I fished the Androscoggin River this weekend. With the end of the regular fishing season looming (Oct. 15), I decided to visit the upper river. The stretch that I fished is fly-fishing only.

To my surprise, I saw a fair number of fishermen out on the water. A father/son pair I talked to reported catching a bunch of perch and bass. An older angler across the river from me landed a decent salmon. A short while later, I hooked a decent rainbow that popped off after a decent fight. After that, nothing. I adjusted weight and played around with the indicator.

Seeing nothing, I flipped some rocks and saw a few mayfly nymphs. I decided to rotate flies. About five casts in, I saw the indicator dive under, and I tied into something huge. After a couple jumps and a long run that took me half way to my backing, I landed an absolute brute of a rainbow. This was truly a ninth inning fish. With only a couple days left in the season, it felt great to tie into this one.

Over the next few hours, I caught and released another rainbow, a brown, and a brookie. Bites were few and far in between after releasing my big fish, and I had to work hard to get them to take. In fact, I worked that same pool for about two hours before moving on. Takes were also quite subtle for the most part, and I missed plenty of fish.

I found that there was no secret fly. The key to success was using flies that were easily distinguishable from the leaves in the water. Flies with flashy or buggy profiles worked best. Some of my best producers were the caddis pupa and golden stone. Hardly surprising since the Andro is known for its impressive caddis and stonefly hatches.

Overall, I went four-for-nine. A good day and a great way to end the regular season.

Update: As a result of the rain and high flows in southern New Hampshire, the Three Rivers Stocking Association decided to start stocking this week. Over the next two weeks, they will add fish to the Lamprey, Cocheco, Isinglass, and potentially the Exeter rivers periodically. Consider donating here.