Spring is here!

I was on my run last Wednesday and I heard the first peepers of the year.  This has always been a great sign of spring and lets me know that great fishing and weather should not be too far behind.  I have been out recently scouting spots for early season clients and things have been slowly shaping up.  The water levels are on the high side, the water temperatures are on the low, but when both of them merge together, we should be looking at great flows and perfect temps for catching fish.  I would guess that by the middle of this week things will start to look a lot better for us.  I was out all day yesterday checking out some spots and we are on the edge for sure.  This winter has seemed to drag and it is reassuring to know that we have finally made it!  With all of the wonderful days ahead of us for the 2014 season I am recharged and ready to create some more "fish stories"!  At this point I have two open dates for southern / middle of the state guiding, but I have many dates left for July and August for Pittsburg.  If you are looking to get away for a weekend in the Great North Woods this summer, let me know soon and we can get on some Pittsburg trout! 

-Patrick

Early Season Bow

Spring Ahead!

Hello Everyone!
     This winter is a one for the record books!  The good thing is that we should have higher flows later into the spring with the large snowpack.  The tough part will be if it all melts at once creating blown out rivers.  I have found that it all tends to equal out over the course of the season and I would rather have a bit too much water than not enough!  For those of you who have forgotten the sights and sounds of summer, here is a little video to keep you going.

It is coming...

Patrick@fishstoryguideservice.com

Pelham Fly Fishing Show

A true sign of spring!  The Pelham Fly Fishing Show is back!  Saturday and Sunday March 1st and 2nd come down and join us!  I will have a booth setup with my good friend Tom Jutras once again and will be doing a fly tying demonstration on Sunday at 11AM as a "Guest Tying Instructor."  I will have brochures and information relating to my guide service as well as flies and videos for viewing.  As always there will be plenty of fish stories being thrown around as well!  Stop by and say hello!

Here is a list of the "Guest Tying Instructors":

FLY FISH NH SHOW TYER SCHEDLE
SATURDAY MARCH 1
10AM Tom Jutras Soft Hackle Emerger
11AM Peggy Brenner Green Beauty Streamer
NOON David Kolesar Hairwing Streamer
1PM Angus Boezeman Soft Hackle Streamer
2PM Nate Hill Foam Caddis


SUNDAY MARCH 2
10AM Bill Thompson Zoo Cougar
11AM Patrick Ard Feedinator
NOON John Henchey Weighted Crystal Bugger
1PM Jim Riccardi Hoppulaton
2PM Jim Norton Wood Duck & Orange

 

Here is a link to more information about the show:

 

http://www.merrimacktu.org/FFNH-Flyer-2014.pdf

 

 

 

 

Starting off with a BANG!

First off, I hope everyone is having a great start to the new year.  I always feel a sense of renewed energy and determination to accomplish great things with the progression into a new year.  I have a lot of adventures on my list for 2014 and hope to be able to get to most of them.  Last year was a time for rebuilding.  In March I was forced into making a decision about my torn patella tendon in my knee.  Would it make more sense to try and ride it out or to go in and fix it with a surgery?  Well, I decided it was time to get it fixed correctly and it was the best decision I have made.  I feel just about 100%, knee wise, and have even started to get my running mileage back up in the past few months.  With no limitations physically, the adventure list has grown and has no restrictions.  My first adventure was realized on New Year's Day.  I was celebrating the new year with friends and family in Pittsburg and it was the plan to fish somewhere on the Connecticut River on New Year's Day no matter what the conditions.  Well, we woke up to -2 degrees with some wind, but bright blue skies.  My friend Kevin and I headed out early and wanted to be on the water before it got too windy.  Our fingers were cold and faces were freezing, but the fish gods were generous and I was able to land a beautiful fat rainbow in the first 10 minutes of fishing.  I kept the fish in the water while Kev got the camera ready and we took a quick pick before sending it on it's way.  After getting my hands wet, I was pretty much done fishing, but we stayed a while longer and stuck with it.  No more fish would come to hand that day, but it was just about as great a way to start off the Pittsburg season as I could have asked for.  See you all soon!

Patrick@fishstoryguideservice.com

 

Happy New Year!

The start of a new year is always exciting.  It gives me a chance to reflect back on the previous year and all it had to offer, but it also refuels my passion for an even better year to come.  There is a lot to look forward to in 2014 including fishing trips with friends, repeat clients and first timers.  The anticipation grows with each passing week during the slow progression towards spring.  In the meantime we are allowed some crucial moments to restock our fly boxes, attend some fly fishing shows and swap some fishing stories with friends.  This post was initially meant to wrap up some late season fishing I had in upstate New York, but also to let you know that I will be doing a presentation on "Fly Fishing Pittsburg N.H." in February.  I was asked by Great Bay Trout Unlimited if I would consider doing a talk at one of their monthly meetings.  I said sure, mostly because it will give me an excuse to share stories and information with like minded people and have a few laughs.  I also hope it will give you a good idea of why Pittsburg is one of my favorite places to fish in New Hampshire.  The presentation will be on Monday February 3rd at 6PM.  It will be held at the Roundabout Diner in Portsmouth NH.  For more information about the presentation and how to get there, check out: http://greatbaytu.blogspot.com/p/chapter-meetings-events.html 
Now back to the steelhead in the Salmon River.  I was able to make two trips out with friends this past November and both were productive and just plain fun.  We fought high water, wind, and sub zero temperatures, but in the end had a blast!  Enjoy the pictures below of our trips and feel free to shoot me an email if you are interested in booking a trip for 2014!  Happy New Year everyone!
Patrick@fishstoryguideservice.com

First Big Steelie of the Trip!

Nate with a Chromer!

Uncle Mike gets it done!

Kev with a purple beast!

Chilly Morning Steel

Shoulders!



Dime Bright!

A "Three Rivers" Trip....

The Three Rivers Stocking Association did a wonderful job this fall.  There were some absolutely beautiful fish put in and it made for very productive days of fishing.  I tend to get very busy in the fall and only got out a few times with clients, but when I did we were rewarded.  I really can not say enough about the beauty of these rivers as well.  I tend to enjoy each river in different ways during certain seasons as well.  For me, I enjoy fishing the Isinglass in the last couple of weeks in October as well as the first few weeks in November.  The leaves have turned and mostly fallen by this point and it is just about as scenic as you can get.  The Cocheco is one of my early season spots and I tend to fish there more in late March or early April.  The fish spread out and can be caught large distances below where they have been stocked.  If you explore down river, you will be pleasantly surprised with how scenic the river really is.  The Lamprey has always been a late fall / early winter area for me.  The faster water keeps the ice away and will fish better later in the year.  I am already starting to book trips on the weekends in late March and early April.  If you would like to explore the three rivers feel free to shoot me an email.  Even if you just have a question, send it my way and I will do my best to lead you in the right direction!  I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season! 
- Patrick@fishstoryguideservice.com

Nice Cocheco Rainbow

Fall Colors on the Isinglass

Silvery Lamprey Bow

Time Flies....

Hello Everyone!
     Happy Columbus Day, Halloween, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Holidays in general!  Man I can not believe how the time has flown by this fall.  There are way too many fish stories to be told in one post, so my plan is to try and do a few posts here in December on a few different fishing events from the fall.  I am in the tail end of my deer hunting season as well and have yet to get my deer, so I need to focus for one more weekend and then it is back to the normal routine of things.  But back to fall fishing.  The end of the Pittsburg season was great as always and many clients were able to get into some fine looking salmon.  I kept exploring, and found some more productive salmon waters in the area as well.  I really enjoyed meeting a lot of friendly folks on the river and it seemed like most people were having a great time with the leapers.  It is always bitter sweet on the last weekend of the season and it always leaves me wanting more.  I am already chomping at the bit to get back up to Pittsburg with a fly rod in my hand.  Enjoy some of the pictures from our fall trips in Pittsburg!

-Patrick

Nice Salmon Earl!

Salmon

Chuck's Salmon

Cool Looking Eye

Rainbow in the Mix!

Bruiser 19" Salmon

Nice leaps from this one!

63rd Birthday Fish!