2005 Fishing highlights

Tall Timber Lodge strongly encourages all anglers to
practice Catch & Release. In the immortal words of Lee Wulff,
"A good gamefish is too valuable to be caught only once. The fish you release is your gift to another angler."

April 27 - ICE OUT at Back Lake. One of our loons has returned, as he was spotted bobbing for fish two days before, but the last remnants of winter finally left us today. It's definitely cold and blustery, but spring is here and the salmon run between 2nd Connecticut and 1st Connecticut will kick off fishing season soon. Today there was also a F&G truck stocking at Lake Francis, which won't be out for a week or two more. Come on up!

May 10 - The weather is beautiful and our wildlife is in full swing - the moose are roaming, the loons are calling, the grouse are drumming, the woodcock are peenting and the salmon are running. The fishing is excellent at the Lake Francis Inlet and anglers have had a lot of action trolling for lakers and salmon on First Connecticut Lake at the inlet where the river dumps in. Go to our "Hot Fly & Lure" list to check what's been working. This weekend is supposed to be rainy - perfect salmon weather!

May 13 - The fishing at the Lake Francis campground has been excellent this week with many salmon, rainbow and brown trout testing anglers. The Magalloway stretch of the river has also picked up as the salmon have started running out of First Lake. Of course, with the better fishing comes more fishermen, so try to make it up here during the week if you can!

May 27 - Our wet weather hasn't dampened the spirits of our fishermen this week. After a stocking of large brook trout
(3 - 4 lb.) earlier this week, the Laroche party has been bringing in the lunkers routinely over the last couple of days. The river fishing below 1st Lake Dam has also been great the last couple of days, so it appears as though we're hitting our stride early this year. The black flies haven't appeared yet, but they will be here very soon. If you do come up, don't forget your rain coat, as it has been very rainy and will be for a few more days to come.

June 2 - Finally, the weather has improved and so has the fishing. There have been alot of fish rising in the mornings and evenings of the last few days, so the hatch season has definitely begun on the lake. Along with the nice weather has come the black flies, so bring the repellent when you come up to visit us. The fishing has still been good at the Lake Francis Inlet, and the Trophy Stretch of the Connecticut has picked up as well. Our local Fish & Game officer stocked the lake this morning, so we should be in good shape in the days to come. Give us a call to make reservations - 1-800-835-6343!

June 10 - As the weather has gotten warmer, so has the fishing. The lake is now a balmy 72 degrees, so the morning and evening hatches are in full swing. The light cahill hatch just started its appearance the other night, so you know that the hex hatch isn't too far off now. Olive woolybuggers are doing the trick for Art and Kay Hartnett and for Andy Janetos here on the lake. The river has also been excellent, with the fishing very good south of the Carr Ridge Bridge on the Trophy Stretch.

June 26 - The last warm spell has meant the beginning of the Hexagenia hatch on Back Lake. There have been a few coming off the last few nights, but it should get better over the next ten to fourteen days. The state Fish & Game Department has stocked the lake four times now, with fishermen picking up brookies, rainbows and the occasional brown. The Trophy Stretch of the Connecticut River has also been excellent lately, so the fishing is top notch everywhere. The ponds were excellent this past week, but they will slow down quickly if our hot weather continues.

August 5 - The lake has slowed down dramatically since our summer turned warmer, but it is still producing rainbows trolling and brookies in the spring holes. The Connecticut River has continued to be excellent fishing, as the water temperature has been perfect in the mid 60s. In a mere span of two hours, Mickey Cunliffe landed 11 brookies and two rainbows on the Trophy Stretch, all on his dreaded San Juan Worm. Now we're waiting for the fall cool down to pick the lake fishing up again in September.

Late August / Early September - The river fishing has remained strong in the Trophy Stretch and on the Connecticut between West Stewartstown and Colebrook, NH. Beadheads and San Juan Worms are still doing well, along with Elk Hairs and BWOs for dries. Here are pictures of our guide Jon Howe with

fellow guide Erik Hufnagle on a float trip down the Connecticut in August. Back Lake has begun to cool off a little over the last two weeks, so the fishing has picked up for rainbows and brookies as well. The fall salmon run is coming up soon, so try to make it up here if you can. Don't forget about the "Cast 'n' Blast" opportunities in early October!

September 13 - Jon took yours truly on a float trip down the Connecticut. The weather was almost summer like and the fish were very active. Brookies, rainbows and a nice brown made it into and out of our net, thanks to Jon's excellent guidance. Yellow hornbergs have been working for Art Hartnett and Dave and Joan Whitmire on Back Lake's rainbows, and it should only get better as the weather cools off.

End of the Season - The fishing season went out with a whimper for most of our people this year. The last month or so featured some spotty fishing, even though water and weather conditions were pretty good. A number of our guests were catching salmon, browns and brookies, but not in any great numbers, and rarely did we hear any fishermen exclaiming their great fishing fortune. That's ok - it just makes us long for the opening of next year's season, a mere seven months away!

Pictures (especially Catch & Release ones) are greatly appreciated for use with this page.
E-mail : Tom at Tall Timber