Summer at last!

Well it is finally here and it has been crazy so far!  I left straight from school and needed to make one quick stop before heading all the way up to Pittsburg.  The quick stop consisted of running up Mount Washington, then back down, as part of the Mount Washington Road Race for my running team, Whirlaway.  Once that small task was out of the way it was up to camp! I needed to organize all of my gear, take a quick power nap and then it was off to meet with my "sports" to make sure everything was ready for the next morning. I guided four great folks for three consecutive days with my good friend Tom Jutras and to say the fishing was great was an understatement.  Four "sports", three days and close to 100 fish between them, made for a very enjoyable trip.  Most of the group were beginners, but they were able to pick up the basics very quickly and add on to their new skills as the days rolled along.  The following five days were spent helping with the N.H. Trout Unlimited Kid's Camp.  I have been involved with this camp for 8 years now and it is amazing how far it has come since just a few of us were sitting around a kitchen table talking about how to make it work back in 2007.  I was the assistant director of the camp for the first few years and now get to do what I enjoy the most, teach and guide the kids.  The camp flew by and was a great success once again with happy campers and lasting memories for all. The flows are back to normal right now in Pittsburg and fishing continues to be productive.  I still have openings over the next few weeks if you would like to come up and try out our rivers.  Things are only getting better up here now and I would love to show you around!  In the meantime, as always, if you have any questions about the flows, or fishing, please feel free to shoot me an email and I will be sure to get back to you!  Enjoy!

Patrick@fishstoryguideservice.com

First big brookie of the day!

One of the big boys!

Good battle!



Nice Brookie

Father's Day Frenzy

Hey Everyone! 
     Just a quick, spur of the moment trip to a local watering hole on Sunday.  Things were great from start to finish.  Caddis were hatching, fish were taking emergers and we were catching fish.  We started with brookies and ended with bows, but we landed some of each on caddis dry flies.  This is always fun as you can watch fish come up to the fly.  I am glad I had a chance to fish local one last time before I am in Pittsburg for the next two months.  As always if you have a thought or a question, please feel free to email me or leave a comment on this blog!  Pittsburg here we come!

Patrick@fishstoryguideservice.com

 

 

What a pro!

Good stuff right there!

Guiding

Caddis, Caddis, Caddis...

There are some serious hatches going on all over the state right now.  One of my favorite hatches is that of the Caddis.  This little fly is a lot like me.  It really doesn't like to sit still for long periods of time.  Fortunately, for me though, if I do need a break, I will not get eaten by a monster trout by lingering a bit too long in one spot.  It is this constant motion that entices some of the most amazing trout rises I have ever seen.  Splashes everywhere can only mean one thing.  Throw on a Caddis.  I also enjoy using an emerging Caddis as well.  There is just something about feeling the trout take on a tight line that makes the hair stand on the back of my neck.  We were lucky enough to get into an emerging Caddis situation recently and my "sports" were rewarded nicely.  I officially have no more open dates for southern or central NH until after October 15th at this point.  I do however have plenty of open slots on weekdays during July and August in Pittsburg.  Water flows in Pittsburg are back closer to "normal" as of today, so let me know if you have an interest in booking a trip!  Enjoy some pictures of our recent trip!

Patrick@fishstoryguideservice.com

Nice Fat Bow

Fighter

Couldn't resist the Caddis

Stockie

Another Day in Paradise...

All sorts of things have been happening in Pittsburg these days.  First off the flows are quite a bit different from what is being posted on the internet.  As of this morning below first lake dam is running at about 50 cfs, not the posted 353 cfs.  Second lake dam is running at about 25 cfs which is not too bad if you like to hike around and throw some dries to pocket water fish.  There is a lot of potential in that area if you are willing to explore.  Below Murphy is about 300 cfs and much more conducive to wading than the 850 cfs that was running out a few days back.  The only concerning flow to me is the first lake dam at 50 cfs.  These areas have been recently stocked and the fish have not had a chance to spread out.  If the flows get back to normal in this area, the fish will disperse throughout the entire river and things will be great!  I just hope that people do not take advantage of the easy fishing and take home more fish than they need.  Either way, we are on the verge of actual "summer" type fishing in the north woods.  I only have two weeks left of teaching and will be up to Pittsburg for good after that.  I am chomping at the bit to get out there and introduce new "sports" to Pittsburg fishing!  If the fishing so far this season is any indication of what the summer will hold, you better strap in and hang on!  I have just a few weekend days left open for July and August, but there are many weekdays still waiting to be booked.  If you want to learn how to fly fish and do it in the most beautiful area of New Hampshire, let me know and I will set you up! Thanks for reading!

Patrick@Fishstoryguideservice.com

"King of the River"

Lots of spots!

"Painted Trillium" in the Trophy Stretch



Early Morning Bow

First Fly Rod Fish

My nephew caught his first fish on a fly rod recently.  Needless to say, I was a proud uncle!  Let the learning and years of fun begin!

Proud father and happy son!

A Very Local Day!

I had the pleasure of guiding a wonderful "sport" recently.  Ed is a great guy who only had a limited amount of fly fishing experience prior to our trip.  I enjoy teaching fly fishing to beginners and getting them on to fish is a thrill.  We only had a half day to cover the basics and find the trout, but it proved to be more than enough time to enjoy an awesome day of fly fishing.  Ed was able to catch the southern NH trout TRIFECTA! Brookie, rainbow and brown trout were willing to play on this trip!  Enjoy a few pictures from our time on the water and feel free to shoot me an email with any questions!  Thanks for stopping by!

Patrick@fishstoryguideservice.com

1st Trout on the fly

Great morning!

Strange Tail on this one!

Fish Pic!

Pittsburg Preview!

Recently (about a week ago), I was lucky enough to get up to Pittsburg for a 5 day scouting trip.  The plan was to just get all over the place and check out water flows, water temps and snow/ice conditions.  Of course there was plenty of fishing to be had as well.  The water temps in all of the inlets was around 40 - 41 degrees and flows were on the high side everywhere.  That being said, the salmon were right on the edge of coming in.  I did a lot of hiking and scouting in northern areas of Pittsburg and some spots still had over 2 feet of snow in the deep woods.  In southern Pittsburg there was a lot of bare ground and even some good fish to be found.  I am looking forward to guiding and fishing Pittsburg more than ever this season as things are already starting off with a bang! Please let me know if you or anyone that you know might be interested in learning how to fly fish in the great north woods!  I am starting to book up, but still have many weekdays available in July and August to fill!  For full availability shoot me an email!

Patrick@fishstoryguideservice.com

21" and thick!  A good sign of things to come!

My Largest Pittsburg Rainbow to date! 26" Estimated Weight = Heavy