Monday, August 24, 2020

North Of Whittemore

One of the most famous places on the Farmington river is Whittemore Pool. A lovely and very challenging piece of quiet water. It's said that if you are successful on catching one of the browns that reside in Whittemore you are capable of catching browns anywhere in the world.

Well this day we were on our way to fish the waters north of this famous pool. The waters I speak of are that of Hogback, or the West Branch Reservoir. The reservoir is a place I have fished for many years, in fact it was the only place I fished in the fall of the year. Some memorable trout have been taken in it's confines. Now I fish it in spring and several times in the summer. This 100' deep cold reservoir not only offers up trout, but is also a great warm water fishery. It has several species of bass as well as a variety of panfish.


So on this warm morning in August we headed down the trail to the lakes edge. This path nears a small stream that flows into the lake a favorite spot of mine.


The lake was a sheet of glass. A rise or two could be seen from time to time. There were several canoes and kayaks on the lake, gas motors are not allowed. The lake is quite clear and that can be a problem sometimes. I was not here for any special type of fish or for anything big. Just "fishin"... Only two flies were used, one a small bucktail the other a soft-hackle.


These guys were all over the soft-hackle.


These fanatical tail walkers kept me busy. While not monsters they were a workout for my CGR 3wt. These smallies also preferred the soft-hackle. It was odd in the way they liked the fly presented. I would make the cast and just allow the fly to sink naturally. Usually before it hit bottom the bass would take the fly.


I have to stop one day and eat here. Great history in this establishment.


At home later in the day it was time to clean up the odds and ends in the fridge. A mixed grill of kielbasa, hot dogs, steak and hot peppers.










20 comments:

  1. That's what I like, just fishin' I love SM Bass no matter what the size.

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    1. billp
      Thanks
      Bill if you favor in the air acrobatics then smallmouth fit the bill. And size does not matter.

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  2. Oh, man... the lake is great, but the food! Looks like a fun day, Alan.

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    1. mike
      Thanks
      Mike a great day a great meal man life is good.

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  3. G'Day Alan,
    Beautiful looking reservoir/lake. Fish too! Is that first little bloke a sunfish? I get crappies, sunfish and shellcrackers mixed up as I'm not familiar with them here in OZ. A friend of mine from Missouri fly fishes for crappies mostly and has to travel a fair distance for trout fishing. He jokingly says he hates me because I can fish for trout just out my back door. We have never physically met but we are good fishing buddies.
    Kindest Regards,
    Steve.

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    Replies
    1. Steve
      Thanks
      Hey Steve that little guy is a sunfish. In their own right a pretty tough scrapper. Crappies and walleye are probably the two best eating fish found in fresh water in the US.
      Having a trout stream out your back door is something the relish.

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  4. Little panfish = big fun. Especially on light tackle.

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    Replies
    1. Mark Kautz
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      Mark your so right. Scale your tackle to your intended adversary. A couple of ounces of wild fury.

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  5. Beautiful setting Alan. That trail looked well traveled.

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    Replies
    1. Matt Harding
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      Matt it's a peaceful place. Well used, but mostly hikers.

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  6. What a post and what a meal. delicious. John

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    1. The Two Terriers
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      Yes sir John. A meal with variety.

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  7. Alan
    How I wish I had been with you on this trip to fish that glass surface water on the lake. Those smallmouth never know when to quit fighting. I know it was a blast to land those on the 3 wt ---- a great meal to end the trip. Thanks for sharing

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    Replies
    1. Bill Trussell
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      Bill it was enjoyable to see them take those little spider patterns. They are gamers for sure.

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  8. beautiful specimen of sunfish, now tell me how they get along with trout ... since they are very aggressive ... right?

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    1. Armando Milosevic
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      Armando the sunfish is not aggressive, it's the smallmouth bass that are. They do not get along with the trout.

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  9. Alan,
    Once again, you not only feed us on the physical level with all the good foods you share but, also on the visual (spiritual) level with the great patterns and road trips and sunfish and smallmouth bass! I am glad to see that you prefer to take them on soft-hackles, streamers, etc. They offer great sport to guys like me who suffer from a lack of wild trouts here in the desert! Thank you for sharing these gems!
    From a slightly moister area thanks to Hurricane Laura,
    Dougsden

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    Replies
    1. Dougsden
      Thanks
      Doug most times I'll fish a soft hackle first. Nine out of ten times it will work and that sets the day. They are really awesome flies.
      Here in dry land we are looking at some of that rain to grace our streams...

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