Where is Pittsburg?

[truiteman]

Just looked at the stocking list and none of the waters in Pittsburg are listed. Does anyone know why?

I know they are stocking as Tall Timber is reporting that LARGE stocked trout are being caught on Back Lake.

Can anyone check with F&G and see why the omission.

Steve

[michaeledward]

Pittsburg is as far North in the state as you can go before you hit Canada.

Oh, that's not what you meant.

Some thoughts ... (no actual evidence) ... Back Lake is a fairly shallow lake, as such, it probably warms up quicker than most of the other water in Pittsburg.

It could be too cold to be putting trout in the Connecticut Lakes or the Connecticut River yet.

I know the salmon are in the rivers, at this point. They tend to like colder water than the trout.

I'm sure they will get their share of trout in the North Country.

[fessiewig]

Just a additional note . . . the Murphy Dam in Pittsburgh is running at 467 CFS right now, I know cause I just checked (below 200 is good). So the water is high and fast, not a good time to stock fish in a river. F&G is probably waiting for the water to go down and the temps to come up.

[dcs2]

Look at the guage now. 1000! I'm sure hoping that it will be lower this weekend.

[fessiewig]

We're goping to have 3 sunny (at least partially) days before Saturday, but I venture to say the river will still be high. Look to the ponds & lakes.

[Flyfish99]

If you checked the F&W website a little further, you would see that just about everything in Pittsburg was stocked between 4/23 & 4/29. I would think the trout fishing in the streams would be slow, because of low water temps. Actually, while the flow below Lake Francis is high, the flows between the lakes are good, but once again, the water temp will likely limit activity.

Since F&G stocked the Androscoggin last week, it wouldn't seem like high flows are holding them back. :shock:

[dcs2]

I have been getting the flow at Indian Stream from the USGS online gauge. Is there a way to get current readings from the 1st and and 2nd Ct. Lake dams?

[fessiewig]

Sure is,

http://www.h2oline.com/nh.asp

Got this link from our "Links" page.

John

[grebl]

http://www.h2oline.com/TRC.asp

[bmik]

I fished the river below 1st Lake this weekend. The flows are fine; actually I wish they were a bit higher.
Indian Streams dumps a lot of water into the river. Enough that the CFS can sometimes double over what is being released from Murphy dam. The h20 line will give you the dam releases.

[fessiewig]

bmik,

So how was the fishing??? I'm heading up Friday for the weekend.

[bmik]

The fishing was a bit slow I thought (or maybe I was having an off day). But I didn't see a lot of catching going on. I landed a few salmon and rainbows, one decent sized salmon though.
There was a big yahoo hatch going on though!
I was working one pool for a few minutes and decided to try a different fly so there I was standing in the river re-rigging when two knuckleheads working downstream walked into the pool I had been fishing. Well not completely just into the head of it!. They stood there for a minute then asked asked if I was done , and if I was going to fish the pool a little below where I was. It's a good thing I don't carry a gun!
I told them to go ahead and fish the pool as there weren't any fish in it any more. So they asked if I had caught them all......I told them that they had scared them out when they stepped into it.
They honestly didn't have a clue!

[fessiewig]

Probably should feel sorry for folks like that, but they make it so hard to do so with their extreme stupidity.

[Gerry]

Your experience reminded me of a St Paddy's day excursion to the Swift River in MA 10 years ago. I think this link will take you to the (true) story. http://jdunns.dyndns.org/cgi-bin/wr-flyfish.pl?745033%20751926%20/home2/joel/flyfish/log9503c.txt:flyfish95:112:6893

Sometimes it is hard to count to ten and not let something spoil your day, but I try to make a distiction between ignorance and boorishness. Sometimes ignorance will respond to enlightenment, but boorishness is usually hopeless.

tight lines,
Gerry

[truiteman]

A good rule of thumb that i use is walk in half a mile or drive in 10 miles and the goofus hatches can be avoided.

Steve

[bmik]

Good story, and good for you to work with them. I would have been more than happy to help out or even act as 'guide' to the 2 knuckleheads if the opportunity presented itself. I had a great time last year up there when a young kid, maybe 12 or so was watching me do pretty well in one pool. He asked what I was using so I stepped out, rigged him up with the dry/dropper set-up I was using and let him work the pool. I felt really good watching him get into fish. At 12 this kid had more sense than the 100+ years the knuckleheads will ever have!
Anyway...I have another question about the Connecticut between 1st lake and Lake Francis.
Does anyone fish the middle stretch of the river? I did once a long time ago but didn't spend a lot of time as the water was pretty low, I think it was in July. I gotta believe there are fish all through the river, and there would certainly be fewer people.

[fessiewig]

I've never fished the middle stretch. What was it like? Do you remember it at all. Was it heavy bushwacking? Now that I think of it, by now there is probably a paved walkway along the river. :evil:

[bmik]

As I recal it was mostly pocket water, but with a few deeper runs. Like I said the flow was way down and I remember it being rather warm....July I'm pretty sure.
I don't recall much difficulty getting up it...the moose have some well worn trails along the river. It may get a little thick here and there but basically it is doable. I do recall it being very scenic...a nice wild river setting. I may give it another try when I'm up there later this month.

[fessiewig]

Sounds like something to try this weekend. Heavy on the bug spray and an extra box of cigars should take care of it.

[truiteman]

Caught my biggest brown ever in that middle stretch. Pack a lunch. Work slow and deliberate. Take all day to fish from the dam to Carr Ridge Bridge. You will never forget the experience. Even if you get skunked!

Steve

[fessiewig]

Sounds like the thing to do. Thanks.