Saco River, NH & Mixed Bag O' Trout

With recent reports from local guides of superb dry fly fishing in the North Country, I decided to venture into the White Mountains for the day. The early week brought a few thunder showers and downpours, but they were undoubtedly welcomed in the Northeast. Prior to this past week, above normal water temperatures and below average rainfall had left many trout in the northeast struggling for cool oxygenated water. With the re-energizing weather, I drove into the heart of New Hampshire with plans to fish the Saco and Ellis rivers located around North Conway, NH.

Both rivers provide fly anglers with fairly long stretches of "Fly Fishing Only" water that are unquestionably loaded with big fickle browns, football rainbows, and feisty brookies. I arrived at the 1st Bridge Pool parking area around 0700 and surprised to already see four other cars in the lot. Two anglers were already walking out, indicating success with brookies and bows on dries. I headed downriver, anticipating a few anglers to be fishing the closer pools and runs and ran into two anglers on the Rip-Rap Run and two below the Glade as I worked my way downstream. From that point on, I did not see another angler until 1700 when I hiked out. I slowly fished at my way down to Swallow Bank Pool without worries that another angler would slide in next to me. I fished at my own leisure and although the fishing started slow, the scenery on this stretch was beyond breathtaking. I nymphed runs, swung streamers through pools, and skirted dries against the shoreline slicks, but nothing took until around 1130, when I net my first rainbow.

Water temperature started off around 56 F, but as the river level quickly dropped from the previous nights rain, it coincidently rose to a perfect 60 F. It was as if a switch was turned on because I experienced NON-STOP action from 1300-1700. Rainbows and brookies filled the net on the lower stretch, but as I worked my way back upstream, I began to hook many feisty browns. Big wooly streamers seemed to do the trick as they were swung with an across and downstream presentation. Within that four hour period, 15 trout were brought to net and at least that many were lost. Nothing like a jolting strike a few dozen times! The river was fishing so well that I never made it over to the Ellis. I guess I'll leave that for a later post.