Happy Fourth of July, fellow anglers. Many of you have traveled great distances to fish the beautiful waters of the Mount Washington Valley. Whether your fish of choice is trout, bass, pickerel, or perch, the valley has a place for you to wet a line and enjoy your time on the water.
For the river trout angler, the mighty Saco River is the place to ply your lure or fly. The fly angler has two miles of river in which to throw a myriad of flies to try and tempt the brook trout and the brown trout.
Our favorites flies for this time of year are the Yellow Sally and the Saco Spinner. The Saco Spinner is particularly effective when fished at dusk. For added opportunity, a small Pheasant Tail Nymph attached as a dropper will double your chances to hook a fish. Anglers can fish the Saco River until two hours after sunset.
The other 39 miles of the Saco River is open to all anglers. Fishing the River Street Bridge in Bartlett with a Rooster Tail Spinner is the choice among spin cast anglers.
Chartreuse, silver, and black are favorite colors but any flashy lure will catch the many hatchery trout in this portion of the river. If you are a catch and release spin angler, consider pinching down the barbs on your treble hooks or replacing the treble hook with a single circle hook. The fish will thank you.
For the trout angler who prefers bait, nothing beats a big old nightcrawler. Large brown trout inhabit the lower Saco River and floating a night crawler under a bobber has brought many of these fish to hand.
Bass can be found in all lakes and ponds south of Conway. A favorite for the topwater angler is Crystal Lake in Eaton. Taking your canoe or kayak out on this small lake and throwing fly rod poppers to structure along the edge will bring lightening responses from the bass.
The same can be said for the spin angler who throws a Hula Popper or a Jitterbug lure. One never knows when the surface of the lake will explode as the bass engulfs your offering.
Pickerel are the toothy denizens of Mount Washington Valley waters. There is no place in the valley like Dollof Pond in which to chase this little brother of the Northern Pike. Again, the canoe or the kayak are the angler’s best friend. Paddling around Dollof Pond and throwing a fly or lure to structure will draw a response.
AD’s Better Bait Fish or the Whitey Titey are easy flies to cast and will bring aggressive pickerel to hand. The use of an Orvis Predator Polyleader is highly recommended. The titanium wire will prevent the sharp teeth of a trophy pickerel from shearing your line and being lost back into the depths of Dollof.
Spin anglers targeting pickerel no do no worse than to throw the old red and whit Daredevil. This lure has been a go to pickerel and pike lure sine it inception in the early 1900s. Spin anglers should use a wire leader as well to protect against a loss of the fish.
If the kids just want to catch a fish, nothing can beat the yellow perch. These fish travel in schools and when you catch one yellow perch there are typically more to follow. A small piece of worm or power bait placed on the hook and suspended under a bobber will be sure to bring a smile to your child’s face. Lake Chocorua is a favorite place to picnic and fish for perch. The whole family will enjoy it.
Please bring a trash bag with you when fishing and fill it with trash. This will make landowners happy and keep angler access to waters open.
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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