When a Favorite Fishing Spot Goes Away

by | Jun 28, 2020 | Fly Fishing | 2 comments

fish-New-HampshireLots of things change over time and when a favorite fishing spot loses its charm it can be heartbreaking.  Back Bay behind Wolfeboro, NH on Lake Winnipesaukee is one of those places for me.  I grew up fishing this cool little backwater-confluence of the Smith River to Lake Winnipesaukee.  During my childhood it was some of the finest chain pickerel, largemouth bass and smaller sunfish species fishing on the planet.

 

Wolfeboro-NewhampshireNow a days Back Bay fishes poorly in comparison.  I noticed the change as a gradual thing for most of my life as development encroached on the wetlands.  They even dredged out sunken trees and turned the bay into a water-skiing training area.  Each year we had less good water to fish and fewer turtles and bullfrogs.  But in the last ten years the decline has accelerated and been sad to watch.

 

turtlesOne of the big causes is the continuous attempt to poison off nonnative aquatic weeds of Back Bay.  We see attempts to remove nonnative species from fish to insects to plants many places.  I certainly understand the philosophy but usually the eradication rarely lasts long or succeeds at all.  And in the process of trying to return nature to the way it was, many natives take a beating that they can’t recover from.

 

wofeboro-backbayWell, no doubt the fish, native lily pads, frogs and turtles are taking a beating in Back Bay after poisoning.  Perhaps its not the poison, but take away the cover that the fish use as well as the other animals and its not good.  When I fished Back Bay early morning on June 17 with my nieces fishing was fair at best.  They poisoned later that day and since the area has that gray “dead sea” look about it.

 

Granny-Currier-flyfishingGranny and I fished Back Bay this morning for what will likely be my last time this 2020 year.  I simply had to go to and reminisce a little.  It was a pleasant paddle from camp to there but I cringe to tell you we scraped up only four sunfish and saw one turtle.  We had quadruple this on the 17th and five years ago you could sprinkle in few nice pickerel and largemouth.

 

flyfishing-bassOk, enough talking sad.  This has overall been a great trip with exceptional smallmouth fishing out on the lake.  After we got back to camp the bad weather hit.  Its pouring now and there’s thunderstorms all around.  The forecast says rain and storms through Wednesday so I’m not sure how much more fishing I’ll get.  This being said, no matter what the weather, I am planning one more 5 AM morning for smallies.

 

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing

2 Comments

  1. Tad

    Jeff,

    I hope you and your family have a great Fouth of July!

    Tad

  2. Jeff C Currier

    You also Tad. Thanks!

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I started fly fishing at age 7 in the lakes and ponds of New England cutting my teeth on various sunfish, bass, crappie and stocked trout. I went to Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin, where I graduated with a Naturalist Degree while I discovered new fishing opportunities for pike, muskellunge, walleyes and various salmonids found in Lake Superior and its tributaries.

From there I headed west to work a few years in the Yellowstone region to simply work as much as most people fish and fish as much as most people work. I did just that, only it lasted over 20 years working at the Jack Dennis Fly Shop in Jackson, WY where I departed in 2009. Now it’s time to work for "The Man", working for myself that is.

I pursue my love to paint fish, lecture on every aspect of fly fishing you can imagine and host a few trips to some of the most exotic places you can think of. My ultimate goal is to catch as many species of fish on fly possible from freshwater to saltwater, throughout the world. I presently have taken over 440 species from over 60 countries!

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