WRITING ON THE FLY
By GEORGE LISET
The Dog Days of Summer have arrived, and along with it comes the heat, humidity and unfortunately no rain. For the fly fisherman who angles primarily for trout, their opportunities are limited. Small ponds, rivers and streams that have cold water sources are their only options until the weather cools and it starts raining a lot. This is the time of year that I enjoy fishing the tributaries that flow into Lake Winnipesaukee.
I discovered that there are over 60 brooks, rivers and streams that flow into “Winni”, of which I have probably fished ten of the mostly larger ones. I have fished these tributaries because I know I will get into fish, and there is the old adage that “You don’t leave fish to find other fish.”
However; I do enjoy exploring new streams especially around Winni.
The larger tributaries offer a wide variety of angling opportunities depending upon the season. The Spring and Fall will bring the trout and landlocked salmon. Once the water warms up, the trout and the salmon head for the cooler deep water of the lake and the pan fish, such as sunfish, blue gill, bass and perch arrive. Occasionally an angler is surprised by the hold over trout or salmon and that is what makes fishing the tributaries so interesting and enjoyable.
I hadn’t been on the water in a while so I called my friend Ray and asked him if he wanted to have some fun with panfish. Ray is getting back into the fly fishing game and fishes for mostly trout, which is a hardscrabble business on the Seacoast. Ray was up for a new adventure so we met early, grabbed a coffee and had an enjoyable ride to the lake. The plan was to fish for a few hours until it got too hot and then head back.
I knew the river would be low and the water warm so I was planning to fish top water flies to keep from getting snagged, and also because it is fun to see the fish take the fly. I tied on a size 18 caddis on my 3 weight rod. Those panfish feel like monsters on a light rod. Ray was using his 5 weight rod. I pulled out my go-to size 16 foam Atomic Ant and gave it to Ray.
Ray tied it to his tippet and on his second cast the water exploded and Ray was into his first fish, a nice hand sized Rock Bass. Those fish fight like a fish twice their weight. I caught a number of rock bass and a smallmouth. My biggest fish of the day was a sixteen inch Fall Fish, also known as a Sucker, which is a bottom fish.
What is enjoyable is that you never know what you can catch. I was surprised when I caught a fourteen inch pickerall one time. I had used a small foam grasshopper and had cast it across a large pool. I twitched it a few times when he grabbed the fly and started to do a tail dance to get away. It is fun to catch fish, and just as enjoyable to watch others catch fish.
Ray caught so many fish his Atomic Ant fell off the hook. So Ray and I are planning another trip to have some more fun with panfish or we may head up north for some small stream Brook trout so while you are waiting for the trout and salmon to arrive in the rivers this fall, grab your light rod and have some fun with panfish.
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.