5 Best Flies for Trout in New Hampshire

Caddis are the dominant surface food source on New Hampshire rivers from May through September, and the Elk Hair Caddis is the pattern that covers them across every river in the state. The Androscoggin River in the north country is particularly known for its caddis hatches - on summer evenings, dense emergences bring trout to the surface across the river's wide, fast runs, creating the kind of broad rising activity that makes big-river fishing memorable.

On the Swift River, tan caddis patterns in #16–18 are essential for matching the smaller, more abundant species that emerge through summer. The fly's high-floating elk hair wing is visible in broken water and provides a natural caddis silhouette that New Hampshire trout respond to across a wide range of conditions. Carry both tan and olive versions to cover the different caddis species active on different rivers and through different parts of the season.

The Parachute Adams is the essential searching dry fly for New Hampshire's varied river conditions. When you arrive at an unfamiliar stretch and trout are rising but the hatch isn't immediately identifiable, a Parachute Adams in #14–16 is the right first choice. The pattern's gray-brown coloration and upright white post mimic a range of mayfly species well enough to draw strikes from opportunistic trout on most New Hampshire rivers.

On the Saco River, which fishes through classic pool-riffle-run structure in the White Mountains, the Parachute Adams is a reliable producer through the summer months when hatches are less predictable. Its visibility in choppy water and natural drift behavior make it effective for both the Saco's faster mountain runs and the slower, flatter sections downstream toward Conway.

The Hendrickson hatch marks the true beginning of the New Hampshire dry-fly season and is the most anticipated event on the Saco and Contoocook rivers each spring. Emerging on warm late April afternoons, the Hendrickson draws trout that have been subsurface through a long northern winter into visible feeding lanes - often producing aggressive, non-selective rises that stand in contrast to the technical fishing that defines summer and fall on New Hampshire rivers.

On the Contoocook near Henniker and Hopkinton, the Hendrickson hatch produces some of the river's best surface fishing. The Contoocook's slower pools and riffles suit the Hendrickson's afternoon emergence timing well, giving anglers extended opportunities to work rising fish in comfortable, accessible water. The classic Hendrickson dressing - pink-amber body, teal-dun hackle and wing - is all you need during the hatch proper.

The Pheasant Tail Nymph is the subsurface foundation for New Hampshire trout fishing from ice-out through late fall. New Hampshire rivers support dense populations of Baetis, PMD, and Ephemerella mayfly nymphs, and the PT Nymph imitates them all convincingly in the right size range. On the Swift River - where the tailwater conditions produce year-round fishing - the PT Nymph is the first pattern to tie on when nothing is visibly hatching.

On the Androscoggin and Connecticut rivers, a bead-head PT Nymph in #14–16 is sized appropriately for the larger water and heavier currents. Tight-line nymphing through the Connecticut's long, deep runs produces consistent results throughout the season, particularly during the June and July window between the spring mayfly hatches and the full summer caddis activity.

Blue-Winged Olives extend the New Hampshire trout season at both ends - spring BWOs provide the first surface fishing of the year before the Hendrickson arrives, and fall hatches on the Swift and Connecticut rivers produce exceptional dry-fly opportunities through October and into November. On overcast, cool fall days, the Swift River's BWO hatches trigger some of the most concentrated rises of the season as large tailwater trout hold in visible feeding lanes.

The Connecticut River's slower, smoother sections near Pittsburg in the north country also fish well during spring BWO emergences. These hatches happen during the warmest afternoon hours on cool spring days, and the river's broad, accessible pools make it straightforward to spot rising fish and plan an approach. A #20 Parachute BWO on 6X tippet is the right setup for the Connecticut's more educated fish.