Backyard Brookies and Spring Creek'n

Been meaning to hit up a local beaver flowage.  I haven't been in there in a couple years so before the water got to warm and low it had to happen today, or not at all.  Up at 4:30 am, in the truck by 5:00 and after a whole 5 minute long drive it was time to unload :)

Upriver I go...

Whats around the bend....a brand new dam I see.

Up and over and into the chubs...

There were dark colored mayfies all over the water but the fish weren't interested.  So today a good old weighted zug bug did the damage.  After I got up far enough the tide began to change from chub to brookie.

Good looking water, sandy bottom and lots of alder bushes lining the edges.

And then it happened......After casting to a large grouping of stumps the freight train arrived.  Good thing I was using 4x, was able to horse him in and into the net in short order.  Things can turn ugly with all those beaver sticks around.  A quick picture and back in.  Who says NH wild trout are all tiny?

Three years ago I had my wife up in here....and she caught two even bigger :)

After this....I decided to turn back and head home to drop the canoe off.  So far...a very good day.  But it can always get better right?

Not long after I arrived at my second planned location, a nice spring fed mountain creek.

With the afternoon temps getting close to 85 I was glad to be out of the sun and into the shade.  I tied on a nice bushy dry/dropper and never felt the need to change it up.  If it aint broke...

Looking back down

The fishing was good, all those spots that look like they hold fish did indeed so.

Huge plunge after plunge......

Mostly rainbows, with a few brookies mixed in here and there.  3-4 fish out of ever pool was the norm.

A nice looking feeder stream, very cold.

More plunges....

Feisty wild bows...

One of those dark pools holds a small steam monster. After watching my dry suddenly shoot backwards I set the the hook and instantly my rod bent double, one leap, two quick circles and snap.  I did get a glimpse though....a fierce wild bow over a foot long awaits a return trip.

Around 4 I decided to call it quits.  Covered in bug bites, sweat, sticky bug dope, tired.....12 hours on the water...and I'd do it all again in an instant :)

The weather forecast for today said mostly cloudy and mid fifties, a perfect opportunity to take a walk in search of some beaver pond trout.  Instead, when I rolled out of bed just past noon, it was bright and sunny and in the mid sixties.  Oh well, might as well take a walk anyways right.

After staring at some topo maps around three in the morning last night I saw what looked to be a good sized beaver pond near the head waters of a small stream.   After parking and gearing up I headed upstream.  I didn't want to spend much time fishing the stream because I'd never get to the pond itself, so I didn't even bother tying on a fly.  That lasted about 10 minutes

When you see pools like this how can u resist?
When you see pools like this how can u resist?

Tied on a dry, because well, why not!  Two fish to hand, one from each side.

After this I ignored most everything else, I had quite a ways to go.  After scaling a 200 foot tall ridge I could see things start to lighten up ahead.  Soon after....the beaver pond reveals itself.

Back into the woods I went after seeing where the dam was located.  Here's the view from the other side.

I could see a few fish making rises near the bushes, not an ideal time of day to be fishing.  Sure wish it had been cloudy instead.  Never the less, I came all this way....gotta try at least.

After about 30 minutes of fruitless casting I finally had take near the tangle of roots near the beaver house itself.

After this I decided to go subsurface, hold my rod please Mr. Alder Bush.

Not long after, another take, a giant golden shiner. Yay!

And that was all she wrote......

After this I just sat back and observed my surroundings.  If you stand still long enough and listen, the woods come alive.  Redwing blackbirds were everywhere, a pair of raptors high overhead, millions of skeeters and blackflies.

Snakes......

Crawdads....

Newts...

A great few hours spent outside.

I have next week off, and its dry fly season.  Time to fish