Live Free or Die -- Flyfishing back home in New Hampshire

Duncan Lake camp

There's always something special about going back home.  Those who have served in the Armed Forces like Matt & I know and appreciate the feeling all too well.  We've spent the majority of our lives away from home, away from family, so when the opportunities come to return to our roots we can't less those chances slip past.  So here it was that I'm back in New Hampshire for my dad's 85th birthday.  Fitting, since he's the one who introduced me to fishing, and later fly fishing at a very young age.


Making the trip even more rewarding was the opportunity to fish with my brother Marc.  We usually fish the Route 16 corridor on the eastern side of the state, but we ventured over toward Waterville Valley and the Mad River to see what we could stir up after hearing that the river was worth giving a try.

The downstream section was 50-70 feet wide, offering a series of big boulders, pools, riffles and some pocket water.  We each landed a couple of stocked rainbows and brookies, but under a bright sky, we needed to find some water that offered a little more cover and shade if we were to have much success.

So we hopped back in the truck and headed further upstream, took a couple of back roads and pressed forward toward the headwaters... it was well worth the effort.

Over the next couple of hours, we landed upwards of 50 native brookies, mostly on dry flies -- with the #12 Stimulator and #14Purple Adams Parachute proving irresistible to these absolutely stunningly beautiful wild fish. The fish weren't huge in size, but the spots and colors - breathtaking.

After getting our fill on the Mad River, we headed across the Kangamangus Highway, fished a couple of spots off the road, and ended up in Jackson, NH on the Ellis River.  For about an hour we threw everything from big streamers to tiny dries, but we did pick up 3-4 brookies -- on a Stimulator, Woolly Bugger, Elk Hair Caddis and Golden Retriever.
We bugged out in time to catch the Bruins in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup ..... will leave that topic for another day.

Here's a pic of my dad's birthday cake.   Picture was from May 1966. At the time it was the 2nd largest Lake Trout ever caught in New Hampshire -- 21 lb, 14 oz, 39 inches.

...

... I miss NH already!