Just passing some stuff along......

While out one day I spotted this hawk. He appeared to be taking in the goings on along the path. As I got closer I noticed a black band around it's neck. He didn't seem to be in any type of discomfort so I thought the band was some type of transmitter. As I walked closer the band looked very much like one of those hair bands women where. Closing in for a better photo the hawk departed. I had hoped that no harm was going to fall upon him.

Several days later I saw what appeared to be the same hawk minus the neck collar. I hope it was the same bird and all is well.

A lovely river I manage to get to several times a year. I would frequent it more often only it's location is in a tough location of Connecticut. The traffic can be a nightmare on a good day.

The river has some beautiful pools and these pools are home to wild browns and brook trout. On this day fishing was slow but the two hookups I had came to hand. A well known  artist and author loves this river and after spending time here I can understand why.

Simplicity...a fly that works.

I Believe There Could Be......

Pretty impressive pine.

There is a stream I'm quite familiar with. I have fished this stream many times over the years and have taken a lot of beautiful trout from its waters. The trout mostly browns with the once in awhile brookie thrown in. In as much as I have fished the stream there are places I have not paid much attention to. The area where the stream flows is somewhat problematic as far as walking along the bank or wading. The slow flow and deep pools cause silting and some pretty impressive areas of calf deep mud. The suction that these mud areas possess can be scary.

Though the slow flows here look like it may be shallow it is not the case. Some sections are deep with some very inviting submerged woody debris.

This pool is where I saw a very big brown trout on Monday. The fish was holding in the calmer water just downstream. As I walked to the edge to make a cast he bolted to the deep roilly section and and was gone. My estimation of the size of this brown was 16". This would make it "if caught" my personal best small stream wild brown. I will seek this fish, and it will have to be in the next few months. I suspect the stream warms in this area and he will likely move out to cooler waters.

I have just the flies that I think will bring this brown up.

The Day's Are Getting Better

Another few hours in paradise. That's how I felt yesterday. I mean brilliant sunshine warm breezes and a few willing fish to the surface. It's odd how one can fish a stream for years and find some sections you have completely missed. I consider myself a slow poke when it comes to fishing. I usually fish everything that can possibly hold a fish, and I take my time to cover these places well. Then there are those places where I fish each time I'm on that stream and have never caught a fish. But you know what I still fish it because you never know.

Being so nice yesterday I was able to fish SSR's bamboo rod. I know it is only the second outing with it but I feel a love affair with it emerging. On this outing it performed flawlessly. It placed the fly where I cast and was responsive to the strike. In this photo you see that submerged log well right in the arched section in the shadow a fish was rising. The fly was presented and it was taken.

This was the trout that was looking up. These fish have come out of the winters cold and are extremely aggressive. See the nasty scar...tough survivor.

I turned over some rocks and found many of these.

A run with bright sunlight upon it, then why can't I see the fish?

It was there and he took a Adam's Parachute. Strong wild jewel.

The Next Best Material, Or Is It Just Fluff

Several years ago while selecting feathers from a partridge skin I noticed the tiny bit of fluff at the base of the feather. The material was like marabou or cdc in that it moved so life like when I blew on it. I started tying many of my soft-hackle flies using a bit of this fluff wound on with the feather.

This is a partridge feather with the soft marabou fibers at the base. While I do use feathers like this, I prefer to take a few more fibers of the marabou off.

Here is the fly with the marabou and partridge tied in. If you look closely you can see the marabou fibers.

These are soft-hackle feathers selected to tie flies with. On the left are grouse feathers, the middle are woodcock and on the right are pheasant. The marabou is clearly visible. The three flies below are tied with these feathers.

Grouse

Woodcock

Pheasant

While these feathers with the marabou don't make a large difference in the overall effectiveness of the fly they do help to get that undecided trout to take the fly. Any extra movement is a plus.