WRITING ON THE FLY
By GEORGE LISET
It finally happened. I knew it would only be a matter of time. I subscribe to a couple of fly fishing magazines. I’m old school. I like to read printed material. Part of it is growing up reading the local newspapers. I always look forward to the latest issue arriving. I enjoy reading about all the great fishing spots throughout the country. It is like traveling from the comfort of your own home. When I opened the latest issue I saw my favorite New Hampshire spot as the main feature.
With technology being what it is, there are no secrets any more, and I should add, no more secret spots. However, to have your favorite spot being featured in a national magazine took the wind out of my sails. As I read the well-written article my mind drifted down the rabbit hole. I could imagine bus loads of fly fishers showing up to Pittsburg, New Hampshire transforming that bucolic burg into the fourth largest city in the state.
I remember the first time I visited with my son thirty years ago. Planning for the trip to Pittsburg near the Canadian border was like planning for a trip to the edge of the world. We stayed at Lake Francis State Park which featured only rustic camping sites. We had our choice of sites, since there were only a few other families visiting, even at the end of August which was when the Moose Festival was going on. We settled in at a site on the water. There was a full moon both nights that came up over the water. That, combined with a small campfire, made the trip magical. Moose were abundant and so were the fish. And it was quiet.
This was before Pittsburg became the snowmobile and recreational vehicle capital of New England. The coffee shop was in the middle of town and all the locals would congregate to get the news. You could get your flies at the local general store that shared space with the shop. Fish and deer mounts were all over. It was just like you pictured it from Field and Stream magazine. But times change. I’ve changed.
There were a few pictures featured in the article and I recognized all the spots. I caught some nice sized fish there. It brought back some fun memories. I was already planning my yearly trip back up for next summer, then I thought that I should make my reservations even earlier.
The author did a wonderful job of painting this part of the upper Connecticut River as a fly-fishing destination.
In all fairness I have written about this section of the Connecticut River a number of times. Over the years I have also met fly fishers from all over the country. A few years ago I met a wonderful group of women from Nashville, Tennessee who came up for the week to fly fish. The Upper Connecticut is really not a secret.
Like most anglers you don’t mind sharing your favorite spots, you just don’t want to stand in line to do it. There is a lot of fishable water in New Hampshire, especially if you enjoy hiking and small stream fishing. There are numerous remote ponds as well. As the late John Gierach said, “You just have to be willing to get off the beaten path to find unpressured waters.”
As I mentioned earlier there are no secret places. With the advent of Google Maps and the Trout Routes App anglers can find fishable water all over the world. There is still plenty of great water up in the “Burg.” I am just hoping the new anglers will spend more time looking for moose and less time fishing.