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".....
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| M. Stephens Photo |
Mike is also a great photographer as you'll see from his photos.
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| M. Stephens Photo |
Mike into a trout.
A Farmington river brook trout, a bomber fly and a happy angler.
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| 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.
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| 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.
Nice to see you both out fishing together and enjoying a quiet spot on the river!
ReplyDeleteMark Wittman
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Mark it was a good day, and a fish to hand made it a little bit better.
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.
ReplyDeleteBrad Basehore
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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....
Wow, the Farmington looks like it's in great shape. Looks like a great day, too.
ReplyDeletemike
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Mike like I mentioned to Brad the river is near perfect.
The day was too.
pretty stream you have there..
ReplyDeleteBecks and Brown Trout North Yorkshire
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Andy it's one of the premier trout streams in the northeast.
The Farmington looks a great river Alan....
ReplyDeleteThe 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
Anonymous
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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.
Alan
ReplyDeleteHoward'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.
Bill Trussell
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Bill those are two wonderful choices, both should fill your expectations.
I fish the Neversink skater quite often, even in winter.
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.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Shuck
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Bill I'm happy to share the river with you even if only on the internet.
Alan,
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you hand your hands full landing that trout. How does the bamboo rod compare to your fiberglass?
John V.
John V.
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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.
That photo of the leaping brown is an exceptional catch on Mr. Stephens part... a tip of the hat to you sir!
ReplyDeleteRM Lytle
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Rowan Mike is awesome with that camera. He's also good with the fly rod.
well done Alan a lovely day by the sounds of things and great fishing with friends.
ReplyDeleteGeorge
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George it was all there that day, a top one for sure.
A delightful report and a wonderful looking venue. We're still baking in the low 30C temperatures. Regards, John
ReplyDeleteThe Two Terriers
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John I feel your frustration with the heat.
Today I'm making a nice corn chowder maybe that will make the heat subside.
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.
ReplyDeleteRegards, Sam
Parachute Adams
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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.
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!
ReplyDeleteHoward Levett
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Howard been reading some east coast blogs I see.
It's a fine river and a great fishery.
Looks like you two had a blast..
ReplyDeleteA beautiful brown trout and arvellous place Alan...enjoy it.
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