Laborless Day Weekend

It was a bit last minute, but one of my college-aged kids wanted to fish. September is a tough time to dupe trout, at least for me. The big bug hatches are over, and the fish are awaiting the spawning season. Plus, they’ve seen quite a few flies already.

So, I decided to head north to Pittsburg, NH, to find cooler water and more active fish. We again stayed at Tall Timber Lodge (my 15th stay there).

 

When we arrived, all other anglers reported skunkings, and so, it was time to grit our teeth and gird the proverbial loins. The water was quite low to boot.

In the end, we’ve had a good two days of fishing. It took a while to dial into the fish, but we eventually stumbled on some flies and techniques that produced high volumes.

The name of the game was to find dark and deep water or runs in the shade. Many fish also were in the riffles. When water is very low, I am guessing that trout pod up in those areas to seek safety. Once we located them, it was all about rotating flies and techniques.

It was a nymphing game, as dries and wets rarely worked, and the trout weren’t in the mood to chase. Flies with red in them did particularly well, such as Lance Egan’s Red Dart and a size 20 fly about which Jamie Carr had told me. These flies are attractors that don’t mimic naturals and probably just look exotic to the fish.

 

I fished rarely and focused on guiding my daughter. We caught oodles of stockies, wild brookies, one salmon and two nice 17” browns. We haven’t had time thus far to hit the spots where the big browns live; I favored putting points on the board, as this is the one time this year that she can fish.

It has been a wonderful Labor Day weekend.

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6 thoughts on “Laborless Day Weekend

      1. I thought 140ish was fairly standard on the trophy stretch? Either ways, the outflow of first dam sure looks intimidating!

        1. Was 175 cfs a few months ago, FWIW. The lower flows made a bit a difference but probably not too much. I think the fishing was tough for many because the trout are pretty selective right now, having seen oodles of flies thus far this season.

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