The "Outback" The Beauty And The........

The "Outback", not the famous one of "downunder" but the humbling one of Connecticut. I have written several posts about this wild and almost uninhabitable piece of real estate. The stream that runs through it is as pretty as can be, and as long as you stay in the water you will not be molested by all that lives along its banks.

The stream itself has some beautiful runs that sweep into deep undercut banks. Many of these places are home to strong wild brown trout. Yesterday I was put in my place by a host of these browns, and more or less told we will not give in.

I fished for 3 hours with a variety of flies. I observed rising fish, like the ones you see on a June evening. I had a brown of memorable size rise to a size 16 parachute Adams, this fish really put a bend in the little glass rod. I fought the brown, keeping him out of the wood in the stream, only to loose him at my foot. This was my day. At one point I was 0 for 7.

Well as I worked my way back to the Honda I fished many of the runs I fished going in. The trout were no longer rising but I knew they would still be looking up. Tied on the line was a over-hackled wet fly, and I put a bit of floatant on the tippet. The fly was was cast and pulled back against the current. A rise and a hookup. This time I was able to win out, and a handsome wild "Outback" brown was at hand. I know from experience that the "Outback" is just starting to wake up and that better day's are indeed ahead. But then again I just had a "better day"..........

"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.

Purity And A New Stream

Clean cold highly oxygenated water is an absolute if we are to have a vibrant healthy wild brook trout fishery. The photo shows just what I mean. This stream located in Connecticut flows pure through wonderful hemlock and oak forest, along it's course it tumbles through a steep valley over some impressive boulders. It has been like this for decades and may it remain so for decades to come.

Kirk and I last Tuesday did some exploration. Four streams were chosen and we checked them all. We met at a stream we both are familiar with, choosing this for it was a good place for both of us, and we were than able to take just one vehicle. I walked up to the stream and cast a fly, one that had been tied on from my last outing. On the second cast I felt a jarring hit. The fish felt strong and he suddenly leaped and leaped again.

In a few moments I had an awesome wild one at hand. As I was removing the hook the brookie started to give up part of his morning breakfast. I was stunned at the amount of food that came out. Hundreds of small nymphs and larva. You can tell by the great condition of the fish that he knew how to find the food and that the streams health is such that it provides such nourishment.

On to the new streams. Of the four we checked this one was the most appealing. It is such a pretty stream and has those nooks and crannies that brook trout love. We did not catch a fish in this stream but come April I will give it a thorough checking out.

Some March Morning Thoughts

Here it is March second, "wow"...the month of spring is upon us. I was kicking around the idea of going fishing today until I looked outside. The sun is so bright and inviting but the 30 mph winds  are not. The weather guys are saying some of the wind gusts will reach to 50. Those winds will not help me cast a fly, not to mention all the widow makers falling from above. So I'm going to tie a few flies and then make a pot of clam chowder.

This is a fly I saw on Ralph Long's blog. Not tied exactly as he tied it but close.

Olive colored thread, fine copper rib, squirrel dubbed thorax and woodcock hackle.

This soft-hackle is olive thread body with a black rib, squirrel dubbed thorax, and woodcock under covert hackle.

This soft-hackle uses Pearsall's silk thread for the body, black squirrel for a thorax and woodcock hackle.

Here is a little sweetheart. Body, Pearsall's silk, hears mask dubbed thorax, and white hen back hackle. Drift off to a late evening in summer, the sulphurs hatching, and you are working this fly just under the surface...oh man hold on.

Now I believe I'll have some of this cast iron skillet corn bread. I'll grill it in butter, add a hot cup of Nantucket coffee and think about ...........