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.