Last year I guided for a Casting for Recovery event in northern CT. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed introducing a cancer survivor to fly fishing while supporting this great organization. This year’s event was just as special. The weather was perfect and we had a chance to cast to a lake filled with bass and bream. My partner had never been fishing, so it was a real treat to see her cast and experience the tug of a large fish.
Special thanks to the Mianus TU chapter. Not only did the chapter members donate their time, they tied some really nice flies for us to use.
If you have a chance to support an organization like this, do it. You’ll have a great day on the water and a chance to share your passion for this sport with someone who will greatly appreciate it. Enjoy!
Member Trips
First Trip of Summer
Took the kayak and one-piece fiberglass rod out for some mill pond action. At midday, the thermometer rested comfortably the mid-70’s with low humidity. The bluegills were large, aggressive and generally resisted the reel. Caught quite a few that looked like this. Made for a great day.
Hope your summer is starting off right. Enjoy!
Camping & Fishing
I was finally able to get away for a weekend of camping & fishing on the Farmington River. I used to live close enough to the Farmy to fish it almost daily during the season, but now it requires a day trip or overnight to really enjoy the experience and have a reasonable amount of time on the water.
For this trip I departed from tent camping. With an unknown amount of rain in the forecast, I took advantage of the new cabins at American Legion State Forest. They were just introduced this year, and according to the ranger, very popular.
While they are called cabins, they could also be referred to as bunkhouses. From the outside they are small wooden buildings with metal roofs, screened windows and front porches. Inside they are equally plain: two rooms, wooden chairs, a small table, lights and electricity. No restrooms, kitchen or running water. Austere, yet efficient. Perfect for a short family getaway or, in my case, a weekend fishing trip. A fire pit and picnic table are also on the site. Bears, deer and raccoons optional.
Fishing on Friday was slow. It was a severe-clear, blue sky day, with temps in the 70’s. Perfect for hiking, biking and canoeing, but tough for trout fishing. At the third spot of the day I finally hooked a decent rainbow on an olive woolly bugger. Later I caught a rainbow and a brown at another pool. The rainbow took an elk hair caddis and the brown a tiny blue-winged olive.
Releasing the last fish, I realized that these are the first trout that I’ve caught this year. There were a couple of close calls earlier in the month, but either weather or personal commitments cut short these outings. For practical purposes, fishing season got a late start this year. Spring has been slow coming to the northeast, but the forest is now covered in various shades of green, all increasing in intensity. Brown is no longer the dominant color.
As it turned out, there was enough rain Friday night to validate my decision to choose a cabin. Instead of sitting in a damp tent watching the walls and ceiling for leaks, I sat on the porch drinking a beer and watching my gear dry, smelling the neighbor’s struggling campfire and listening to the muted patter of rain in the damp evening air.
When it came time to call it a night, I flipped the switch on my portable electric heater and slid into a dry sleeping bag which partially covered the foam mattress. Using a lantern as a reading lamp, I finished the last few chapters of the latest Gierach book and turned out the lights.
On Saturday I fished the Still River almost exclusively. Gusty winds and elevated water levels made some of the Farmington spots difficult. Many people were fishing but none catching. The Still turned out to be a productive alternative. To see more on my experience fishing the Still River click here.
By the afternoon I had hiked, fished, bushwhacked and explored enough to be satisfied for a first trip. My wife and daughters drove up and joined me for dinner. Later we loaded up the family wagon and headed to the Pleasant Valley Drive-in to see a movie. Although technology has changed since I was a kid, the experience of watching a movie in the outdoors on a cool spring night has not.
Finally, one of the best parts of this trip was having my 9-year-old daughter spend a night on one of the bunks. She slept soundly in her lime green sleeping bag adorned with glow-in-the-dark fireflies. For the sleepover, she brought two large tote bags and a flashlight with a zebra pattern. She was, as they say, a happy camper. Enjoy!
A Grand Slam On The Still River
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!
Bass After The Rain
I really need to check the weather app on my phone more often.
For Saturday afternoon, I planned a quick kayak fishing trip to a local lake. It was the first day of the year that you could comfortably wear shorts, and my cadaver-white legs were in need of some sun and exercise.
I unloaded the kayak on the bank, set up my rig, a 9′ 5wt with a frog popper, and grabbed the paddle, life vest and fly box. It was a somewhat overcast sky with a few clouds as I cast off, but nothing that looked imminently dangerous.
What a difference 15 minutes makes. Once across the lake, winds quickly changed and a dark band of towering cumulonibus clouds rolled in. Strong wind raced through the trees. Heavy drops began to break the previously glassy surface of the water. What I hoped would be a sunshower intensified with heavy winds, thunder, lightening and pounding rain, turning the landscape into a monochromatic squall.
With limited options to reach the bank, I paddled back towards the car. I left the kayak and gear on the bank and spent the next 30 minutes sitting in my soaked clothes watching the lake take a pounding by winds and rain.
And just as quickly as it came in, it was gone. Blue skies returned and the water turned glassy again. I returned to the kayak and drained the gallon or so of water that had collected in the bottom. I checked my gear and paddled out again, this time with much better results.
The fishing started out slow, but I picked up a number of bream that looked remarkably like this guy.
Then I headed to the part of the lake with slower moving water.
I usually don’t visit this section of the lake because it’s typically choked with lilypads and logs, and is home to one less-than-friendly beaver. It’s a trade off – I give him his space and he doesn’t chase me around the lake pounding his tail and scaring the fish. This agreement has worked for two summers.
That said, it is still early in the season and the area is fairly navigable. The storm had left the surface littered with small twigs, leaves and pollen, but nothing too severe.
I began casting into smaller coves holding water that looked like dirty motor oil. I continued to pull out bream but also discovered bass as well. I had several non-bream strikes, and was able to bring this one to hand.
He fought, flipped and jumped, but once inside the boat, held still while I took a couple of pics. I was really surprised to bring him in on relatively light tackle.
As with the bream from this lake, the colors on this bass were deep and ranged from green and black to copper and brown. He looked really healthy.
If you’re heading out this time of year, take my advice and check your weather app before you hit the water. Enjoy!