WRITING ON THE FLY
By GEORGE LISET
For many flyfishers, opening day in New Hampshire for trout fishing is the fourth Saturday in April. I was reminded of that the other day when I was fishing the Merrymeeting River in Alton. My friend, Officer Ronald Arsenault of New Hampshire Fish and Game was making his rounds. I asked him if he was keeping busy and he laughed.
There were more flyfishers on the river than usual. Some were familiar faces who have been fishing since January first, others were trying out their new gear that they had purchased over the winter. Then there were many who were in pre-season, shaking the cobwebs off, getting ready for opening day on trout ponds at the end of the month.
Organization is the key to getting ready for trout season. I know flyfishers who are meticulously organized. Their fly boxes are organized and immaculate. Their reels and fly rods are all stored by line size and their lines are all cleaned and ready to go. Then there is me. I have all my rods in a couple of pack baskets in my office, I have all my reels in a couple of storage containers along with all my line, tippet and flies.
Then there is all the above that is literally squirreled away throughout the house. Since I am an unofficial gear hound, I am constantly buying and sometimes selling or trading rods; fly rods and reels and other fly fishing paraphernalia. I was doing some Spring cleaning in my closet and came across a couple of rods and reels I forgot that I had. It was like Christmas in March. I love when that happens!!
I actually put one of the lighter reels on a light weight rod for using dry flies on small streams. That is one reason I can’t wait for the warmer weather. I have been dredging nymphs all winter and occasionally throwing out a streamer, so I am ready for using dry flies. Being able to watch a trout come up and sip the fly off the top of the water is a thrill.
Last Fall I was fishing a size 18 Blue wing Olive along the bank of a local river. There was an overhanging branch that provided some shade and protection for the wary trout. As the fly drifted under the branch I gave it a little twitch, and reeled in a nice 14 inch Rainbow. That is a memory that helps you get through the winter.
As I have been switching over my flies and fly boxes in my sling pack, I have been trying to make sure I am prepared for most situations. That sometimes means bringing too much stuff, so I try to keep the extra fly boxes, line and reels in a storage box so I don’t have to carry it all around while I am fishing.
I just talked with New Hampshire guide John McKernan. John guides for Stripers in Great Bay and the Isles of Shoals. John said he is booking up fast. I made it out with John last summer and got into a ton of fish.
George Liset of Dover is an award-winning outdoor writer and avid fly fisherman who shares insights of his time on the water exploring New Hampshire streams and rivers as well of those around New England. George is a graduate of Wheaton College, Illinois, and the University of New Hampshire. His column Writing on the Fly has been honored by the New England Press Association and the New Hampshire Press Association.