WRITING ON THE FLY
By GEORGE LISET

    It seems like it has been an “Old long since” as the Scottish like to say. This year like most others seemed to fly by, especially if you spend much time fishing. This was a whether year, it depended upon the weather whether you were able to get out on the water. From late winter to early summer it rained every weekend, and then the spigot got turned off and there was hardly any water in the rivers.

    The first part of the year I was nymphing the local waters wearing my wading boots with spikes to keep from slipping in the rivers. This year I might add a floaty to my apparel. It makes it easier to get down the river. Once the rain came I started throwing heavy streamers to coax the fish off the bottom. Once the rivers started to dry up I headed up to fish the skinny water up in the White Mountains. Most of my friends just gave up and fished for stripers once they arrived.

    I took my annual trip up to Pittsburg, New Hampshire which is always fun. My son outfished me, shock, but he had to really try this year. A moral victory for me. It rained up there but somehow you don’t seem to notice it when you are catching fish and know that the hot tub and the Buck Rub Pub are waiting for you when you get back to the cabin.

    Every year one of my goals is to fish new water or different spots on old rivers. How you find out about these spots varies. I was at an outdoor flea market with a fly fishing shirt on. I struck up a conversation with a young man as we were looking at some fly fishing equipment a gentleman was selling.

     We got talking about where we fish. I mentioned I fished a certain local river and I told him where I usually fish. He mentioned to me that if I went up the road a quarter of a mile there would be a little path that would bring you to a couple of nice pools. A few days later I went back and with a little work I found the path. I followed it to a number of nice pools that I had to myself.

    Other times your friends will share their spots, The summer being so dry my buddy Terry asked if I wanted to go up to the Whites and fish some small streams with light rods. We fished some nice streams off the Kancamagus Highway. We used size 16-20 dry flies and had a ball. The Caddis and Blue Wing Olive patterns worked well. The little Brook Trout are like mini balls of muscle, and on a light rod will keep you giggling all day.

    I also enjoy buying and selling fly fishing rods, reels and equipment. I have picked up a couple of new vintage Orvis rods. I picked up a “Far and Fine” five weight rod with a mid flex. I used it on both the small streams and bigger water. It has the sensitivity to catch the small Brookies and the back bone to fight the bigger fish. Any time I have the opportunity to pick up an Orvis “Superfine” or “Far and Fine” for my price I do.

    Which seems like this past year, but it was October 2024, the fly-fishing world lost author John Gierach, most famous for his eponymous book “Trout Bum”. I have a collection of his books which I am constantly rereading. “Trout Bum” showed a generation of anglers that one could make a living from fly fishing and still be a Jack London.

    I am still mourning the passing of “Mad Beaver Pond”, my name. The state didn’t want to take care of it and neither did the town so they bulldozed the dam and turned it back into a spring-fed stream. Let’s hope it can revive itself as nature has the ability to.

    I’m looking forward to the New Year to come. I’m excited to fish some new spots around New Hampshire and maybe catch some fish, or at least look good trying. I wish you all a Happy New Year and at my age, a healthy one, and if you see me going down the river in my floaty wave “Hi”.