The last few hours were left of the fishing season. The high water this fall not only helped us, it also worked against us. There were alot of salmon in the river but few spots that offered good wading opportunities.
My college classes ended at noon and my fly rod was rigged up and I was on the water fly fishing before 1:30. Today was October 31. Halloween and closing day for fly fishing on this river. I had less then 5 hours to finish my season with a bang.
The water was tea colored, running very hard and swollen over its banks in most spots. However fish were breaking water and boiling on a regular basis. My good friend and fly fishing buddy, Taylor, had been fly fishing most of the morning on the edge of a bend where fish were moving through. The salmon were moving through water that was only knee deep, and many guys were wading right in the key holding water.
The last day of the season usually implies that the salmon have been pressured. So, during these times, light tippet and small nymphs are my preferred fly fishing tactics. Together, Taylor and I flyfished and used identical methods. We presented our flies with drag free drifts and fished very close to the waters edge.
The last day of our flyfishing season ended in our favor. Two colored up lakes region Landlocked Salmon bucks. Both fish were over 22 inches. It was a memorable and rewarding way to finish up the season.
awesome read – very impressive fish and its great to see you guys online. i think it is so cool that we all met on the salmon river and fliesandfins.com has been conduit for us to stay in touch and share flyfishing adventures.
ps – i met the these guys on the salmon river last spring and they were dialed right into the steelies – gotta admit – they had me guessing and they were smoking me. i remember specifically – taylor (the guy on the bottom) was flyfishing with a red copper john and the steelies were all over it – they wanted nothing to do with my egg pattern – actually – i think i have some video of you guys from when we were flyfishing that day – i will piece something together and attach it to this article later today – good to see you guys – lets stay in touch and flyfish for steelies soon – i usually go once per month every month from now through may. so – we will certainly synhcronize at least one outing this season. — stay tuned for the video later today – cya
What a great way to end the season. great read.
Alright!!!glad you could get a couple before the state shuts it down…I like how you roll “class ended @ 1 and I was in the water before 1:30” If that was me I probably wouldn’t have been in class, but then again you are probably a much better student then I was. Thanks for the post maybe I’ll see ya on the SR.
j-
Those are some sweet ll’s, nice work!
Austin
Nice fish man! I love fishing NH lakes region for salmon and the rainbows in the srping but have never caught any in the fall or even fished for them in the fall. This year at ice out i got 4 over 23″ and 3 over 20″ all the fish were 3-4 lbs with the exception of a major football that weighed 4 3/4 lbs! Those fish seem very dark, all the opnes i cathc at ice otu are almost all chrome. I fish mostly Lake Winni. is that where u got those?
Caleb
P.S. Maybe we could hook up soemtime, my dad lives in Meredith almost right on Winni, and we have another house in Holderness not to far from squam.
fishking – i don’t think its too cool to put these guys on the spot and flat out ask them “is that where you caught them?” clearly if they wanted to share that information they would have done so, but also i just want it to be known that fliesandfins.com does not require nor promote giving away location with a story – and the same applies for asking people – it just kind of makes the writer feel uncomfortable – it has to – because if they wanted to make that public knowledge they would have done so .
i appreciate your understanding – and maybe these guys would be willing to discuss that sort of stuff in private messages or via email – but it would be totally understandable if they did not want to do that as well – all i know is please try to refrain from blatently asking flyfisherman for their flyfishing locations – it just kinda makes things feel a little uncomfortable for everyone involved.
again – i know you meant no harm – and i as well would love to know where they were -as i am sure alot of other viewers might … but that’s part of the fun and part of the mystery of flyfishing and it is up to the writer if they wish to disclose that information in public (which fliesandfins.com does not recommend – unless it is an already VERY publicly known location) and also up to the writer wether they wish to disclose that information even if private communication channels.
Thanks fishking.
Sorry Jeremy, I didnt eman it to be so precise. Winni is a HUGE lake and so there is millions of places to fish, that all, I wasnt expecting any spots
no sweat – i got your photo of that brookie – wow – that’s huge! where were you:)…..just kidding.
are those the only photos you got or are more coming?
Nice Fish Guys! I have been fishing the river the past week or two and you are right, the flow has been bitter sweet. It brought the fish up, but man I have never roll cast so much!
Overall a good fall though. More hens than bucks for me though? Maybe I’ll see ya around in NH or NY.
Th good one is on film and i dont knwo if i’ll ever be able to get it scanned, so you can post with those.
Caleb
Nice work guys. Looks like a lot of fun. ll’s are one of my favorite fish on the fly.
Nice fish boys! Isn’t it ABSOLUTELY a sin that we couldn’t fish there (and other places) Tuesday, November 1. Virtually everyone agrees that there is little to no natural reproduction taking place with these salmon (and trout) … yet they close the season!!!??? When will NHF&G wake up to these lost opportunities to sell more licenses?