Get ready to rumble

We have had it all this spring - rain, heat, back to cool weather and now almost normal, whatever that is.  The rivers have really settled down, so let's hope the stifling heat stays away for a while.  The Souhegan River has been fishing really well, which is somewhat a pleasant surprise.  It was well-stocked in the DHZ in Greenville and a few days later we got the heat wave.  The fish seem to have abandoned the DHZ and settled in some of the deeper pools, such as those downstream of Blood Brook.  I have had a few guide trips to the Souhegan in the last 10 days and got plenty on various caddis patterns and small stimulators.  It also continues to fish pretty good below the dams in downtown Milford.  I wish the same could be said for the Newfound River.  I found a few fish there, but not in the quantities or quality that I have seen in past years.  Many of our rivers really warm up in summer and it is sad to see stocking delayed so long that the peak conditions of the season are gone before many fish get a chance to play with us fly anglers. At long last I am getting good reports from the Sugar River, while the Contoocook seems to be past prime and will be a late evening destination until it gets too warm for trout fishing.
I have been watching the weather, river flows and stocking reports for the Androscoggin River and it looks like everything is in maximum alignment for an epic trip starting tomorrow.  This is our third year running our "virtual fishing lodge" in Errol and we have totally sold-out with a waiting list.  We also have a good jump on bookings for September on the Andro. We have a nice mix of beginners and experienced anglers, which keeps things interesting.  My good friend Dick was kind enough to tie a bunch of flies for me while I was goofing off in Florida. I can hardly wait to spring those tasty Alder Fly and Woodduck Orange on the big brookies and acrobatic landlocks of the upper Andro.  I have all the memory cleared from my Flip video and Olympus Stylus Tough digital camera and will be sure to share some with you guys.  Although the zebra caddis is the prime attraction, I expect that plenty of hexagenia mayflies and golden stoneflies will also tempting the trout of the Great Northwoods of NH.