January Chapter Meeting: Craig Andree will present - Seven Rivers in Four Days: Northern New Hampshire
2026-01-13 18:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | IRWA Building, 143 County Rd, Ipswich, MA, 01938, United States
6:00 – Dinner, raffle, and social gathering
7:00 – Presentation by Craig Andree, Fly fishing guide and teacher
8:00 – Board meeting (Non board members encouraged to stay)

This presentation is a practical guide giving you the beta
on where to fish (park), how to fish these rivers, and
when to fish. It is focused on rivers starting in the White
Mountains on the Franconia Notch side and working my
way north; cumulating on the Androscoggin and
Connecticut Rivers.
I do this trip every third weekend in June, which
corresponds typically with the Alder Fly Caddis hatch. If
you never fished the Alder hatch, you are missing a
magical event; if you hit it right. Billions of caddis
descends from the Alder bushes that line the
Androscoggin and perform their mating dance on the
surface. The trout and small mouth bass respond
faithfully. And a well presented caddis imitation will fulfill
your excitement quota.
It is my opinion that the Androscoggin fishes better than
the Connecticut River. You will not get any browns and
the landlocks are fewer, but the river seems to be more
prolific with rainbows.
If you are looking for the grand slam (brown trout,
rainbow trout, brook trout, and landlock salmon, the
Connecticut River would be your destination.
There are so many opportunities in northern New
Hampshire and each year that I do this trip, I vary it up. If
there is time remaining, we can talk about other
locations to consider and some of the remote ponds.

February Chapter Meeting with Nick Nelson, Fluvial Geomorphologist at Inter-Fluve
2026-02-10 18:00 - 21:00 | IRWA Building, 143 County Rd, Ipswich, MA, 01938, United States
6:00 – Dinner/ social gathering
7:00 – Presentation by Nick Nelson, Fluvial Geomorphologist at Inter-Fluve
8:00 – Board meeting (Non board members encouraged to stay)

Connections
Life is about connections – we thrive on our human connections, our connections to our pets, our connections to our favorite rivers or natural spaces. Connections are critical between species and across vast landscapes – people around the world await for the migration of fish to give life to human communities and whole ecosystems. For thousands of years, humans have used fish for sustenance, to fertilize crops, to signal the changing seasons. The rivers that these fish move along serve many similar purposes. Rivers connect – they connect human communities, they provide pathways for thousands of animal species, they transport soil and nutrients to replenish and rebuild wetlands and floodplains and salt marshes. This longitudinal, lateral, and vertical connectivity of rivers is vital to the healthy functionality of our ecosystems here in New England and around the world. For the last several hundred years, our rivers in New England have been disconnected by tens of thousands of dams, but the period of dam building is over and dam removal is well underway. We will discuss some really exciting dam removal initiatives in the region that build on lessons learned from the past as we look towards continued opportunities in the future.

Nick Nelson is a fluvial geomorphologist and northeast regional director for Inter-Fluve, a river and wetland restoration firm working to heal aquatic ecosystems through applied science and engineering. He began with Inter-Fluve in 2007 and opened up our east coast operations in Cambridge in 2009. Nick has worked on all phases of dozens of dam removal and fish passage projects regionally and across the country. He has led workshops and discussions at conferences nationally as well as in Europe. He currently teaches a water and ecology class at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and has lectured at multiple other institutions.

Banquet 2026
2026-03-14 16:00 | Black Swan, 258 Andover st, Georgetown, United States
March 14, 2026 at the Black Swan in Georgetown
Saturday Night March 14, 2025 from 4 PM to 9 PM

Tickets purchased at the door will be $50.
Preview of Potential Auction Items

Rangeley Fly Shop Special Fly Collections

Orvis Vortex, Orvis Battenkill, Medalist +

San Juan Rod Works – Gunnison, 9′ 4 wt. 4 piece.

Thanks, Josh Rownd

Silent Auction
What’s happenin’
New fly rod
Gathering

Mill River Spring Cleanup
2026-04-13 09:00 - 12:00 | MA
Join the Nor’East chapter on Sunday April 12th for some river stewardship! This particular section of the Mill river along route 1 serves as a passageway for herring but is terribly littered.

We will meet around 9 at the pull off next to the river on rt 1 just south of Governors Academy. Coffee and donuts are likely to be provided. Extra tools and trash bags are always appreciated.
This is a great karma builder ahead of the 2026 striped bass run!
