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Fish Per Minute

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Or at least it seemed that way.

Housy Smallmouth, Aug 2016

With temps still in the 80’s, I decided to give the trout a break and focus on Housatonic smallies with streamers. I was not disappointed.

Housy Smallie, August 2016

The bite was on from the minute I arrived. Often they were hitting the streamer as soon as it touched the water, acting like it was a dry fly. This continued for 2 hours, and I stopped counting at 30 fish.

Another Housy Smally, August 2016

Bonuses on this trip:

  • Had the water to myself
  • Only lost 2 streamers to breakoffs
  • Did not fall in

Housatonic River, August 2016

Why not give the green trout a try.

Enjoy!

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Did I Catch One Fish or Two? A Sad and Tangled Tail

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Took advantage of one of the last mild days in December and hit the Housatonic River for an afternoon.

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Had the water to myself.

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The solitude was welcome. I soaked in the beautiful day, which felt more like October than December.

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The train was one of the few interruptions.

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My olive and tinsel streamer connected with a nice brown on the third cast. But as I stripped it in, the fish became heavy and unmanageable.  I knew it was in the 14″ – 16″ range from watching it jump, but it was feeling much heavier.  Had my rod started to break down? Was I losing my touch?

As soon as I started to bring it to the net, I realized what had happened.  On the retrieve it swam through some leftover line.

Put the net away and began to free the fish.

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I was able to quickly untangle the brown and release it unharmed. Then I started pulling at the fluorescent line.  This wasn’t a simple case of 10′ – 20′ of broken mono; this was quite a few feet of heavy line, and a marble-sized sinker.

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Then I saw what was behind the sudden increase in weight. There was a sizeable long-dead brown, equal to the one I had caught, on the other end. Sorry the quality of the photo isn’t better.

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I cut the line at the trout’s mouth and returned it to the water.

What’s disturbing about this is the amount of line retrieved and the size of the fish. Maybe the line broke, but it was really heavy stuff, and a lot of it. The dead brown was at one time a beautiful fish that might’ve been caught more than once, or been the one that got away.

During the year I pick up a lot of bobbers, hooks, lures, mono, containers and other debris left by anglers who enjoy all styles of fishing. No big deal. I also realize that accidents happen, and you can’t save every fish. That said, the line and fish were in water that was less than waist deep, and I used my bare hands to pull it in with minimal resistance.

Hope the last few days of the year are productive, and the fish you pull in are your own. Enjoy!

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Product Review: Redington Hydrogen Fly Rod

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Had a chance to test out the new Redington Hydrogen fly rod.  Although marketed as a trout rod, I used it in few different situations and it performed exceptionally.

Offered in sizes 2 wt to 6 wt, I chose a 9′ 6 wt because I wanted to see if the rod could handle smallmouth and trout. Both are found in local rivers this time of year, and you don’t always know what’s on the other end of the line.  In addition to casting dries, I also wanted the option of nymphing and throwing small streamers.

redington, hydrogen fly rod

One of the first things I noticed is how light the Hydrogen is compared to some of the other 6 wts I use. At only 2.7 ounces, I checked the label to make sure I received the right rod.  But the light weight didn’t impair the performance.  I gave it plenty of opportunities to handle larger fish. And while it bent over sharply a few times, I never lost confidence in its ability to perform.

hydrogen fly rod, redington

My first stop with the Hydrogen was the Housatonic River, where I used it to catch smallies on streamers. It cast the size 8 Orange Blossom Special conehead smoothly, but I probably wouldn’t recommend going much heaver.

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Soon after arriving, I had on the first smallmouth. The rod bent nicely, but never felt weak or uneven.

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This guy was on the other end of the line. He definitely felt and looked like a football.

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My next stop was a local farm pond for some kayak fishing. The Hydrogen had no problem with the foam poppers, and a 6 wt was the right choice for largemouth bass.

Largemouth bass caught on a Redington Hydrogen 6 wt, September 2015

Later in the week I took it to the Farmington River, where I caught brown trout on nymphs and dries. I was especially impressed with the way it delicately delivered a size 24 BWO dry to a waiting brown.

My last trip with the Hydrogen was back to the Housatonic. I cast a size 16 peacock caddis during the evening hatch to hungry browns, mostly in the 14″ – 16″ range. A few were bigger, and again the rod had a chance to show it could handle large fish.

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In all, I used the Hydrogen to catch smallmouth, panfish, largemouth and trout. I threw streamers, nymphs, poppers and dries. It handled every situation with no problems.

Here are a few other reviews on the Hydrogen to compare:

Hatch Magazine Review

Red’s Flyshop Video Review

The Venturing Angler Review

Overall, I would recommend the Hydrogen. Its light weight,  strength and price (~$300) make it a great choice. While it is positioned as a trout rod, I found it quite capable while chasing other types of fish.

Note: I received a 6 wt Hydrogen to test, but no compensation for this review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Enjoy!

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A Morning Smallie Run to the Housatonic

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September has started off unusually warm, offering us an extra week of summer-like conditions. While not entirely undesirable, the hot and rainless days have given us lower river flows and water temperatures that may not be safe for trout fishing.

With 6 wt in hand, I headed to the Housatonic for a morning smallie session.

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I found a 60′ run with good flow and depth, perfect for drifting and stripping streamers.  I stuck with a #8 Orange Blossom Special conehead, a western pattern that has proven to be reliable in recent weeks.

There were a number of fish landed. This was the first. He spooled off quite a bit of line and then shot out of the water like a torpedo.  I let him work against the current for a couple of minutes, then swung him to the slower water for netting.

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This was probably the biggest of the day. He ran for the rocks and kept a good bend in the rod for a few minutes. Even when I thought I had him heading to the net, he slid between my legs and tried to tangle the line. Almost succeeded.

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They weren’t all big. This one gets the award for ambition.

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While the water temperatures are keeping some of us away from the trout, take the opportunity to find some bass, panfish or other warmwater species.  They do a fine job of putting a bend in the rod. Enjoy!

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Chasing Housatonic Smallmouth

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This weekend I had a chance to get out on the Housatonic River and chase smallmouth with members of Mianus TU. They’re a great bunch of folks and their events are always fun and well attended.

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Overall the fishing was good.  I stuck to streamers, and brought fish to hand using an olive woolly bugger, as well as an Orange Blossom Special.

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The fish held in deeper water where the current was strong.

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This time out I brought a 9′ 6 wt. and used 4 lb fluoro for a leader. The rod had some serious bends, and I’m happy to say the fluoro was tested but not broken.

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During my travels I came across this grafitti. I guess more than just anglers frequent these pools. Maybe next time they will add some fish art.

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This was an interesting building. I’m not sure if it was used as a home or a workshop, but it has a great view of the river.

We finished off the day by heading to the Old Heidelberg  restaurant in Bethel. Good food and great company.

Hope you’re able to spend some time on the water during these last few weeks of summer. Enjoy!

 

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