Massachusetts · Wild-trout stream

The Nissitissit

The Squannacook's wild-trout twin — a small, cold stream of native brookies and wild browns near Pepperell.

The Nissitissit runs cold and clear from New Hampshire into Massachusetts, joining the Nashua near Pepperell — a small, wooded wild-trout stream and the Squannacook's close cousin. It holds wild brown and brook trout and rewards the same careful, small-stream approach. The river has no USGS gauge of its own, so we watch the neighboring Squannacook for a regional read on conditions.

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The water

About The Nissitissit

The Nissitissit runs cold and clear from New Hampshire into Massachusetts, joining the Nashua near Pepperell — a small, wooded wild-trout stream and the Squannacook's close cousin. It holds wild brown and brook trout and rewards the same careful, small-stream approach. The river has no USGS gauge of its own, so we watch the neighboring Squannacook for a regional read on conditions.

Wild brown and brook trout — a fragile, protected small-stream fishery. The Nissitissit holds designated catch-and-release, artificials-only wild-trout water; it crosses the NH/MA line, so carry the right state's license for where you stand. Confirm current MassWildlife (and NH Fish and Game) regulations.

This is small, wild, intimate water — clear and close, where a quiet approach and a short, accurate cast matter far more than distance. A long 12 ft leader to 5X–6X for the small, clear water. Catch-and-release for wild trout; barbless, wet hands, quick release.

Regulations & Stamp

The Nissitissit holds designated catch-and-release, artificials-only wild-trout water; it crosses the NH/MA line, so carry the right state's license for where you stand. Confirm current MassWildlife (and NH Fish and Game) regulations.

Brookline, NH to Pepperell

Fishing spots — compiled from guide reports & r/flyfishing (some locations approximate)

Nissitissit River WMAPrime access on Brookline Road just south of the NH line. Compiled from guide reports & r/flyfishing.Get directions
C&R Fly-Fishing-OnlyMassachusetts' first catch-and-release fly area — the NH border down to the Prescott Street bridge. Compiled from guide reports & r/flyfishing.Get directions
Shattuck OilA stocking point where fish pool under the bridge — easy access. Location approximate. Compiled from guide reports & r/flyfishing.Get directions
Prescott Street BridgeAccess from either side of the Prescott Street bridge in Pepperell. Compiled from guide reports & r/flyfishing.Get directions

This week on the water

River Report

The current read on the water, with live flow and water temperature from the USGS gauge that frames the fishery, over the historical range for the date.

River Report

September 25, 2026

Nissitissit is fishing well for September — flows are near normal and the bugs are on schedule.

Nissitissit is reading about 20 cfs at the Squannacook, West Groton gauge this week — within the typical range for the date. That's about as good as the reading gets for the date — the fish are where they should be and willing to move for a well-presented fly. This is small, wild water — intimate and clear, where a quiet approach and a short, accurate cast matter far more than distance.

September on the water: Cooling and reviving; terrestrials plus returning BWOs on grey days. Right now that means Foam Beetle, BWO, Parachute Adams, and Pheasant Tail — carry a couple of sizes of each and let what's actually on the water pick the fly.

The read: It's a good week to be out — mornings and evenings will fish best as the light comes off the water. Water temperature matters more than the calendar in September — if it climbs into the high 60s, give the trout a rest and come back when it cools. Always confirm the current MassWildlife regulations before you go.

Compiled from the USGS gauge at Squannacook, West Groton and regional hatch timing — a read on the water, not a substitute for your own eyes on it.

— Homewater Fly Co.

Conditions & Access

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The box for this water

The Nissitissit Box

The proven patterns for the Nissitissit, curated into one box — the confidence flies and the ones that match this water's hatches, hand-tied and ready to fish in a Day Tripper fly box. Buy the box and save versus picking them one at a time.

$65.03$70.687 patterns · in a Day Tripper fly box

Save $5.65 vs. buying à la carte

Curated for the Nissitissit. Hand-tied flies, shipped direct.

What's in the box

Foam BeetleSize 14 · 3-packA terrestrial for tight-to-the-bank fish in the heat.
Parachute AdamsSize 14 · 3-packThe everywhere mayfly dry.
Elk Hair CaddisSize 14 · 3-packThe searching summer dry — riffles and pocket water.
Pheasant TailSize 10 · 3-packThe year-round confidence nymph.
Hare's EarSize 16 · 3-packThe buggy all-purpose searching nymph.
Flying AntSize 12 · 3-packA summer terrestrial fish key on.
Zebra MidgeSize 20 · 3-packCold-water and tailwater staple, fished deep.
Day Tripper Trout Fly Box The box Your flies arrive ready to fish, in a real fly box.

Season & hatches

The Nissitissit, month by month

A month-by-month hatch calendar for this water — the bugs that matter and the flies that match them. Sizes are typical ranges; go smaller in clear, low water.

Month	What's hatching / conditions	Go-to flies
January	Cold and low; a careful nymph through the deeper runs on mild days.	Midge, Pheasant Tail, Perdigon
February	Late winter; wild fish hold deep — small nymphs and midges.	Midge, Hare's Ear, Perdigon
March	Water rising and cold; early BWOs and little black stones.	BWO, small stonefly, Pheasant Tail
April	Spring wakes the stream — Hendricksons, caddis, and eager wild trout.	Hendrickson, Elk Hair Caddis, Hare's Ear, BWO
May	Best of the hatches — caddis, March Browns, and evening Sulphurs.	Elk Hair Caddis, March Brown, Sulphur, Pheasant Tail
June	Hatches fade into terrestrial season; fish tight to cover.	Sulphur, Elk Hair Caddis, Foam Beetle, Ant
July	Low, clear, and technical — terrestrials tight to the bank and tiny dries.	Foam Beetle, Ant, Parachute Adams, Elk Hair Caddis
August	The most technical water of the year — long leaders, ants, beetles, a low profile.	Foam Beetle, Ant, Parachute Adams, Griffith's Gnat
September This month	Cooling and reviving; terrestrials plus returning BWOs on grey days.	Foam Beetle, BWO, Parachute Adams, Pheasant Tail
October	Wild browns coloring up for the spawn; BWOs and small streamers.	BWO, Woolly Bugger, Pheasant Tail, Midge
November	Protect the spawners; a careful nymph for holdovers on mild days.	Pheasant Tail, Midge, Perdigon
December	Cold and quiet; deep nymphing through the slow runs.	Midge, Perdigon, Pheasant Tail

Hatch timing shifts with the season and the weather — watch the water, not the calendar. Compiled from regional hatch data and local reports.

Know the fishery

Wild or stocked

Wild brown and brook trout — a fragile, protected small-stream fishery.
The rig

A long 12 ft leader to 5X–6X for the small, clear water.
Release

Catch-and-release for wild trout; barbless, wet hands, quick release.

The flies

Flies That Fish Here

The flies we'd carry for the Battenkill right now — one pattern per card, pick your hook size.