Fly Fishing the Androscoggin River for Trout. Jon Howe

      14 . Androscoggin River (trout)

       Location: Northern New Hampshire into western Maine, about 3 hours from Manchester; 2½ hours from Portland, Maine; and 3½ hours from Boston, Massachusetts. Full-service airports are available in all three cities.

      The Androscoggin River begins at Lake Umbagog in Errol, New Hampshire. Named after an Abenaki tribe, the river runs approximately 50 miles before crossing into Maine. Within Maine there is another 8 or so miles of quality trout water. Below here fishing is limited to the mouths of coldwater tributaries. Along with the Connecticut, Kennebec, Merrimack, Penobscot, and Saco Rivers, the Androscoggin is one of the largest watersheds in New England.

      The Andro, as it is called locally, is a large river. With classic riffles, runs, and pools, it is a great river to fly fish. In most areas the river is large enough for floating—and this is

      often the best way to fish it. The river can, however, be waded and public access is very good. From its densely forested 13 Mile Woods, to pastoral farmlands, to views of towering Mount Washington— the highest point in New England—in its lower reaches, the Androscoggin is also a beautiful river.

      Several sections of the Androscoggin warrant the attention of fly fishers. They are accessible from Route 16 between Errol and Gorham, New Hampshire; and Route 2 between Gorham and Bethel, Maine. First is Errol Dam to Bragg Bay— a section of less than a mile. This is the lone fly-fishing-only section on the river. The next is Bragg Bay to Pontook Reservoir—including the fabled 13 Mile Woods. At over 20 miles, the section from Sawmill Dam in Berlin to the Maine border is the longest stretch of catch-and-

      release water in New England. The last is from the New Hampshire border to Bethel, Maine—this includes a stretch of catch-and-release water from the New Hampshire border to Gilead, Maine.

      The section of the Androscoggin below Errol Dam, known for its large landlocked salmon and brook trout, is very popular with fly anglers. People come from all over the

      Northeast to fish here. Brown and rainbow trout are also present.