FISHING WITH A FRIEND

Subscriber Stephen Desisto sent this short report on a fishing trip he and his friend take each year.

I live in Wakefield, Massachusetts, and enjoy fishing in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. My high school friend Dave turned me on to this August fishing trip a few years ago. On any given weekday, I might get a call from him to head to the west branch of the Peabody River, which runs along the Great Gulf Wilderness trail on the back side of Mount Washington. We leave the house while it’s dark and head to the spot that will give us a shot at some wild brook trout. We pack light fly rods and lunch for a long day of hiking and fishing.

After a three-hour drive, we arrive at the start of our hike. A short, well-marked trail brings us to a bridge over the Peabody. A quick look gives us an idea of how good the fishing might be. As soon as we reach a good location on the trail, we head toward the river. We can hear the water running over the boulders as we get close to one of many deep pools to drop our first fly into.

Fish on! Dave hooks the first of many brookies; they are starting to show their fall colors. We will keep a few for the frying pan. The hike can last two, three, four miles, depending on how far you want to go in search of pools to fish. After hours of fishing and hiking, we call it a day and head home, but not before having a great dinner and talking about our time on the Peabody. It’s a wonderful way to spend a day with a good friend.