Freestone · Mixed · New Hampshire, US

Saco River — Conway

Saco River — Conway — Saco River / New Hampshire

The Saco around Conway is a classic White Mountain freestone — a clear, cobble-bottomed river draining the Presidentials down through the Mount Washington Valley, holding wild and stocked brook trout, rainbows and browns in fast pocket water and long gravel runs.

Tomorrow · A proper day on the water
Sculpin Streamer
Forecast · Tomorrow
A proper day on the water
A proper day for it. Work the seams with an upstream nymph, switch to the dry when they show.
75% projected
Today's fly
Sculpin Streamer
Sculpin Streamer
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Falling
0.97 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp8.4°C
ClarityClearing
Weather7°C
WindN 8 km/h
Pressure1032 hPa
Rain · recent2.6 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brook Trout
Cool — slow
8°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brook Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 10am

12pm(now) — Black Midge

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 36%
Also:Eastern Blue-Winged Olive35%
Peak emergence window4 food groups active

Peak activity at 10am — Black Midge (Black Midge, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Quill GordonHatch
2
2
Blue QuillHatch
2
3
2
HendricksonHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Brook Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • NH Saco / Conway — verify exact open-water dates and reach rules against NH Fish & Game
  • FREESTONE THERMAL: summer lows warm in the heat — fish the cool hours and rest the river when it's warm, especially for heat-sensitive brook trout.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Gallery · 2
  1. Saco River — Conway — Saco River / New Hampshire
    Saco River / New Hampshire
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Saco around Conway is a classic White Mountain freestone — a clear, cobble-bottomed river draining the Presidentials down through the Mount Washington Valley, holding wild and stocked brook trout, rainbows and browns in fast pocket water and long gravel runs. It's a rain-and-snowmelt river, not a tailwater, so it runs high and cold in the spring melt and drops to summer lows that warm in the heat — which means timing matters and the brook trout especially want the cooler windows. Tubers and the summer crowd share the lower water, but the trout fishing is honest and pretty: caddis and mayflies through the season, attractor dries in the pockets, and easy wading access through Conway. A good freestone counterweight to the region's tailwaters and lake-outlet salmon reaches.

  • Mixed
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Not assessed
  • Fish consumption: Impaired
What this classification means

Fish consumption: Consumption advisory (Mercury) — fish for sport, not the table.

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'SACO RIVER' (NHRIV600020304-10-01), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Insufficient Information. Listed impairment causes: Mercury. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · NHRIV600020304-10-01

The full read · show the working · for Brook Trout · confidence 90%
How the 86 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature96 × 28%26.9
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity70 × 12%8.4
Conditions total= 86
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts