So I have just taken up fly fishing as it is somthing that has always intregued me. I know abolutely nothing about it so I am learning from the ground up. Does anyone here fly fish in the Whites? I am not looking for secret spots or anything but I did not know if people do this, if you need permits etc... Thanks for the feedback.
Fly Fishing in the Whites
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marty
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Two that I would recommend are:
1. Upper Androscoggin River from a few miles north of Berlin to Errol- lots of pullout parking areas off Route 16.
2. Russell Pond - in WMNF campground, east of Route 93 - exit 31?
If your pursuits include the Rangeley, ME area, I can give you more choices.
Marty
Oh, and regarding permits, I am not exactly sure what you mean. You certainly need a fresh water license, that you can get for varying durations of time, etc. If I recall correctly, this can be obtained at most hunting/fishing stores and department stores that carry fishing gear.
1. Upper Androscoggin River from a few miles north of Berlin to Errol- lots of pullout parking areas off Route 16.
2. Russell Pond - in WMNF campground, east of Route 93 - exit 31?
If your pursuits include the Rangeley, ME area, I can give you more choices.
Marty
Oh, and regarding permits, I am not exactly sure what you mean. You certainly need a fresh water license, that you can get for varying durations of time, etc. If I recall correctly, this can be obtained at most hunting/fishing stores and department stores that carry fishing gear.
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LarryD
Member
I fly fish the Whites extensively every year. A lot of the rivers (and many of the ponds) hold fish. As has been pointed out, you do need a license from NH Fish & Game. You can buy them on-line on the agency's web site.
In terms of time of year, the trout ponds do not open for fishing until the 4th Saturday in April. Theoretically, most of the rivers are open as of January 1. However as a practical matter many of these are not fishable until May or even June. Most trout fishing ends on October 15, but there are a few ponds that close on Labor Day. The F&G web site has the rules for each body of water.
My one general piece of advice is this: The further you are willing to walk, the better the fishing experience will be. Roadside ponds and rivers (like the Swift and the Saco) get hit very hard but if you are willing to hike in or walk upstream away from the roads you can find solitude.
Good luck.
In terms of time of year, the trout ponds do not open for fishing until the 4th Saturday in April. Theoretically, most of the rivers are open as of January 1. However as a practical matter many of these are not fishable until May or even June. Most trout fishing ends on October 15, but there are a few ponds that close on Labor Day. The F&G web site has the rules for each body of water.
My one general piece of advice is this: The further you are willing to walk, the better the fishing experience will be. Roadside ponds and rivers (like the Swift and the Saco) get hit very hard but if you are willing to hike in or walk upstream away from the roads you can find solitude.
Good luck.
dentonfabrics
New member
Garry G (hey, someone else is from Canterbury!) gave you the best link. Let me tell you that last summer I hiked to Ethan Pond and the trout were breaking water every 10 seconds. There's also a place off of Rt 302, just before the notch that I've had great luck, albeit with a rod and reel.
Tons of great fishing spots around NH!
bob
Tons of great fishing spots around NH!
bob
LarryD
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I neglected to mention in my earlier thread that you can also get some useful information from www.flyfishinginnh.com.
--M.
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This is all good stuff so far.
Try "Trout Streams of Northern New England," by by David Klausmeyer (http://www.amazon.com/Trout-Streams..._bbs_sr_1/105-8805282-4877258?ie=UTF8&s=books) and of course the DeLorme Map Books.
This is also a good opportunity to help tout the great folks at the North Country Angler in North Conway (http://www.northcountryangler.com/). They know their stuff in there and have been open with me on where some of the good spots are. Good people.
Also, there are many FFO -- "Fly Fishing Only" -- spots, and the F&G guys do patrol.
Personally, I have seen good action on the upper Andro (as mentioned above), the Wild River, and of course the Saco. Try also the Pemi, the Gale, and the Ammonoosuc.
Good luck, and I'm glad to see angling mentioned (it's usually not given much air time on this site)!
Try "Trout Streams of Northern New England," by by David Klausmeyer (http://www.amazon.com/Trout-Streams..._bbs_sr_1/105-8805282-4877258?ie=UTF8&s=books) and of course the DeLorme Map Books.
This is also a good opportunity to help tout the great folks at the North Country Angler in North Conway (http://www.northcountryangler.com/). They know their stuff in there and have been open with me on where some of the good spots are. Good people.
Also, there are many FFO -- "Fly Fishing Only" -- spots, and the F&G guys do patrol.
Personally, I have seen good action on the upper Andro (as mentioned above), the Wild River, and of course the Saco. Try also the Pemi, the Gale, and the Ammonoosuc.
Good luck, and I'm glad to see angling mentioned (it's usually not given much air time on this site)!
Glad to see all of the responses. I appreciate all of the feedback. I am excited and ready to go. Looks like I have a few months to gain some knowledge. If you see a 6'4" trail runner in the Pemi running by with a fly rod on his pack thats me 
--M.
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Since (I see) you're from Massachusetts, see also the same book for "Southern New England," and check out the tribs off the Wachusett and Quabbin, the Nashua and the Millers (Athol). There's great small-river angling to be had all over (even the Charles and Sudbury have trout)!
Learning the rivers has also taught me that river systems are the key (along with peaks) to understanding topography. Once you walk a river upstream to its headwaters (like Moriah Brook from the Wild River or the Hudson headwaters), you learn a lot about how these components all fit together. Good orienteering practice, too.
Great topic!
Learning the rivers has also taught me that river systems are the key (along with peaks) to understanding topography. Once you walk a river upstream to its headwaters (like Moriah Brook from the Wild River or the Hudson headwaters), you learn a lot about how these components all fit together. Good orienteering practice, too.
Great topic!
Mattl
New member
The Whites have some wonderful places to fish both stream and pond for brook trout. With a regular NH fishing license you have access to everything. I would say the Whites are the biggest under used fishery for trout in comparison to other areas like it. It commonly gets used for hiking and skiing but seems to slip through the cracks when it comes to fishing. Some of the best remote trout ponds anywhere in the Northeast exhist in the White Mountain backcountry. I could give an endless list, but those who are advenurist can find them out by trial and error. The Fish and Game website has a list of remote trout ponds in NH and then you can just check where they are out on a map. Working with Fish and Game they depended on me for information and updates on some of these remote ponds because few people were going in. Which is strange because of how good they really are.. Most of the streams are rather sterile but still have lots of great small trout, there are some good slower streams one can backpack into especially in the pemi area and sandwich range with beaver dams as well. For ponds, we have some amazing ones, really gems that have been kept out of reach by most fisherman because of the hike required. Not even off-road vehicles (which is Maines biggest problem). Brook trout and remoteness go hand and hand. The less pressure they have, the better they do in most cases. Check out some of the remote trout ponds (need a floattube most of the time) in the sandwich range and pemi area. -Mattl
Vermonster
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Good friendly group of people on the FFNH forums here:
http://www.flyfishinginnh.com
And if you want to head over to Maine, visit the very active FFME here:
http://www.flyfishinginmaine.com
Don't overlook the lower Andro from Gorham to the state line (and beyond). The Region One biologists have done a great job with new regulations on this stretch and have helped generate a real world class fishery for both trout and (on the lower sections) smallmouth bass.
VT
http://www.flyfishinginnh.com
And if you want to head over to Maine, visit the very active FFME here:
http://www.flyfishinginmaine.com
Don't overlook the lower Andro from Gorham to the state line (and beyond). The Region One biologists have done a great job with new regulations on this stretch and have helped generate a real world class fishery for both trout and (on the lower sections) smallmouth bass.
VT
dudley
New member
A great deal of general fly fishing information can be found here;
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/
sierra
Well-known member
I flyfish and I will tell you up front, the most important thing to learn is what fly to tie on. It took me a few years, but I now have a hatch chart for the Whites, giving me an overlapping assortment of prevelant fly's for any given time of the year. Talk to the guy's at the shops, north country angler is a great shop and will help you pick out the possible flys for any given place and time. When your out fishing before you cast a fly look around. I sit and watch for fly's that are out, look for rises in the water and try to determine what they are, turn over rocks at waters edge and if a fly flies by CATCH IT!! and match it to what you have in your kit.
The second thing that is crucial is presentation, you must learn to cast such that your leader gracefully sets the fly down to mimic a real fly, if your fly hits the water at warp speed, the trout will laugh. Remember trout are smart, sneak to the waters edge, dont just run up to the water and charge in, they can see you and will scatter.
One trick that works alot is insects, but some ants,beatles, grasshoppers and walk the shore looking for overhanging trees and bushes, trout wait under them for a clumsy bug. In the morning the grasses that border alot of the Saco are wet, as they dry, the grasshoppers that are wet begin to spring off the grass, many landing in the river BANG, brown trout love grasshoppers.
Practice casting in your yard, watch your line as in rolls out behind you, only when your line is taught should you begin your foward cast, casting back and forth to fast will result in a sloppy release and presentation ( you will find small knots in your line to indicate this is happening (wind knots))
10 and 2, foward cast at 10 back cast at 2. start with 10 ft and add 5 ft at a time and watch your line behind you until you can mentally time it without looking.
Fish eat bugs the magority of the time, if you can get the hang of it you will catch fish. watch them trees as well, youll know what I mean later.
P.S. Ill start you off right, go to any good shop and buy 6 "Henryville Specials" that is the best fly for the Whites period. Ive stood next to the rich dudes in Profile lake more then once and smoked them all with that baby.
The second thing that is crucial is presentation, you must learn to cast such that your leader gracefully sets the fly down to mimic a real fly, if your fly hits the water at warp speed, the trout will laugh. Remember trout are smart, sneak to the waters edge, dont just run up to the water and charge in, they can see you and will scatter.
One trick that works alot is insects, but some ants,beatles, grasshoppers and walk the shore looking for overhanging trees and bushes, trout wait under them for a clumsy bug. In the morning the grasses that border alot of the Saco are wet, as they dry, the grasshoppers that are wet begin to spring off the grass, many landing in the river BANG, brown trout love grasshoppers.
Practice casting in your yard, watch your line as in rolls out behind you, only when your line is taught should you begin your foward cast, casting back and forth to fast will result in a sloppy release and presentation ( you will find small knots in your line to indicate this is happening (wind knots))
10 and 2, foward cast at 10 back cast at 2. start with 10 ft and add 5 ft at a time and watch your line behind you until you can mentally time it without looking.
Fish eat bugs the magority of the time, if you can get the hang of it you will catch fish. watch them trees as well, youll know what I mean later.
P.S. Ill start you off right, go to any good shop and buy 6 "Henryville Specials" that is the best fly for the Whites period. Ive stood next to the rich dudes in Profile lake more then once and smoked them all with that baby.
Chip
Well-known member
It'd be great fun if someone with local knowledge would volunteer to organize a spring backcountry backpack/fishing outing. 4 or 5 days at a few different deep woods spots would be excellent. I gave up fly-fishing (I'm no entomologist), so personally I'd prefer light tackle, but whatever. Any takers ?
(I'm no entomologist), so personally I'd prefer light tackle, but whatever. Any takers ?Similar threads
