New Hampshire fly fishing opportunities include the waters of the Androscoggin River, The Upper Connecticut, the Saco River, the Ellis River, numerous lakes and ponds of the White Mountains. While brook trout, rainbows and brown trout can be found in the aforementioned rivers, stripers and bluefish can be taken in 18 miles of saltwater coastline. In addition, the Connecticut Lakes and other areas offer exciting salmon fishing.

Fly Fishing Water in New Hampshire

Saco River – Located in the beautiful Mount Washington Valley, the Saco flows from Saco Lake in Crawford Notch as a small mountain stream, gathering water from many tributaries as it flows through the valley until it enters the Atlantic as a large river by any standards. The heart of the Saco River in the Mount Washington Valley is the Trophy Water Section in North Conway, this stretch of river is Fly Fishing Only and holds some heavy browns and rainbows as well as some nice brookies. Through this stretch, the Saco is a good sized river with some deep pools and cool runs that hold up well all summer even when smaller rivers are suffering low water conditions.

Ellis River – Another Mount Washington Valley beauty. This river starts as a small mountain stream and flows from Pinkham Notch and over Glen Ellis Falls on it’s way to the Valley. When it passes through the beautiful town of Jackson, NH, it has become a medium sized freestone stream holding some beautiful brook trout and feisty rainbows. It eventually flows into the Saco River in Glen. There is a fly-fishing only section that includes an impoundment providing some deep water to support some nice fish even through the toughest of weather, lots of pocket water holding plenty of surprises and some of the best water for small native brook trout that will dazzle you with their colors.

Connecticut River – This is the jewel of the Great North Woods. Several tailwater dams in the town of Pittsburg keep the Connecticut running cool and strong for many miles, providing some of the finest and most dependable fishing anywhere in New England. This river provides many miles of great wading where you’ll cast to large resident trout as well as lunkers that move up from the Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis. A great spot to catch the “Grand Slam” of New England cold water fishing: brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout and landlocked salmon, all on the same day.

Androscoggin River – A rumbling “western style” river flowing from Lake Umbagog in Errol, NH, through the Androscoggin Valley and into Maine. The Andro offers many miles of powerful runs and deep pools throughout its upper half and as it slows through a series of dams on the lower end, it enters the largest stretch of catch and release water in New England, holding some browns that will test you. The Andro also offers fine wildlife viewing. We commonly see bald eagles, osprey, or moose in a day on the water.

Seasonal Overview of Androscoggin River
The lower Androscoggin River is now open for fishing year round. The upper section opens January 1st and closes on October 15th. Each season has its attractions, from the first warm spring days to the beautiful late fall foliage. Most trips start in the month of May and end in November. Although if you get the winter blues and the ice is not too bad. Below you will find a brief outline of what to expect with the seasons in New Hampshire.

May & June
Early May usually brings some high water from runoff and April rains, but it varies each year. The fish are hungry from a long winter and if the water level is decent, some great fly fishing can be had. June is a popular fly fishing month as the weather and water warms up. Several hatches become prevalent and the fishing is excellent.

July & August
July offers above average fly fishing as the water drops and the holding spots become much more prevalent than in high water. The water is still cool and this is one of my favorite months to fly fish the Androscoggin. As summer heats up in August, we locate several tributaries that provide cold water from the mountains. Also below the dams rich with oxygen bring out some monster trout. Rainy or cloudy days are best this month and it should not be over looked because of the heat.

September & October
As the weather cools in September, the trout start to hit the feeding stations again. Late September through October rate #1 for this section. Water levels are down, temperatures are cool and the trout are feeding for the winter months. This makes for the most dependable and consistent fly fishing of the year. The foliage alone is worth the trip, but we are here to catch fish and we will in this two month span.

November
Dress warm as it can get cold here in November, the last big feed before the long winter. Fish are also spawning at this time and tributaries can hold some large breeders. It’s brown trout month, as they come out of hiding and we get alot of them at this time.

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Rainbow Trout