Monday, September 11, 2017

Of Sore Backs, Scraped Elbows, And Knee Deep Bogs, A Day In Brook Trout Forest

This was an adventure into "brook trout forest"..an area located in northwest Connecticut. I have been fishing this stream for over 25 years and it's had it's fluctuations both in fish size and quantity. The one constant has been there is no development, other than a large beaver population. I have enjoyed this stream and it's wild surroundings and now I have other areas in which to try my hand at namely the beaver ponds that have been created.

The first beaver pond I came upon was quite beautiful. The sun was working through the dense hemlock forest that dominates the area. The waters are dark and well stained with tannin. I new that dry flies were not going to work very well here at least not from the start. I have a few nymphs I carry and that's what I chose to tie on.


On my second cast into the pond I felt a hard strike, "brookie on", not so. This beautiful fellow came to hand. His colors were as beautiful as any brook trout and I was thrilled that I took a fish before I snagged the nymph on the bottom. I continued to fish that pond hoping for a brook trout but all that responded to the nymph were several dace.


I moved further up the beaver pond until I was near to where the stream enters. The dace were many but there were also a few substantial hits that told me there are other fish here.


My thoughts were proven right when I fooled my first brookie of the day. She was a dark specimen and even the sunlight did little to brighten her up. I was to take several more brookies here and slightly upstream until I stepped into a very boggy area and found myself in knee deep nasty mud. Very slow and very cautious moves finally freed me from the mess.


The stream while small has it's nice deep pools, pardon, nice "dark" deep pools. In this one I found several willing natives to brighten the day.


A Connecticut wild one. The fly may look a bit odd, I'm sure Mark can identify it. It was the fly of the day.


I took several stream temps and found 48-50 degree water through out.


Sun spot on a tannin stream. Needless to say this stream winds through acres of hemlocks. What is it with hemlocks and brook trout. I guess they're buddies for life.


The brookies seemed to get more beautiful as I worked upstream. Each pocket or plunge held one.


I did fish a dry fly from time to time but received a cold response from the natives.


These jewels preferred there food below the surface. A few soft-hackles also brought some action.


This was the last beaver pond of the outing. It looked good but not a cast was made. That will remain so until I visit "brook trout forest" again.















18 comments:

  1. A wonderfully reported day trip, Alan. Thank you for sharing it.

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    1. William Shuck
      Thanks
      Bill there was pleasure even in the mud. A beautiful place.

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  2. Hi Alan, I hope you euthanized that pickerel. I once caught a large pickerel, at the Big Flat Brook, in NJ on a hare's ear that had a Brookie's tail protruding. Full as he was he kept feeding. He won't stay small for long.

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    1. John Dornik
      Thanks
      John dispatching the pickerel perhaps was the right thing to do, but it was located in the far pond which is warm water and not prime brookie water. I'm sure there are a few bass in there also. Big Flat Brook is on my list, and has been for quite some time. Is I-84 construction finished?

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    2. I thought the same thing. This is the damage beaver ponds do - warm up the water, hurting temps farther downstream and breed the likes of pickerel to feast on the trout in the system. On the other hand, all these characters are natives and it is just nature taking its course.

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    3. George S
      Thanks
      Yes they have been doing this since...?
      The next time up there I will try to get some water temps in the 2 ponds as well as the stream in between.

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  3. Alan
    It appears you had a very good outing despite the bumps, scrapes and getting stuck in the mud. As always gorgeous wild brook trout and scenery. Great to see cold water temps too. Good Stuff.

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    1. TROUT1
      Thanks
      Pete a little soreness is worth the time on this stream. I have to fish the one last pond I passed on yesterday. I have a good feeling about it.

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  4. The pike was beautiful. nice session

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    1. Wyeangler
      Thanks
      In it's miniature form I do agree.

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  5. It has always been on my mind that, will the next step on the side of a creek be a knee deep muck hole. Fortunately the only one I did step in was only a hole, but it was hip deep. Yes, there were 4 letter words.

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    1. Mark Kautz
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      Mark I can almost hear those 4 letter words as I type this. As long as we don't get hurt these incidents we have out there can make us laugh.

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  6. Alan, I give you a lot of credit for bushwhacking through that jungle and wetland mud. You earned every one of those beautiful trout. I bet you were pretty tired after that outing. Beautiful pictures of both the scenery and brookies.

    Regards, Sam

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    1. Parachute Adams
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      Sam I don't do it often but it looked so inviting. Jeanette said never mind the mud how about the bears. She has a point.
      I'll get back there soon, I think that last beaver pond may hold some nice fish.

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  7. Delicious surroundings. Well told photoessay.
    My cousin has a cabin in that general area and he catches little spotted gems in the plunge pools that run down the hill. This winter we went up to Salisbury to see the ski jumping. On the drive up I took the back roads and my gosh I was sorely tempted to just go fishing!
    Then later in the summer we went "paddling" (well rowing to be precise) on the upper Housatonic down to East Cornwall at the bridge. It was there that I caught my first ever smallmouth. On a little streamer.
    Thanks for telling the story--inspires the imagination.

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    1. gios
      Thanks
      There are some outstanding little streams in that part of the state, unfortunately many are on private lands. There is one that offers public access and holds some nice browns. Winter is a good time to scout for these streams are very visible.
      Well done one the smallie.

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  8. Alan
    Congrats on landing some beautiful brook trout in some calm water. Thanks for sharing

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    1. Bill Trussell
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      Bill I don't fish much water like that, but perhaps I should. It can be productive when things are right.

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