Monday, March 6, 2017

"Hemlock Brook" Part Two

This is the second post on my visit to Hemlock Brook. This outing took place on the 27th of February during what was to be a taste of spring weather wise. I think the temp that day was near 70, very nice indeed. On this second visit I pushed further upstream and what I found was some of the most beautiful brook trout water in Connecticut. The stream was both placid and rough and tumble depending what point you were at. The valley was steep but it also afforded me the ability to get close to the water and able to cast a fly with some ease. The stream had some incredible bends and twists, you know those places that collect that lovely woody debris that brook trout love.

While most of the land and the stream are uninfluenced by humans, it does flow through mostly private land. While I try my best to gain permission to fish through there are times when I can't, mostly the land owners are not available. On this day I encountered a very concerned land owner who seemed quite upset that I was fishing his stream. After some conversation time I was able to successfully put his mind at ease and was given permission to fish. I thanked him very much and I hope he gave a heads up to his neighbors that I was about.


It was good that I was granted permission because the stream where he owns property was a very productive stretch.


Numerous wild brookies were crushing soft-hackles, both on the swing and just slack-dead drifted in slower waters.


It's almost unbelievable how close brookies can hold to a log that create plunges as this. Several times I lost flies in the tangle at the base, but often I would connect with a trout.


Brook trout can see remarkably well in those turbulent waters.


You recall me making mention of this feeder stream in the first post on Hemlock Brook. While I believe this stream gets very low in summer and what ever trout may live there now will migrate down to the larger Hemlock Brook. But what I did find hovering right around this feeder were.....


...brook trout that were colored like none other that I've ever caught. I hooked two brookies like this one, the other slipped the hook before I could photograph him. The wild brookie was intensely beautiful the sun just enhanced it even more. The only place I can document a brookie similar to this one is a water color painting of one by James Prosek in his book "Early Love And Brook Trout"


I will make an attempt to fish this area again, but that will have to wait until the second Saturday in April.














27 comments:

  1. Hi Alan,
    Superb Blog once again....
    Those 1st two pictures look similar (if a bit more overgrown) to parts of my local stream.
    Those last two trout are interesting - strange that they are so much paler than the fish in the main stream, is the cover more open on the tributary or is there less staining to the water?
    Alistair

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    1. Anonymous
      Thanks
      Alistair the trout were very light in color compared to trout taken upstream from that feeder brook. The bottom seemed to be lighter in color also. Some strains of southern Appalachian brook trout are light in color, but we are far from there.

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  2. Beauty of a stream..... looking forward to future reports...

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    1. Doug Korn, Fly Tyer
      Thanks
      Doug I'll be glad to bring them to you.

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  3. Stunning colors on those trout!! What a beautiful stream you discovered also!!

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    1. TROUT1
      Thanks
      Pete it's a gem, and being in an area that will not afford a lot of pressure to be put on it.

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  4. Absolutely stunning, Alan. Those rare colored Brookies are something else. I had to do a little extra looking at them as they have some characteristic of a Tiger Trout..........

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    1. Mel-Fly Tyin Times
      Thanks
      Mel they seem to have some tiger lines, but they are brookies I'm sure.

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  5. Looks like a lovely stretch of water for sure! thanks for taking us along!

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    1. Mark Wittman
      Thanks
      Mark it's a beautiful area, and the day's were awesome weather wise.

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  6. Alan, are saying the fish was holding tight above or below the log? Many is the trout I've caught, at the tail end of a glide just before the next drop. Its a location I never fail to try.

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    1. John Dornik
      Thanks
      John it was below the log. It formed a undercut and I believe the trout were holding tight. I have also found tailouts close to logs and large rocks a good trout holding location.

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  7. Great post, Alan. You seem to have found yet another superb wild brookie stream. What, if I may ask, did you say to the landowner that "put his mind at ease"?

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    1. William Shuck
      Thanks
      Bill I mentioned the fact that I was fly fishing, and that the hooks were barbless which caused no harm to the fish, also the fact that everything went back into the stream. But I think that when I told him I was 70 years old that was the key.

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  8. Now I really am jealous Alan, lovely small stream and lovely fish, nice to see the cane rod :)

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    1. George
      Thanks
      George the stream's a sweetheart. The rod is actually fiberglass....the company that makes them is "Cane and Silk"...high quality and very reasonable prices.

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    2. thanks Alan will give them a look over, they look lovely rods

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  9. It almost seems those unique brookies are a strain unto themselves perhaps going up that little feeder stream in the fall to spawn and then migrating back into the main Hemlock brook when done. They are beautiful that is for sure.

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    1. Parachute Adams
      Thanks
      Sam they are unique for sure. Further fishing that stream may provide some more info.

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    2. Alan, I just got back from a work trip to south central Pennsylvania, and stopped by Boiling Springs not far off of I-81. Pretty amazing to see the ground water bubbling out of rock formations right by the TCO fly shop there. I hope to fish the area a bit when I am back in May for a trade show in Hershey.

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    3. Sam I've passed through the area on my way to SNP but never stopped. I think Mark has fished it a couple of times and found it quite enjoyable.

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  10. Alan,
    Excellent blog my friend! There is something magical about the relationship between the hemlocks and the mighty brookie! Care to offer a well educated and much experienced reason for this? I think we should plant more hemlocks!
    Here's to a warm and gracious spring in your area!
    Doug

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    1. Dougsden
      Thanks
      Doug I wish I knew the relationship of the brookie and the hemlock...what a wonderful title for a new book.

      The hemlock is in trouble in some areas from a nasty fellow..."woolly adelgid"

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  11. Alan
    Outstanding stream, just wondering if the land owner fished the stream for brook trout? Do you encounter trout in any of the open runs? Enjoy the post and thanks for sharing

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    1. Bill Trussell
      Thanks
      Bill it's surprising that most do not fish, and from talking to one I got the impression they did not know there were fish in the stream. I did find a few holding in the slower sections.

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  12. Alan, I noticed the use of spiders and soft hackles this past few months. Is it too early for the "bombers" you often toss? Still very icy and frozen in NW/Central Mass. Thank you!

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    1. Bill/Tully
      Thanks
      Bill I use a bomber every outing. They will come up for it at times. Things here are not bad, the streams are pretty much ice free, just some shore ice.

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