Saturday Afternoon

Saturday afternoon my wife and I took a drive to one of our favorite places. Its a lovely stream that flows through a beautiful hemlock and oak forest. The woods were cool except where the sun was able to break through. Just to walk along its banks is pleasure enough, but to have a fly rod in hand is heaven.

I tied on a Bomber and began running it down the riffles and runs, with the thought of a brookie rising quickly to the fly. But after many attempts I soon realized that the fish were not looking up. I opened my box and selected a wet fly, one of only a few I carry. A "Picket Pin". Several casts into the stream soon led me to believe it was a good decision. The wild brookies in this stream gave me a wonderful afternoon. Their beauty as well as the place they call home made this Saturday afternoon special.



The brookies showed a preferance for a wet fly,"Picket Pin"

A welcomed and refreshing time.

A Tribute

There are many forms of tribute, monuments, statues, and writings, some with lots of words and some with few. We are approaching the anniversary of the passing of Fran Betters. And while the tributes to him came forth, this one seemed to be the best.

A fly fisher has placed a single fly that was tied by Fran, and placed it all by itself on a cap that he wears. In my opinion thats a tribute from the heart.

Thank you Scott, "waterworker"

Autumn Thoughts

Autumn has always been a special time of year for me. With the day's becoming shorter, the crisp days and cool nights, where hot coffee seems to have a better taste. There are the days when a flannel shirt feels oh so good. The streams and the woods are changing, colors are brilliant, the water becomes so clear, as if its trying to show the trout where to spawn. The trout take on their fall colors and are as beautiful as the countryside. The brook trout will take a bright streamer, which is one of my favorite ways to fish in the fall. The calandar still says summer, but my thoughts are of autumn.


Wild brook trout, in their fall colors rival the beauty of the countryside

Roy's Flies

A few of Roy's creations




While posting some of my streamers on "smallstreams.com", I noticed a fly tyer from England who was tying and posting his creations on the same forum. His name is Roy Christie. I became very interested in his reversed tied emergers, they were some of the most beautiful, and delicately tied flies I've ever seen. I emailed him and we had some conversations about his emergers, and I requested a variety of patterns and sizes. Within a few weeks the flies arrived. Upon opening the box they were sent in, I noticed that they were even nicer than the photos. Delicate and detailed insect reporductions. Saying to myself do I fish them or do I put them into my collection, well half went into the collection and the others to the stream. They are truly trout producers.

The other day while fishing the Farmington, there were trout rising to what I don't know, I'm not a hatch matcher guy and will fish what I think will work. What I was throwing was not being eaten, looking into my fly box I pulled out one of Roy's emergers and tied it on and sent it drifting over the area of rising fish. "Wham" it worked and produced three beautiful browns that morning.









Brook Trout like the emergers
A Farmington Brown taken on one of Roy's flies