Our Guides - Hill Country Guide Service
Nate Hill - Head Guide
Nate takes pride in his ability to put clients on fish regardless of their ability. He recently wrote a chapter on the Ellis River for the Book 50 Best Places: Fly Fishing the Northeast by Bob Mallard. He will also be featured in the up-coming books 25 Best: Towns To Fly Fish For Trout and 50 Best Places: Fly Fishing For Brook Trout. Nate will also have a chapter dedicated to him in the upcoming photography book Passion America by William Combs.
|
Tom Freedman
Tom was born and raised in the Great North Woods. He knows the waters of the upper Androscoggin River like the back of his hand. Floating or wading the Androscoggin River watershed with Tom will open your eyes to the variety of water and species of fish that will be caught. If you have ever wanted to complete the Andro Grand Slam (Brookie, Rainbow, Brown, and Salmon), Tom will work long and hard to help you achieve your goal.
|
Steve Bowman
Steve guides for fun, and to pass along his knowledge to others. He makes it a priority to tailor a trip to his client's needs. Whether that need is a focus on casting, reading water, or just a need to get out and relax, Steve has the knowledge and experience to meet any specific requests. Hard work and dedication are essential in any line of work, and Steve's guiding reputation has been built on those basic foundations.
|
Fishing Reports
A New Season
by Steve Angers 7 May 2017 Welcome to the 2017 fishing season updates. NCA will be posting updates on the area fishing, the hatches, and the water conditions throughout the season. We will also do a weekly Friday Fishing Update on our Facebook page. The season has started slowly in the MWV. We set the record this winter for the most consecutive days with 12 inches or more of snow on the ground. Do not depair! This means that we will have plenty of water throuhout the fishing season this year. Start planning now for many trips to chase our trout and bass! NCA has moved to a new location across the street from the original shop. We have a little more space and a larger assortment of products to make us your one stop shop for fishing in the Valley. Trout ponds opened on 22 April and the fishing has been fantastic. Between holdovers and the stocking truck, action has been non stop. Any fly with white marabou or the smallest of muddler minnows is doing the trick! Our streams however have been inundated with beaucoup runoff from the snow and the rain. The Saco River has been as high as 8000 cfs. Normal is around 2500 cfs. Nate and his guides have found some beautiful Brown Trout in the river but not without alot of effort. If you want to give these browns a shot before the stocking begins, give us a call and one of the guides will get you on the river. Conditions will continue to change rapidly as Summer approaches. Give us a call at the shop for all the latest on MWV fishing. |
Fly Fishing Through the Ice
by Steve Angers 14 January 2017 What does one do when the fly fishing jones is raging and the rivers are all iced in? Go fly fishing through the ice on your favorite pond or lake of course! I was recently invited to go ice fishing with Fish Nerds Guide Service's Clay Groves who is an ardent and highly qualified ice fishing guide, www.fishnerds.com. When Clay told me that we would be fishing jigs with pieces of bait, I asked the obvious question, "Can we use flies?" The resounding but skeptical answer was, "Yes." I headed to the vise. Using Super Jig Heads from Wapsi, I modified the recently popular MOP Fly to work with the hook. Flies looked heavy enough to get deep and flashy enough to attract fish. The big day arrived. After fishing with a standard jig for half an hour, I switched to the MOP Fly. The first color combo of Chartreuse was a no go. The second combo of Wildcat Orange drifted to the bottom. A couple of jigs and the sonar screen lit up. A couple more jigs and the fly got SLAMMED! After a protracted fight, since the line was only 2LB test, the fish shown above came through the hole. What a beauty! So I am now sold. Yes, one can fly fish through the ice. A word of caution - Weather conditions may effect ice thickness. Check with your local sources and at this time keep vehicles, including snowmobiles and ATV's, off the ice. |
