawning or getting ready to spawn and the rainbows are taking their eggs. Small orange, yellow, and chartreuse eggs have been working best, but other colors will take fish on certain days. We've been doing well pairing eggs with size 12 attractor nymphs like flashy pheasant tails and prince nymphs. I've come up with a new pattern that I've dubbed the "Jumping Jack Flash" This fly has rubber legs, white goose biots, and a white ice dubbed abdomen. With a lot of debris in the drift and fish metabolisms slow, bright and animated flies motivate fish to eat more than drab realistic flies. 

Meredith's first day fly fishing. She landed 2 on a chartreuse egg and 2 on the "Jumping Jack Flash"

The Jumping Jack Flash did the trick on this wild rainbow. Took late in the day middle of a riffle.

Jumping Jack Flash...its a smash. 

Even brown trout like brown trout eggs. 

With this in mind streamers have also been effective as of late. When fishing streamers in late fall it is important to remember two things. First fish are not always in the deep outside bend banks in late fall. Both browns and rainbows will push into calm and sometimes surprisingly shallow water. In this case fishing a lighter streamer on a floating or sink tip line will be more efficient than dredging the depths with a full sink line. I often find myself starting with a 250 grain when we start below a dam and then switch to a sink tip or even floating line as we move down the river to target shallower runs. Second fish metabolisms are slow but brown trout can be aggressive this time of the year so varying your retrieve between slow and fast to figure out what fish want most is key.

This rainbow attacked a black streamer. 

Tom says " Sometimes getting out of the boat and streamer fishing riffles and runs can be productive" Worked this day.

If you plan to wade fish this time of the year it is a good idea to watch out for fish redds. I was out exploring a few days ago and came upon a few redds. I was careful not to step on them but if I hadn't been looking down I easily could have walked right through them stomping out the next generation of trout. It was good to see these redds while the Andro has a good population of rainbows that spawn in the spring this is the first evidence I've seen of successful brown trout spawning in the fall. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come. 

While most people think streamers and nymphs are the only ticket late in the season. Dry fly opportunities will continue to present themselves on calm and warm days. Most of this activity will be in the slow eddies and impoundments above dams this time of the year. It is always a good idea to watch for subtle rises in these locations especially when the wind is down. I've done well fishing small emerger BWO patterns as well as black midges on warm November days. Hitting a good dry fly hatch on a warm day in November feels like you are stealing a day of spring to hold you through the coming winter.

If you'd like to steal a day before the snow flies  shoot us an email or give us a call. We have midweek dates available over the next two weeks. We are also offering a November special. Mention this blog post and we'll give you a full day float for the price of a full day wade ($350) and a half day float for the price of a half day wade ($275).

Dry fly water on a late autumn day

We appreciate all who have booked with us this season making for another record year! We'd like to get you out one more time!

Tight lines,

Nate

Mid October Report warm days = hungry fish

While NH's regular trout season is closed we are still fishing like crazy on the lower Androsgoggin river. We felt the need to give an updated October report as the fishing has been simply phenomenal over the past week. Warm days and cold nights have translated to great bug activity. Last week we found success nymphing large Helgramite patterns and BWO nymphs.

Client Paul Shinsky of Texas took this 19" male Nate's "Wigglemite" pattern

On Sunday we guided Client Mark Roberts and found fish on streamers first thing, then on helgramite and BWO nymphs mid morning. From noon until dark we had rainbows rising throughout the float to both size 12 purple haze dries and size 20 BWO duns. It has been good to see more fish in the high teens and low twenties this year. There have also been many fish in the 12-14" year class which should bode very well for next year. 

Client Mark Roberts with a 17" rainbow that ate a "Wigglemite" pattern.

One of many rainbows that Mark took on a dry fly.

Yesterday I got out with our guide Tom on another stretch of river to investigate where fish are now holding. We found piles of trout in the fast riffled water and in river channels where there was a slight drop in depth. Just to see how many fish were around we planted on one spot and landed 13 trout missing many more before moving on. Fish were taking both dries and nymphs in the fast water parachute purple haze along with pt's, girdle bugs, and caddis larva were all taking fish. It was again good to see many fish in that 12-14 inch class with a few bigger fish lost. We also caught a few very clean looking brown trout. Towards the end of the float we found fish rising to what looked like BWO's but had good takes stripping isonychia nymphs from the bottom to the surface. 

One of four very healthy browns landed yesterday on dries and nymphs.

As fall progresses bug activity will be best on our warmest days. On cooler days streamers as well as big Helgramites and egg patterns will be tickets to success. f you have the ability to get up here give us a call and we'll do what we can to get you on the water. We have availability on weekdays and weekends of October 29th and 30th as well as November 12-13. 

October = Foliage and BIG FISH

Well just as the leaves began to turn color the fishing on the Andro and our wild brook trout waters went from good to great. On the Andro fish are being taken on golden Stonefly nymphs, October Caddis, Prince nymphs, Isonychia nymphs and dries as well as streamers. In fact the streamer bite seems to have really turned on with the weather change. Both baitfish patterns and leeches/ buggers have been getting crushed. We've been seeing a lot more wild fish in the 12-14" range this fall as well as more fish in the high teens to 20"s a great sign for next year! 

Enjoying the colors after hooking wild rainbows all day...

Fishing has been hot and cold depending on time of day and weather. We have noticed that on warm cloudy days the bite starts earlier in the day and stays through the mid afternoon. On warmer sunny days the bite starts a bit later say around noon and is solid until the temp drops in the evening. On cool cloudy or windy days the fishing is slower but we still see a good bite around noon and again around three pm. Right now if you are on the water and the fishing is slow be patient because chances are it WILL turn on at some point! 

A healthy wild rainbow that crushed a streamer while floating the Andro this week.

We have also been doing well on our wild brook trout waters throwing streamers to pre-spawn fish that have been crushing our offernings. These fish are both native and wild and have some spectacular colors this time of the year. We have access to private brook trout water with wild fish to 14+ inches. We have seen bigger fish in this stream this year as it was gated a few years ago to protect it from poachers.  

Wild male brook trout caught by client Mike Allen.

Client Monique Allen with a silvery female

We are also seeing some of the biggest rainbows we have seen all year on the Androscogggin! On every float it seems we at least get the "opportunity to land a fish in the high teens to over 20"s. On some days clients are getting multiple shots at big fish and these are usually the days when we land a few. As I've said over and over again the big rainbows on the Androscoggin are perhaps the strongest fighting fish I have ever encountered pound for pound. Like hooking a steelhead on a five weight they are not an easy quarry to conquer. 

Steve's wild rainbow. 

Yesterday I guided my friend Alex and his friend Steve. I warned Alex that he would have to be on his toes if he hooked a big fish, allowing the fish to take line but keeping pressure if the fish ran at the boat...but when Alex hooked that first big rainbow my words of wisdom went out the window as the fish tore upstream breaking the line before Alex could point the rod. I think Alex was a little more prepared for the next fish but this one was hooked in heavy current and shot downstream even faster than the first fish swam up. 

Crushed a leech pattern.

Steve seemed to learn a bit from Alex's fish and was able to hook and land two bows in the high teens. not as big as the fish we lost but solid hard fighting fish. 

My point here is this...if you just want to land a bunch of easy to catch fish your best bet is to wait for the stocking truck to dump them in in your local river. But if you want a true challenge these rainbows are worthy adversaries. 

If you've never had a trout take fly line through your fingers, had to point the rod at an underwater missile cavorting all over the river, needed to drop your rod tip on a cartwheeling piece of electric energy or heard your reel scream then you don't know what you are missing. 

This fat fish was caught By client Steve Clarke while swinging a Zug Bug, Steve said he couldn't believe the power of this fish.

While these fish are a challenge, they can be caught and we've had both novice and experienced anglers land some monsters this year. Just the other day we took out clients Faith and Richard Aigan. While Richard was an experienced angler Faith was not confident that she would catch anything. "I probably won't catch any fish, I never really do." she mentioned as we readied our gear. "We'll we will see." I said not wanting to make promises but knowing she had a good chance if she did as I instructed. 

As it turned out Faith was a great student. After landing this 20" rainbow I asked her what she was doing with the fly when the fish struck, " I was just giving it quick little twitches like you said." Faith did an excellent job of fighting this fish which made four strong runs before succumbing to the net. For Faith the key was that she was all ears to my instruction, giving when the fish pulled and pulling when the fish took breathers. Fighting big fish is not rocket science, it is a simple matter of keeping good tension and angle on the hook so that it doesn't pop out while also allowing a big fish to take line so that the hook doesn't pull out or the line break. Keeping the line under your trigger finger while fishing is probably the number one piece of advice I have for hooking and landing fish. Often I see anglers try to pull line under all or a few fingers on their casting hand, or they try to pull from above their casting hand, or they go straight to the reel before they have control and tension on the fish. 

But the best way to get good at fighting big fish is to hook them...and we'd love to teach you how it's done.

So what is to come? As we move through fall fish will concentrate both in the fast riffles where browns and brookies will attempt to spawn and rainbows will be there to eat their eggs. The Slower and deeper glides will also attract fish who are looking for easy living in this colder fall water. Here look for noses rising to BWO's and throw streamers or drift a long line nymph rig if nothing is surfacing. I will often fish a dry dropper rig or a streamer with a nymph trailing it to see exactly what the fish want. 

If you are looking to enjoy a fishing trip before the season is over we have dates available on both weekends and weekdays through mid November. 

Tight lines,

Nate