Upper Connecticut River

The Connecticut River begins its remarkable 410-mile journey at the Fourth Connecticut Lake, a small natural bog spring just south of the Canadian border at 2,660 feet elevation in Pittsburg, New Hampshire. From this humble beginning, the river flows through Third, Second, and First Connecticut Lakes before entering the celebrated Trophy Stretch, the crown jewel of Connecticut River fly fishing.

The Trophy Stretch is a 2.5-mile section of pocket water, riffles, and pools located between the outlet of First Connecticut Lake Dam and the inlet of Lake Francis. This fly fishing only water features 11 named pools, each with its own character and holding water. From the picturesque Judge and Jury Pool with cascading waterfalls at the top of the stretch to the Skating Rink Pool downstream near Lake Francis, anglers can spend days exploring this concentrated section of premier trout water without repeating the same lie twice.

What makes the Trophy Stretch special beyond its regulations and scenery is the bottom-release dam at First Connecticut Lake. This deep-water discharge provides clear, cold water throughout the season, maintaining ideal trout temperatures even during the heat of summer when many freestone streams become marginal. The consistent flows and cold water create a stable, predictable fishery where trophy landlocked salmon and brown trout thrive alongside healthy populations of rainbow and brook trout.

Beyond the Trophy Stretch, fly fishing only sections exist below Second Connecticut Lake and in other reaches of the upper Connecticut. The river winds through a boreal landscape of spruce and fir forests with limited aquatic insect diversity, meaning most fishing is done subsurface with nymphs, soft-hackles, wet flies, and streamers rather than matching specific hatches. This puts the premium on reading water, presentation skills, and fish behavior rather than entomology.

The Upper Connecticut River is a unique cold-water tailwater in a boreal forest setting. Water clarity is excellent, typically 4-6 feet of visibility and occasionally gin-clear during stable summer flows. The bottom-release dam at First Connecticut Lake provides cold water year-round, with temperatures ranging from 38-42 degrees F in winter to 48-55 degrees F in mid-summer, well within the optimal range for trout and landlocked salmon.

The substrate in the Trophy Stretch and upper sections is predominantly rounded cobble and boulders (4-12 inches diameter) with pockets of gravel in the pool tailouts. This provides excellent cover and holding water for fish, with countless pockets, seams, and eddies behind rocks. Aquatic vegetation is minimal due to the cold water and limited growing season, so structure comes primarily from the boulder gardens and undercut banks.

The insect community is less diverse than in southern New England rivers, reflecting the harsh boreal environment. Caddisflies are present but not prolific, mayflies are limited primarily to small Blue-winged Olives and occasional Hendricksons, and stoneflies are sparse. The lack of major hatches shifts the fishing emphasis to nymphing, wet fly fishing, and streamer fishing, techniques that work year-round regardless of surface activity. The river supports populations of forage fish (smelt, dace, and juvenile trout), making streamers consistently effective, especially for landlocked salmon.