As part of the weekend’s camping and fishing program, I decided to explore some new water. Originally the plan was to fish the Farmington, but the prior night’s storm caused the wind and water to be a little too high to be enjoyable, so I thought the Still would be a good small stream option. I was not disappointed.
If you’re not familiar with the Still River, it feeds into the Farmington at the town of Riverton. Most people pass over it heading upstream to Beaver Pool or downstream to Church Pool. It doesn’t exactly stand out. From the road it looks rocky with only anemic flow, more like a side channel of the Farmington than a separate body of water.
I attempted to fish it briefly twice before, but each time found it difficult to wade and the water level too low to sustain any fish. This remains partly true, but on this trip I spent time exploring other stretches and found deeper pockets previously overlooked. Another lesson in knowing your water.
Starting upstream, I tackled a section containing a series of pools and riffles, none more than twenty feet in length. Tried a few different approaches, but found that drowning and dragging a tiny BWO dry was an effective way to bring this rainbow to hand.
After that I covered a long stretch of water unsuccessfully, stopping at a bend containing two small, knee-deep pools. A few strips with an olive woolly bugger and this brookie was on the line.
Next I found a fast-moving run bordered by a downed tree trunk. Whatever is hiding underneath there effortlessly took two of my brown woolly buggers. After losing the second one I decided to leave it alone.
Finally I came to a fast moving pool where the river converges before it reaches the Farmington. Streamers were ineffective, but high sticking a nymph thru the strongest current hooked this feisty brown.
This trip reminded me to:
- Have a Plan B fishing destination when possible, especially if the weather is uncertain
- Periodically revisit water, even if has been unsuccessful in the past
- Try more than one technique, even you’re experiencing success
Hope your finding some new water. Enjoy!
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