Pittsburg, NH has become my new home as I've spent more time there than back in Dover where I grew up. Pittsburg is a throwback, step back in time kind of place where the number of moose outnumber the townsfolk.
So with the hopes of leaping rainbows, battling brookies, feisty browns and silvery landlocked salmon, we were set on getting our fill of the very best northern New Hampshire trout fishing had to offer.
We arrived on a late Friday afternoon, checked into the Buckrub Pub & Lodge, and hit the river for an hour to shake off a year's worth of rust. In the winding dusk, I was able to stir up a couple of rainbows swinging streamers in a deep pool, giving promise of good fishing thereafter.
After a pizza and a couple of Buck Rub Brown Ales, we hit the racks ready for the following day. The Connecticut make no mistake is a no-nonsense, demanding, challenging and sometimes frustrating fishery. We've set the bar after the past several years of saying six or more fish represents a good day.
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| One of many brilliant colored brook trout caught & released during the trip |
Historically,Marc and I have done best nymphing the pockets and rifles and runs throughout the river. Our most reliable flies have been princes, pheasant tails and copper johns in sizes 14-18. However, given the success I had on my recent north Georgia venture just a few weeks prior swinging streamers, I was wired to spend my first hours casting down and across with my favorite Golden Retriever pattern in lieu of my double nymphs . split shot / indicator combination. It proved the right decision for me as I had steady action all morning with both brookies and rainbows along with the odd brown or salmon hookset. |
| Some hefty rainbows came to hand on this trip |
The weather was overcast with showers coming and going most of the morning and then periods of sunshine finally breaking through in the afternoon, which gave me cause to swtch to dries when working back upstream later in the day -- again a fortuitous game changer as I experienced continuous hookups in nearly every fishy looking spot using a #14 purple parachute adams -- a classic generic mayfly pattern.
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| The brook trout were as colorful as ever in the river |
Marc, meanwhile, stuck with the tried & true nymph rig and had fair success, landing about six, which met our threshold for a good day on the river. I had a hot hand this day landing about 20 which in my book, ranked as an epic day on the river.
Check out the video (need to improve both taping and editing skills)
New Hampshire has had a late-start to its summer, hence the famed hex hatch that Marc and I have so well timed the past few years was only just beginning when we deviated from the river to a local pond to try our luck casting size #6 dries for slurping brook trout. We were early, but as the fishing gods tend to have their way, this time Marc had the hot hand as he landed four nice brookies while I was skunked on night one. Night two Marc again proved to have the magic touch landing four more again while brought three to hand. We did have some company on the water -- not other fishermen, but a pair of healthy loons making the round, and undoubtedly enjoying as much if not more success fishing. 
On day number two, we ventured over to one of our favorite brook trout streams that's tucked far away from the general population, and historically has produced days of 40-50+ trout brought to hand -- most on dry flies. But Mother Nature had other plans this day as what started out with much promise early on soon turned for the worse as torrential thunderstorms turned this crystal clear gem of a stream into a whirling mess of chocolate milk in short order... not much to do but pack up and say "we'll get'em next time."
Our last day on the Connecticut (we had to cut this trip shorter than prior years) we were hoping for the best. I hooked a huge rainbow on my second cast, started laying around with my video camera and deservedly lost him - when will I learn. The morning was a bit slow with only a handful of trout being picked up swinging streamers.
When we hit the Judge & Jury pools about noon, things started clicking. A mayfly hatch kicked up and I switched to a parachute adams and immediately had success in the Judge Pool. Marc switched to a golden retriever in the Jury Pool and began picking off trout with some regularity. Twice we had doubles on -- pretty cool stuff. By days end Marc held the upper hand as he netted nearly 20 for the day while had 8-9. Good days, no make that great days on the Connecticut. We keep talking abut hitting below Murphy Dam as rumors are that's where the really big browns hang out... next time.
Until then, tight lines.
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| We fished new stretches of river with mixed success |
Until then, tight lines.
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