N.H. Weekly Fishing Report -- August 21, 2003

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New Hampshire's rivers and streams are filled with warm and coldwater fish, both game and nongame species. People travel from all over to take advantage of Granite State fisheries. From the seacoast to the Great North Woods, New Hampshire waters are used by a diverse group of anglers familiar with the current fisheries. What many anglers don't know is the history of the area that they are fishing -- but knowing that history and the current state of the river can factor into angler success. One river has a special place in New Hampshire's social, economic and ecological history: the Androscoggin. The Androscoggin River flows from Umbagog Lake through wilderness, dams and mills before heading into Maine and eventually emptying out into the Atlantic Ocean. This Fishing Report takes a tour of the Androscoggin from Umbagog to the Maine border, hitting the highlights of the river's history and providing current fishery outlooks.

Umbagog Lake
The Androscoggin flows out of Umbagog Lake, a relatively shallow man-made lake. One of New Hampshire's larger lakes, Umbagog stretches out across the Maine border and covers some 8,500 acres. Boaters must watch out for shallow spots when navigating, but the lake's seemingly endless coves and inlets make it great for anglers. Umbagog is fished mainly for smallmouth bass, but is home to a variety of other game fish including brown bullheads, perch and pickerel. Many anglers have complained of having to work the lake hard to catch fish this season, but just last week the fishing on Umbagog has seemed to pick up, and people have been more than happy with the fish they're catching.

Umbagog Lake has good boat and shore access; there is a launch just before the campground on Route 26 before heading into Maine on the southern end of the lake. The best access from the northern end is in Errol off Route 16 along the Androscoggin River; boaters must motor upstream through a section called Sweat Meadows to get into the northern end of the lake.

From Errol to the Berlin Mills
After flowing out of Umbagog Lake, the Androscoggin winds along the Maine border through Errol, Cambridge and Dummer before coming to a wide, slow section of the river known as Pontook Reservoir. After Pontook, the river flows through Milan and then Berlin. Native Americans heavily populated the Androscoggin, and not only gave the river its name, but many sites along it as well. The Androscoggin itself had more than 60 different names from the tribes that settled its banks; the most common was "Amascoggin," meaning "place of fish spearing."

A view of the Androscoggin River and historic boom piers from the Milan bridge.

Fishing in pre-colonization times was some of the best fishing in the northeast, but that quickly changed when English settlers arrived in around the early 1600s. Settlers in the mid-1850s introduced heavy traffic down the river, and log drives that turned it into a tumult of moving lumber and muddy waters. From Umbagog all the way down to Berlin, the river became heavily polluted, and the fishing industry ground to a halt. There are many historic sites along this section of the river, including the small rock islands known as boom piers, which are remnants of log-drive days.

Today, the river is very clean, and trout fishing in this section of the river is great. Sunken logs from long-ago log drives provide nice habitat for trout and other fish. The stretch of river from Errol to Pontook is suitable only for canoe or kayak travel, because of rapids and shallow waters. Along this stretch of river, it is very common to see fly-fishermen wading in the water or along the banks. Access to this section of the river is also good because Route 16 follows the river virtually the whole way; there are many pull-offs, a few bridges, and Mollidgewock State Campground.

Pontook is a water reservoir that opens up the river; many people fish and watch for wildlife here. From below Pontook to Berlin, the Androscoggin can be traveled by boat. Access along this section of the river is also excellent. Bofinger Boat Launch and Nansen Wayside Area provide easy boat, canoe and kayak access.

This year, fishing in this segment of the river was very productive until the big rains of mid-August. Right now, the water is high and fast, making fishing difficult and sometimes dangerous -- but the fish should start biting again as water levels come down.

From Gorham to the Maine Border
The section of the Androscoggin that runs to the Maine border has undergone many changes over the years. During the days of major logging activity, this section of the river -- downstream of the mills in Berlin -- was heavily polluted. In fact, rumor has it that this section of the river once caught on fire. During this era, the fishing in this vicinity was terrible -- and, if anyone caught any fish, they were definitely not safe to eat.

A happy fly fisherman trying his luck in the rapids of the Androscoggin, a common site along Route 16.

But in the 1960s, pollution levels started dropping in the river. Today, this fragment of the Androscoggin -- flowing through the town of Gorham and continuing through the small town of Shelburne before heading off into Maine -- is almost 100% better. As of the first of this year, this part of the river is catch-and-release only. This law was put in place to protect the fishery, but it also helps protect humans from consuming the fish, which still have high mercury dioxin levels. There is easy access to this section, because Route 2 closely follows the river, along with other rural routes and old dirt logging roads. The trout fishing through this area has certainly picked up in the last decade. Rainbow and brown trout caught by anglers are often longer than 20 inches. This great fishing spot was once a local "secret," but no more! Catches in spring and early summer here were good, though recently the fishing here, like the northern section, has been slower due to the high waters. As soon as the high waters recede, the fishing should be back to normal.

A Scenic and Historic Fishing Route
The Androscoggin River is rich with history and scenic views. The river is a great place for anglers who want to get away from a busy day and relax in the wild and catch a wide variety of fish. Knowing about the history of the river and its fishing makes the place a little bit more special and makes you a better angler. Come and pay us a visit in this special, historic region of New Hampshire. Good luck on future fishing trips and happy angling!

A Whirlwind of Fishing in the Great North Woods
By Mark Beauchesne, Aquatic Resources Educator

My travels took me to the North Country this past week for some whirlwind fishing. I assisted with a wild brook trout survey with the Region 1 staff. We electro-fished two small sections of Bishop Brook, a tributary for the Connecticut River. I was amazed at the amount of young brook trout sampled along a small 300-foot sample section of the brook. To this angler, the future is looking bright for wild fish in this small brook and possibly the Connecticut River.

Andy Schaefermeyer, fisheries biological technician for Fish and Game's Region 1 office, caught this nice smallmouth bass on Umbagog earlier this month.

Later that afternoon I joined my friend Andy for some smallmouth bass fishing. We were limited with time, so he suggested that we fish Moore Reservoir instead of Umbagog. I wanted to fish Umbagog. We launched the boat below the Gilman dam. This section is where the river begins the reservoir. We fished the dropoff close to shore with a variety of baits. Spider jigs on 1/4-ounce jig heads seemed to be the most productive. We boated a dozen fish during the four-hour trip. The biggest fish came on spinner bait off of a grass flat. The fish was not landed, but it did put on a good show for us. This area is also known for northern pike... Andy had a giant pike follow his rattletrap to the boat.

Saturday had me at the Wildlife Refuge on Lake Umbagog for a joint program with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife service. I arrived at the boat launch early. Umbagog is one of my favorite places... I had to remember I was there for a program and to try to refrain from fishing on my own. I had an early start, so what harm could come from a few casts? After all, I need to know where the fish are. I made three casts off a rocky, windblown point with spinner bait and landed two fish in the pound-and-a-half range.

We had 22 folks taking part in a learn-to-fish program. After lunch, we took the group fishing on the lake from our pontoon boat. We could do no wrong. Fishing with half a night crawler and a large split shot was the key. A very proud young girl caught the biggest smallmouth -- over two pounds! We also found some nice yellow perch. When I say nice, I mean fish over 12 inches! I for one was amazed these fish were mixed in with the bass. This program sure "hooked" a bunch of new anglers.

One of our "Let's Go Fishing" volunteers sent me an e-mail about the Ammonoosuc in Twin Mountain. Diane reported great water levels and nice fish to boot. Diane and husband Ray are both fly anglers. Without either one telling me what they used for a fly, I would gamble on saying that their fly of choice was an Elk Hair Caddis.

One final note: we recently had a great fishing program at a summer camp for visually impaired children. We fished on Winnipesaukee opposite of the Moultonborough town beach. The white perch were going nuts! The campers hooked and landed 15 fish in less than one hour! All the fish were caught on night crawlers fished near the bottom. All of the white perch were in the one-pound or better range. One smallmouth bass was hook on a grasshopper. The fish made one jump and that was all she wrote. I noticed hoppers on the water all day long. Go get some hoppers and go fishing!

Great fishing!!!
Mark

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