Tuesday, July 24, 2018

A Farmington Outing....thanks Mike

Last Friday I had the pleasure of fishing with old friend Mike Stephens. We had fished before and Mike tells me it was two years ago. Wow that long ago, well I found that hard to believe seeing that our email conversations and photo exchanges happen much more regularly. We met at the Farmington river to fish some real uncrowded waters, which is rare these days. The river was at her best flowing at a very comfortable pace and she was clear as can be. Mike had a wonderful task to perform this day and that task was to fish a special bamboo rod that was given to him by a friend that had passed on. The rod was beautiful as you can see in the photos and I knew it meant so much to Mike that he was able to this in tribute to his friend.



Mike in full concentration mode. He had several fish rising and was trying very hard to dupe them into grabbing his offering. By the way I had the chance to fish that bamboo rod and I'll describe it a "so sweet".....


M. Stephens Photo
Mike is also a great photographer as you'll see from his photos.


M. Stephens Photo


Mike into a trout.


A Farmington river brook trout, a bomber fly and a happy angler.


M. Stephens Photo
Mid morning I hooked into a brown, that fish went airborne several times and Mike managed to catch one of his leaps on camera.


M. Stephens Photo
A beautiful brown trout taken on a Neversink skater. It was a fine day fishing with you Mike....back at it soon buddy.











28 comments:

  1. Nice to see you both out fishing together and enjoying a quiet spot on the river!

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    Replies
    1. Mark Wittman
      Thanks
      Mark it was a good day, and a fish to hand made it a little bit better.

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  2. Alan, nice to see a report from the Farmington. Even nice that you could fish with an old friend. Looks like conditions were almost ideal. We are getting hammered by rain here in pa, flood conditions. Hershey park had to close near me .their is a river literally running through the park. Oh well Mother Nature giveth and takes it away. Nice report.

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    1. Brad Basehore
      Thanks
      Brad the Farmington is near perfect. Lower flows make for comfortable wading and it also brings the trout to the surface. I've seen the the rain in your area on the weather. A storm that moves slow and dumps inches of rain in a few hours. Feast or famine....

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  3. Wow, the Farmington looks like it's in great shape. Looks like a great day, too.

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    1. mike
      Thanks
      Mike like I mentioned to Brad the river is near perfect.
      The day was too.

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  4. Replies
    1. Becks and Brown Trout North Yorkshire
      Thanks
      Andy it's one of the premier trout streams in the northeast.

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  5. The Farmington looks a great river Alan....
    The water look really clear and fresh, so picturesque with those verdant banks. I have been thinking about getting out the skaters myself for my next trip as we have had a bumper year for butterflies, how did you fish them on the Farmington?
    Alistair

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    1. Anonymous
      Thanks
      Alistair the Farmington was a peak that day.
      I fish the skaters dry. Run them through dry and let them sink at the end of the drift...twitch them a bit while underwater and then skate them over the surface.

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  6. Alan
    Howard's Clear Creek and Alan's Framington are two tailraces I would love to fish before I hang up the fly rod. Beautiful images especially the one of you landing the brown tail walking. Thanks for sharing
    By the way do you fish the Neversink Skater much, never seen this fly before.

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    1. Bill Trussell
      Thanks
      Bill those are two wonderful choices, both should fill your expectations.
      I fish the Neversink skater quite often, even in winter.

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  7. Thank you for sharing, Alan. Your posts always make me feel as though I am standing next to you, and this is as close as I expect I'll ever get to the Farmington.

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    1. William Shuck
      Thanks
      Bill I'm happy to share the river with you even if only on the internet.

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  8. Alan,

    It looks like you hand your hands full landing that trout. How does the bamboo rod compare to your fiberglass?

    John V.

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    1. John V.
      Thanks
      John this bamboo rod felt very much like the glass rod. It was not at all like other cane rods I've cast. It also felt much lighter.

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  9. That photo of the leaping brown is an exceptional catch on Mr. Stephens part... a tip of the hat to you sir!

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    1. RM Lytle
      Thanks
      Rowan Mike is awesome with that camera. He's also good with the fly rod.

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  10. well done Alan a lovely day by the sounds of things and great fishing with friends.

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    Replies
    1. George
      Thanks
      George it was all there that day, a top one for sure.

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  11. A delightful report and a wonderful looking venue. We're still baking in the low 30C temperatures. Regards, John

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    1. The Two Terriers
      Thanks
      John I feel your frustration with the heat.
      Today I'm making a nice corn chowder maybe that will make the heat subside.

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  12. Great pictures and report from your outing on the Farmington. Congrats on fishing an uncrowded zone and connecting with trout. That river is a real gift same as the Swift. Small streams and freestones in general should be in good shape as well after this stretch of rain we are getting.

    Regards, Sam

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    1. Parachute Adams
      Thanks
      Sam fishing alone on the Farmington is a rare happening for sure, but it can happen.
      The small streams are up and in good condition. A good start going into August.

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  13. I've had a long distance love of the Farmington for about 10 years. It just looks so fishy to me. Keep showing that beautiful country!

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    Replies
    1. Howard Levett
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      Howard been reading some east coast blogs I see.
      It's a fine river and a great fishery.

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  14. Looks like you two had a blast..

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  15. A beautiful brown trout and arvellous place Alan...enjoy it.

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