Thursday, March 19, 2020

In Time,

My goodness just look at this tangled mess. As a child we often played pick-up-sticks. Holding the bunch of colored sticks in hand and releasing them to fall where they may. Looking at this stream gives me the feeling someone higher may have been playing the same game. But it is such places I seek, for when here I'm certain no one else will be in front of or behind me. The sounds will be of those heard in the natural world. The odd smells will be those of decaying wood, and vegetation. The bright smells will be those of pine and hemlock. I choose places like these for reasons I have stated, but there are much more. There are creatures who live within the waters of these tiny streams. Creatures of unbelievable beauty. They have been pushed back into these streams by known sources, sources I'll leave for you to decide. But I'm glad in a way that these places exist for every time I visit one I can refresh and fill a spot in my body that few things can bring.



There's no comparison in nature as a wild brook trout. His struggle well documented within the journals of biologists and anglers who seek him.








25 comments:

  1. Alan,
    I always like catching or seeing a few of those little guys on a stream. It makes me feel good about the future of the stream.
    Nice looking fly. I'll bet they find it hard to resist.
    JJ

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    1. Beaverdam
      Thanks
      Joe some streams keep it going by having some of the little guys around. In bad times it's the little ones that survive. A brookie fly for sure.

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  2. Boy, tough place to negotiate. Hmmm fly rod and a chain saw.

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    1. Mark Kautz
      Thanks
      Mark chain saw would truly help. And a pair of 40 year old knees would be good.

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  3. Such a great place to see and think of in such uncertain times. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Hibernation
      Thanks
      Will it does set easy on the mind.

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  4. Alan,

    Reminds me of the tiny Brooks of my youth. My friends and I would turn over the rocks in the stream and catch bullheads (our version of your sculpins), stone loach and tiny brown trout by hand!

    Keep us all posted and updated with your social distancing exploits......

    Alistair

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    Replies
    1. Alistair
      Thanks
      Alistair sculpins in a brookie stream means super fishing.
      Fond childhood memories.
      I promise to keep 6' apart, that's not a problem on the stream.

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  5. That is a beautiful little one, Alan. How old do you figure that one is?

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    1. Sam
      Thanks
      I'm poor at guessing there age, but I would say a year to a year and a half.

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    2. So beautiful and healthy looking as can be. A good omen for that stream that the youngster is in there.

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    3. Sam, in the last 10 days or so I have seen lots of brook and brown trout mini-fry swimming in sheltered water in the streams. It was a good spawn last fall and a good hatch in March.

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    4. Unknown
      Thanks
      Your are so right.

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    5. I fished the Scantic in Hampden today and it was flowing very nice. I have some learning to do about small stream fishing that is for sure. I did get one hit on an upstream strip of a small royal coachman streamer, but it did not connect. Nice to be out though.

      Best, Sam

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    6. Sam, what's good is the learning is done on the stream. March is a funny month on small streams. One day they are animals and take any and all flies. Other days they have total lockjaw. The Scantic flows into CT if I remember.

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    7. Alan, it does indeed flow into CT and empties into the Connecticut River. Pretty small where I fish it, I imagine before all the dams were built during industrialization, that some Atlantic Salmon made their way up to these head waters. A beautiful little stream.

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  6. Keep these posts coming Alan. They cancelled my knee replacement but all the streams and lakes are closed. :-/

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    1. billp
      Thanks
      Bill you have time to fish but no where to fish. Come here and fish my friend.

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    2. Would that I could Alan! A little research and I found a couple of open areas. I'm going stir crazy so if they're high I need to fish. :-)

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    3. Make that even if they're high and colored.

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  7. Alan
    I assume no casting through the logs, limbs and crowded tree banks in this stream; just pull the line off the reel and let the fly drift to a hungry brook trout.
    I see the bamboo was in use on this outing. Thanks for sharing

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    Replies
    1. Bill Trussell
      Thanks
      Bill that's exactly how you fish a place like that.
      Bamboo will be seeing lots of action soon as the weather warms.

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  8. It is real what you say Alan, I also like to listen to the sounds of the natural ones, I also have a place that I like to go just to fill myself with nature and enjoy these little fish for as long as I can. a hug friend.

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    Replies
    1. Armando Milosevic
      Thanks
      Armando there's no better music then that is made by nature. These are places we need at troubled times like we have been experiencing. A hug my friend.

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