NEKO Market: NEKO Apparel and Hats

Original Classic Uplander Shirt
Click here for larger image.	Our Original Classic Uplander Shirt has all the durability of the Classic Uplander but also has two front pockets with button flaps. There are only 3 left and they are all in size large — Hurry and get yours before it’s too late. Colors: White Sand Size: L Price: $45 Click here to order yours!
Classic Upland Long Sleeve Shirt
Click here for larger image.	Our Classic Upland Long Sleeve Shirt is a durable yet comfortable 100% cotton shirt. Rugged enough for the nastiest hawthorn brambles and cloth-grabbing raspberry patches, this shirt is utilized by all of our guides while pursuing the Kingdom’s ruffed grouse and tight-holding woodcock. It’s also warm and stylish for any evening out on the town. Women love the deep wine color and hunter green. Colors: Khaki, Hunter Green and Wine Sizes: L, XL and 2XL Price: $45 Click here to order yours!
Denim Fishing Long Sleeve Shirt
Click here for larger image.	Our Denim Fishing Long Sleeve Shirt is perfect for those cool evening hatches after a warm day of wading. This longwearing colorful shirt combines well with jeans or dress pants for an evening out. The ladies also love this shirt for fishing, hiking, shopping or as a gift. Colors: Denim Sizes: L, XL and 2XL Price: $35 Click here to order yours!
Mock Turtle-Neck Long Sleeve Shirt
Click here for larger image.	Our Mock Turtle-Neck Long Sleeve Shirt is a favorite of guide Francis Smith. “This pre-shrunk (90%cotton/10%polyester) Mock Turtle-Neck keeps me warm and covers my neck from that chilly north wind. I use it as part of my layering system for warmth and ease of movement.” Great when combined with our Classic Uplander or Denim Fishing Shirt. Colors: Heather Grey Sizes: L, XL Price: $23 Click here to order yours!
Classic Fishing and Hunting Caps
Click here for larger image.	Our Classic Fishing and Hunting Caps are great for any time of the year and offer great protection from the sun and wind. Our khaki and green hat is sturdy in any wind and has a dark green under-brim to stop water-glare. Our orange hunter’s hat states safety first with an obvious resounding attractive blaze-orange color. The dark brown under brim also dissolves any of the sun’s glare, giving the hunter an advantage when following through on a shot. Colors: Khaki/Green, Blaze Orange/Brown Sizes: One size fits all Price: $17 (Fishing Cap) Price: $17 (Hunting Cap) Click here to order yours!
New Lightweight Fishing Hat
Click here for larger image.	David has added a new hat to our line-up this year. It is our New Lightweight Fishing Hat. Made of 100% Polyester this hat is half the weight of other hats and yet is tougher than most. Designed with a slip buckle for easy adjustment, this hat can be worn down tight on any windy day, its snugness also helps to keep out pesky black flies and mosquitoes. The green under-brim also cuts away pesky glare caused by bright sun or its reflection on the water. Colors: Khaki/Green Sizes: One size fits all Price: $17 Click here to order yours!
New Carry-All Canvas Bag
Click here for larger image.	With 16″ of depth, our New Carry-All Canvas Bag is a must for anyone who needs extra baggage on a trip to school, work or into the field. Great for toting books, groceries, extra shells and dog collars, or perhaps a picnic lunch for your loved ones. This bag is multi-purpose and awesome as a gift for your wife, mother-in-law, hunting partner who carries everything or a student bounding off for a college degree. Made of durable canvas throughout and double-stitched leather handles, this bag is strong enough to load with firewood for the Christmas sing-a-long or to haul an extra pair of neoprene waders and muddy wading boots. This is the last bag you will ever need for all purposes! Colors: Light Khaki/Green Dimensions: 16″ deep, 21″ wide and 12″ front to back Price: $49 Click here to order yours!

2004 Guiding Rates
(Rates effective January 1, 2004)

Drift Boat Trips | Guided Fishing Trips | Fly-Fishing Schools
Upland Bird & Waterfowl Hunting Trips
Turkey Hunting Trips | Moose Hunting Trips
Miscellaneous Info

Hunting in the Kingdom

Dr. Dennis with his double.

Join us for a memorable adventure! We offer a variety of hunting packages:

Fishing

The Connecticut River

Come float with us!
Climb aboard our new 15′ Low Profile Clackacraft Drift Boat on the Upper Connecticut River to fish in style and comfort.

Upper Connecticut River

Upper Connecticut River

Connecticut River rainbow trout caught by Gearge Pruce on a VT Caddis #16 dry fly.

Your guide will maneuver you through riffles laden with caddis-feasting rainbows, glide past undercut banks where browns lie in wait for terrestrials and anchor you over the deepest runs untouched by wading anglers. After a morning of casting to finicky rainbows and shy brook trout, enjoy a shore lunch fit for the heartiest of appetites. Relax and enjoy the serenity of a quick siesta or cast to hidden trout from shore. The afternoon hatches are starting and the brown trout are patiently waiting. Allow your guide to tie on a custom secret fly and head down-river. Don’t forget your camera to capture the memorable scenery and perhaps that fish of a lifetime!

• Connecticut River Drift Trips start June 1st and run till October 15th.

• Waders are strongly suggested as we may hop out of the boat now and again to fish the shallows, water temps can be in the 50′s even during the heat of summer. Rocks are slippery; felt soles are recommended.

• Check out our Hatch Chart for insect information.

• Wading trips and fly-fishing schools are also available on the Connecticut River.

• VT non-residents will need to purchase a New Hampshire non-resident fishing license in order to fish the Connecticut River.

• Francis Smith is a Registered New Hampshire Fishing Guide (NRF-#15).

Kingdom Rivers

The Willoughby River has been pronounced, “The best trout rearing habitat in Vermont” by VT F&W Fisheries Director, Eric Palmer. The second Saturday of April is the trout opener and the banks of the Willoughby are always lined with anxious, cabin fevered anglers willing to endure Vermont’s whirlwind spring weather for the chance to hook one of the Willoughby’s stunning steelhead (rainbow trout).

Catching a Brown on the Connecticut River

Chubby Brown Trout, Black River

Willoughby River, April

Steelhead run up the Willoughby, Barton and Black Rivers every spring season to spawn. The water temps are cold and steelhead rarely chase anglers’ imitations. Rather, a steelheads lie needs to be learned and the imitation bounced just right to annoy these beautiful salmonids into striking. Our guides have fished these streams for years and know where the steelhead lay and the perfect method of delivering the fly. They also know the local patterns and what color or size works best for any given condition. The opening day of trout season is the second Saturday in April and the steelhead start to run. The Willoughby River attracts large crowds of anglers from all over the east coast. It is truly a time of excitement to see the fish jump the Willoughby Falls or to see a young angler holler, “Fish On!” We suggest that you plan a steelhead trip for early May, unless you don’t mind numerous anglers sharing the river with you. The run of steelhead usually lasts 4-6 weeks starting in mid-April.

While the Willoughby River is the talk of the state for hot action early on, don’t forget about the Barton and Black Rivers. The Barton River has a small stretch of excellent riffles, runs and pools where steelhead swarm before jumping a small cascading set of falls. Brown trout also inhibit this area year round. The Barton fishes well from May into July. Small hatches of mayflies and caddis convince numerous trout to give up their resident hiding spot.

The Black River has more than 20 runs and pools that hide rainbow, brown and the occasional brook trout. The Black River receives very little fishing pressure compared to the Willoughby a mere 5 miles away. Trout fishing is good from May-July and September-October. The Black River is also where we run our group and private Fly-Fishing Schools.

The Clyde River

The Clyde River, of recent fame (for being the first river in the country to have a dam removed for “environmental” reasons), has an outstanding run of landlocked Atlantic salmon. May water levels bring in schools of smelt and other baitfish for a feeding frenzy. The salmon also run up the Clyde in the autumn during their spawning run.

Releasing a Salmon caught on a dry fly on the Clyde River

Salmon on! Clyde River

In May water temperature and flow give walleyes, suckers, perch, smelt and other baitfish the urge to spawn. Walleyes run up first–sometimes as early as March. Then as the waters warm and run-off levels out, perch, smelt, shiners and redfins spawn by the thousands. Salmon move in for the opportunistic feeding frenzy that can last several weeks or be done in five short days. The suckers are last to spawn and any remaining salmon in the river key in on sucker eggs.

During this spring frenzy most anglers cast down and across in traditional salmon fashion with a ghost-type streamer. Your guide will show you different casting techniques and patterns that will lure up those silver-sided footballs.

During the fall (October) run of landlocked salmon, fishing is catch-and-release only. This is the best time of the year to catch a trophy-size salmon in the Clyde River. Again water flow is a factor in giving salmon the urge to motivate up the Clyde. However, even during low flows cold water can stimulate these amazing salmonids into action. Brook trout also make the journey (we have released 16-inch brookies in September).

Bass Fishing

Michael Smith fights a 3lb smallmouth bass on Salem Lake.

Smallmouth Bass caught by Michael Smith (left) on June 4, 2003 on Salem Lake.

Smallmouth Bass inhabit almost every lake or pond in the Northeast Kingdom. A four-pound smallmouth on a dry fly is not a rare occurrence and the chance to catch a record-setting bass is just a cast away. The time to fly-fish for bass is mid-June into August. The ultimate time is during the Hexegenia limbata hatch. This hatch of wildly large mayflies starts around July 4 and continues till the end of August. The 2-inch long mayflies hatch at dusk and are a spectacular sight. The Hex is even more impressive when a bass glides under the surface and inhales it, creating a slurping sound that will haunt you in your dreams.

We also fish for smallmouth and largemouth bass utilizing terminal tackle. Plastic tube baits work wonders on our clear ponds and rocky bottoms. Spinner-baits and weedless jig’n pigs have accounted for most of our early season bass. And top waters of any sort work wonders on August evenings. This fishing is great for anglers wanting to learn an area and for anyone who just wants to learn more about bass, their environs and how to fish for them–kids also love bass fishing!

Brooks and Ponds

NEKO will take you on an adventure of the bushwhacking kind if you like small brooks, beaver ponds and beautiful brook trout. Armed with a box of imitations, a backpack full of lunch and beverages, your guide will show you places where few anglers go. This is not for inexperienced casters or big-fish enthusiasts, but if you have the desire to find peace, solitude and enjoy the cool, clear brooks of our highlands, then this trip is for you.

The best times to enjoy a deep-woods brook or pond adventure is mid-June-July and September-October.

Photo Gallery
Click on any image for a larger view.

Hooking up on the Connecticut River	Joey Murray releases a brown trout on the Black River	Mark Wild of Uncle Jammers Guide Service enjoys time off
Gerry Davis makes a nice cast to a waiting rainbow on the Connecticut River	Hook up on the Willoughby River!	Abbi on point
Autumn in the Kingdom: Geese fly below	George Calkins and Blaze	Gerry Davis, Tim Davis and Noah take a break
Join NEKO on Upland Days with Dash & Dez this January 17 and February 28 on Outdoor Life Network!	Paul Chase and Molly work the cover for ruffed grouse	Winter closing in on one of the Kingdom’s many ponds