The Chevy K5 Blazer turned left onto the dirt road. The Sportspal canoe wiggled on the roof and the tie-down straps strained to hold the canoe in place. Troutman and the Old Timer were headed to one of their favorite remote trout ponds for some fine fall fishing.
The Old Timer and Troutman had been on this road a multitude of times. At the end of the road, there was a wild brook trout bog that the two had fished for years.
“Looks like they will be logging this winter,” said Troutman. “The road is in excellent condition.”
“A far cry from when we first went in here,” said the Old Timer. “I bought my first Blazer so that we could safely get into the pond. Four-wheel drive was the only way to navigate this road.”
The Old Timer shook his head. With the road in good condition, any angler could drive to the pond. He knew that more angling pressure would negatively affect the fishing.
As the Old Timer made the final turn toward the pond, the road was washed out. The Old Timer reached down and put the Blazer into 4LO and started to creep to the pond. The Old Timer had a smile on his face.
“You happier now?” said Troutman. “No cars are going to get down in here with their low clearance.”
Arriving at the pond, the water was as smooth as glass. Troutman got to work taking the Sportspal off the Blazer and to the water. The Old Timer got the paddles, life jackets and anchors out of the back of the Blazer and loaded the canoe.
The two anglers rigged up their rods. The Old Timer fished his Orvis Far and Fine five weight. Troutman was fishing his Double L Guide in four weight.
“Floating or sink tip line today?” asked Troutman.
“The water has cooled considerably the last week,” said the Old Timer. “It’s the sink tip for me.”
Troutman took out his Type III full sink line. While the water was cooler, there had not been a big wind to turn the pond over and clear the summer stratification. Troutman was going to use the countdown method to find fish.
“Going with the Yellow Wooly Worm?” asked Troutman. The Old Timer nodded. The Yellow Wooly Worm was his fall go to fly for ponds.
Troutman tied a Jean Bucktail to the end of his leader. He liked the copper tinsel body and the orange bucktail between the gray bucktail in the wing.
All rigged and ready to go, the two got in the canoe. The Old Timer took the front seat with Troutman in the stern. Troutman liked paddling up the pond and letting the Old Timer cast to the structure along the shore. Structure that held big trout in search of an easy meal.
Halfway down the pond, the Old Timer’s rod bent in the unmistakable arch of a fish on his line. As the Old Timer began to strip line in and get control of the fish, the fish took off to the depths of the pond. The fish clearly had other ideas.
“Get the net ready,” said the Old Timer. “ This is a GOOD fish!” Troutman reached inti the bottom of the canoe and grabbed the net. If the Old Timer said it was a good fish, Troutman knew that it would be a memorable fish.
After several minutes of back and forth, the Old Timer brought the fish close enough to the canoe so that Troutman could net the fish. It was a beautiful 16-inch male brook trout in all his spawning colors. Mother Nature has made no fish prettier.
Troutman removed the barbless hook and the Old Timer picked up the fish, admired the beauty, and released the fish back into the water. The two shook hands. Another memory had been created.
Once the lakes and ponds have turned over, fish can be found throughout the water body. Focus on shoreline structure where trout and bass will be feeding on bait fish.
Steve Angers, a native to the Conway area, is the author of the book “Fly Fishing New Hampshire’s Secret Waters” and operates the North Country Angler.
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