Typical spring?

Just when you thought we were having an early spring (early ice-out on the lakes; no nor'easters, etc) it up and snows almost 2-feet in the Whites! That should help the June fishing up there, maybe delay the May hatches a little. Around here the water levels are great and the bugs are starting to show, and although water temps are still in the 40s, we should see them go into the 50s this weekend.
Last weekend we held the April session of the Northeast Fly Fishing School. On Sunday we did the on-the-water guiding session on the Squannacook and Nissitissit Rivers. Our students were able to fool a few fish - MANY "firsts" - first fish; first fish on a fly; first trout on a fly, etc. Here is a link to the pictures: Northeast FF School You notice there were four women in the class - three of them landed at least one trout. Also a couple young folks attended, all of which bodes well for the sport. We have two more classes (both full) in May. Now we are booking on-the-water private and semi-private lessons and guide trips.
Monday I took a family to the Contoocook River for lesson/fishing - water still a little high and cold. One fish caught in a couple hours of fishing. Not many insects around (the Squannacook was loaded with Quill Gordons and a few small caddis) but things should begin to pop as the water warms a bit. See you on the water!

Springtime landlocks

My buddy/guiding partner Jim and I gave a presentation at the Pemigewasset TU chapter meeting in Plymouth, NH Tuesday night and afterward drove north to fish the CT River in Pittsburg, NH. We spent a few hours each at the inlet to First CT Lake and inlet to Lake Francis. We hooked into a few fish at each place. Overall I was 1/5, 5 on and 1 landed. Jim was about the same, but his fish was a real nice (17-18 inch) fish. Here is a video.

Also, we have Jim's drift boat for sale on E-bay. in case anybody is interested. His new low-profile Hyde is a beauty, but the Tatum he has for sale is a sweet ride too, and a good price. eBay listing

Tuesday we stopped by the Contoocook in Henniker where I got a nice brown - the first on the bamboo rod Joanne got me for Christmas. Sweet!

Announcements of interest

The fly fishing entertainment opportunities continue:
Tonight (Tuesday April 13) at the Merrimack River Valley TU chapter meeting in Manchester, NH, we have Bill Thompson, proprietor of North Country Angler in North Conway and a friend of mine, who will be presenting on fishing the Saco and Ellis Rivers. www.merrimacktu.org

Thursday April 15 I'll be presenting Fly Fishing in New Hampshire at 7PM at the Salem NH Public Library. If you attend, please introduce yourself.

Thursday April 22nd at 7PM, in Concord, NH the NH Guides Association (of which I am a member)will be sponsoring a showing of "The Good Life" by Gray Ghost Productions. This is Gray Ghost Production's third film in as many years. Advanced tickets can be obtain from the Red River Theatre on line at http://www.redrivertheatres.org/ or they can be purchased at the door. Admission will be $10 per person. If you want to look at the trailer you can go to http://www.ggpfilms.com/ and take a look. This film is about fishing on the East Coast from Labrador to the Keys. Come and take a look at some great fishing. This is to benefit the NHGA scholorship fund. Come and enjoy "The Good Life".

The rivers are getting down to a very fishable level. Jim and I scouted a spots yesterday prior to the NHGA general membership meeting. We found a few mayflies hatches and a few sporadically rising trout on the Merrymeeting River in Alton, NH. We had a couple follows, but no hookups.

Passing of a great guy

It saddens me to have to report the passing of Dan Duggan of Pepperell, MA last Saturday. Dan was a great guy, bamboo rod builder par excellence and a good friend. Dan was River Stix Custom Rods. Email me if you want to know of the viewing/funeral arrangements.

On a happier note, Dick and I made the rounds of the local brooks and rivers yesterday. All are still a little high, very clear and within a day of so of optimum levels. Water temperature was a balmy 55F, which is ideal for trout. In my local wild brook trout stream the honey-hole was full of yellow perch who have ascended from the Nashua River for their spawning run. They probably ate every young of the year brook trout in their path, but will be leaving a load of eggs and fry for the wild brookies to feast on. The Nissitissit and Squannacook Rivers should receive their first visit from the hatchery trucks this week. Stay tuned. I'll soon be out christening the River Stix bamboo rod Joanne got me for Christmas.

Rivers flow and stocking trucks roll

Well, I got back to sunny New England in time for the rites of spring - floods and stocking trucks. Just as the rivers were starting to warm up and settle down to good flow levels and receive their annual planting of rubber-rainbows the skies have opened and put things on hold for a while. While you are waiting for things to settle down, you might want to check out some of the latest technology to enhance your spring fishing. There's an app for that!

Bottom of the 9th with two outs - Fish!

Stan and I made one last trip today - to the Orange River, where we rented a couple kayaks. About 6 weeks ago when we last came here we read in the paper that over 900 manatees were counted here. They like the warm water discharge from the power plant. This time there were no manatees - but we found a few fish.

In a couple days we will pack the car and head north, but today we caught some fish.

Better than TV - March 21 Presentation

This Sunday March 21 at 12PM my guiding partner Jim Norton will be giving a presentation at Evening Sun Fly Shop in Pepperell, MA. The topic is "Fly fishing the Rangeley Lakes area and Androscoggin River." Jim will be spinning yarns about our many trips to fish the salmon runs and wild brook trout on the great rivers of Rangeley: Magalloway, Cupsuptic, Kennebago, Rangeley, and maybe a few tales about the Rapid River. This entire drainage then flows out of Maine and into New Hampshire via the Androscoggin River, one of the great salmon and trout rivers of New Hampshire. Get there early to get a good seat.

New Show in NH

Just when you thought all the Fly Fishing shows were done, another one comes along. For many years the Country Pond Fish and Game club had put on a FF show. That is until about ten years ago. Well, they are back at it and it sounds like it could be another good one, similar to the FFNH show in Pelham. Next Saturday March 20 from 9AM to 5PM they will hold the show in their Newton, NH clubhouse. The Merrimack River Valley TU chapter will be exhibiting there, as well as my partner Jim at the NH Rivers Guide Service booth. Stop in at both booths and tell them Gerry sent you. They might be willing to share some fishing secrets with you.

Merrimack River Valley TU meeting 3/10

Tuesday night March 10 the speaker at the TU meeting in Manchester, NH will be fish biologist John Magee talking about stream restoration efforts on Nash Stream and about a project starting up on the Piscataquog River in southern NH.

Also, my buddy Jim said the Fly Fish NH show had good attendance and a lot of people stopped by our booth to talk fishing. Just curious if any of you guys hit the show this weekend.

Fly Fish New Hampshire Show

It is that time again - the Fly Fish NH Show is this Saturday and Sunday at Pelham Fish and Game club. Jointly sponsored by Merrimack River Valley TU and Pelham Fish and Game, there will be guides, outfitters, fly shops and organizations exhibiting and non-stop seminars on fly fishing topics. Click on the blog title for a link to more information about the show. Be sure to stop by the NH Rivers Guide Service booth and talk to my partner Jim.

Want to go to Montana?

Next Tuesday night Feb. 9 there will be a little bit of Montana in New England. My buddy Jim is presenting "Fly Fishing Southwestern, Montana around Dillon." The venue is the Merrimack River Valley TU chapter monthly meeting in Manchester, NH at 7:00PM. The location is the Sweeney American Legion Post at 251 Maple St.
The area around Dillon has some of the best fishing in Montana - Beaverhead River, Ruby River, Bighole, numerous tributaries, trout ponds and spring creeks (Poindexter Slough is right in the town of Dillon.) Here is a link to one of our trips (link) Jim has been there a number of times and will be sharing information on where to fish, where to stay, and what to expect in the area. There is no admission charge and you can even enjoy some adult beverages during the meeting from the adjoining Legion bar. Guests are always welcome, so get out and visit Montana next Tuesday.

Free Fly Tying Class

Next Saturday there will be a free Fly Tying Class at the Manchester, NH public library. To register go to. This will be a great chance to learn how to tie your own flies.
Today Stan and I took a ride down to my favorite canals on the Tamiami Trail looking for tarpon and snook. We got some casting practice but no fish. We saw plenty of gators, but only a few jumping mullet and a couple tarpon rolling and no snook and no manatees. It was breezy and overcast and the fish seem to like flat water that is quite a bit warmer. Stay tuned, we plan to get out again in a few days.

Slow start to the New Year

I have been in Florida almost three weeks and still haven't bothered to get my SW fishing license. I won't bore you with tales of woe about how cold it has been here in SW Florida, but suffice to say there has been significant fish kills of bait fish and gamefish, such as snook. The weather has turned for the better and I hope to have something to report in a few days.
In the meantime, some of you have been attending the FF show in Marlborough and my guiding partner Jim Norton tells me some of you have attended his presentations at the show. On a comment on the previous post, Eric mentioned he enjoyed the presentation. Jim and I hope the rest of you who attended also enjoyed it. The show is wrapping up today and from what Jim, Ken and others have said, it is considerably smaller than it was a few years ago. I suppose the economy and all the new onshore and offshore rod companies have been putting pressure on the larger rod makers, which has caused them to cut costs and not attend as many shows. Sometimes you wonder if it is a self-fulfilling prophecy when companies cut deeply into their marketing budget, then complain that the public isn't supporting their efforts. Selling fly rods for $600 to over $800 that are not sufficiently different from $250-$300 rods from their competitors in this poor economy only compounds their problems. Just wait a couple years when the Chinese knock-offs will replicate the current high-end Orvis and Sage products for half the price or less. Sage and Orvis have commanded higher prices based on quality and customer service, but not showing up at shows like Marlborough and supporting their dealers doesn't seem like a formula for success. If they get out of touch with their customers, they will be forced to compete on price alone. But then, what the hell do I know? I am just a poor old fishing guide hiding out in Florida until the first hatches of the new season! I can hardly wait to try out my Christmas gift - a River Stix 4wt bamboo rod in a Paul Young Perfectionist taper. Thanks Joanne!

Calendar Update

A couple updates for your off-season calendar:

The Fly Fishing Show in Marlborough is coming up on January 15, 16 & 17. My guiding partner Jim Norton is on the program in the "Destination Theater" talking about Fly Fishing in NH. If you go to his pitch, be sure to introduce yourself and tell him you saw it here.
Jim is also presenting at the Nashua Public Library fishing seminars January 7 about fishing the Rangeley Maine area. He is also conducting a free Fly Tying class at the Nashua library on January 23. See the November 4 blog post below for more details.
Also, I'll be presenting at the Salem, NH public library on April 15 about Fly Fishing NH.
And Jim and I will do a show about Fly Fishing the large rivers of NH at the Pemigewasset TU chapter meeting on April 23.

If you have a friend or spouse that would like to learn how to fly fish, the first 2010 session of the Northeast Fly Fishing School will be held April 24 and 25 at Evening Sun Fly Shop in Pepperell. That class is about half full, so don't wait if you have somebody who wants to attend. (The class is also useful for intermediate fly fishers who want some hatch-matching and casting/presentation pointers.)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2010!

Hatchery Pipe Tour

No I didn't decide to hit the Swift for one last time this year. I took a break from tying flies (more on that later) and strung together some video shots of the hatchery pipe area on the Swift. Those that are regulars there will probably not be too impressed, but you other folks who haven't made the pilgrimage yet might find it a little interesting. <YouTube Video>
Oh yeah, fly tying. I have been alternating between three themes: Major hatches for next spring (Alder fly and Hendrickson patterns, mostly); Florida; and Labrador streamers - yes a trip to Three Rivers Lodge is in the planning stages, so Clouser black ghosts and Mickey Finns have started to accumulate. In between I confess to tying some softhackles to use as droppers and also for an April foray to the Swift upon return from Florida. As soon as I finish the Florida flies, I hope to dig into my tackle bag and clean out the ratty looking flies from my fly boxes and started to get organized for next season. I have been mulling over some new ways to organize my fly boxes. Anybody have any special thoughts on that?