I fished the Farmington today for a few hours. The overnight temps got into the upper 40's and this morning was a time for the wool shirt. I started fishing a pair of soft hackles, one a Grouse and Flash and the other a Partridge and Flash. I will say the two flies exceeded my expectations. They were hit and hit hard. There was an equal representation of wild browns and brookies. The fish were on the small size but absolutely gorgeous.
I don't keep a tally of the fish I catch but I did keep count of which fly worked best, and today it was the Partridge and Flash.
By the way there is a good feature on the Grouse and Flash in Thomas Ames book "Hatch Guide For New England Streams". There is a good photo of the fly on page 151, as well as the recipe on page 248.
These are awesome flies. I strongly urge you to try them.
The Farmington moving some water.
A wonderful pre-Autumn day. A wild brown that liked that slight shade of pink.
Well done my friend!! Simply gorgeous photos of the fish !
ReplyDeleteTROUT1,
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They were sparkling on such a beautiful day.
Alan, continues to look like your work at the vise on those new soft hackles is paying big dividends. Pretty impressive results. Thanks for keeping us posted.
ReplyDeleteMel Moore,
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They have been working well Mel. It may have something to do with the caddis that are around.
Alan
ReplyDeleteDo you prefer to fish the soft hackle in fast water most of time? The Farmington seems to have lot of fast water. Beautiful trout--thanks for sharing
Bil Trussell,
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Yes I do like the water with a bit of a chop, not heavy but light.
How do you fish larger water because I am lost on bigger rivers and I am only good at reading small streams? I love the wild brookie by the way.
ReplyDeleteRI brook trout,
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You fish the larger water in sections, just like a small stream. Find a good looking stretch and take the time to cover it through.
Good to see the soft hackles doing so well. There was a time when I seldom used anything else, and I still keep some handy.
ReplyDeleteJim Yaussy Albright,
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I think we all did the same in our start up then moved on, only to come back to basic fly fishing.
I guess I've always thought of those flies as "Eastern" fare for fish. You've got me thinking that they are probably well worth the time to give them a try here in the Rockies.
ReplyDeleteHoward,
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If you have caddis flies they will indeed work.
I have a lot of caddis flies on my home waters of the Croton system and I will be sure to try the grouse and flash. Great pics and thanks for sharing, Alan.
ReplyDeleteMichael Curry,
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Mike by all means try that fly. I got an email from an angler in the ADK's who used that fly the other evening and did very well on it.