The Small Stream 2-Fly Challenge...Part One

Yesterday our little experiment "Small Stream 2-Fly Challenge" kicked off. I hope it will be an annual event and I'm sure the other participants feel the same way. The day could not have been better, bright sun, mild temperatures, no wind and a stream that was in prime condition. We met at 9am and had plenty of hot coffee as well as some snacks. Conversation began on fly choice, where we would fish and what time to meet back at the cars for lunch. A journal, really a pad was given to the anglers to record their catch as well as other aspects of their time on the stream. The real facts of these entries will be in a second part of of this post.

While there were 6 anglers fishing, the photos are of trout I caught. The other anglers will probably post their photos to their blogs or in the comment section.

My first brook trout came early. An awesome fighter who took a "Jassid" I continued to use that fly but after several strikes and short line releases the little jungle cock feather was weak and almost falling off. So I decided to switch to my second fly which was a black ant.

Bright sun and clear water was somewhat of a handicap. The fish were spooked to some of the most awkward of places. Caution and stealth were paramount. I had several fish rise to my fly here...they were one and done...no hookups.

My second brook trout of the day. He took the ant....strong fish and he gave my little 3wt a real workout.

Pete, had a brook trout of generous size slam his "Bomber" as the fly was slipping under the surface. The fish was hooked and made a bee line for some undercut tree roots....we all know how that turned out, and it was in the brookies favor.

My third fish of the day, and my last. The spirited little brookie came back 3 times to get the ant.

It was in tough places as this where you had to earn a strike. The fish were about 2 inches from the base of the tree, or should I say fly catcher.

They were in that run, but so very cautious. Matt tries to work his fly in front of a possible taker.

Kirk, Mark and John had interesting days also...I will highlight the details in the second part of this post.

It was around noon time when we assembled back at out starting point. We enjoyed a nice lunch which included grilled hot dogs and a pot of chili. Discussions abounded with the thoughts of the morning. I think it was a success and I truly enjoyed it.

A Stream In Brook Trout Forest 5-11-16....

Up before the sun, turned the car in the direction of eastern Connecticut and off I went. I had a particular stream in mind, a stream that was an hour plus ride or two coffees. I had not been here since last fall so what to expect was an unknown. As I pulled off the town road and onto the dirt forest road the sun could be seen filtering through the trees. A short drive down the road and I saw the little bridge that I must cross to get to the stream. A quick glance upstream gave me that wonderful feeling that the stream was A OK...Parking the car I soon was geared up and eager to cast a fly.

The little stream, it's dark waters home to some of the prettiest dark brook trout ever to take a fly.

The first strike and hook-up came soon. The brookie that came to hand was not what I was used to from this stream. He was quite colorful.

The stream meanders through some sparse hemlocks, and casting is not an issue.

The next brook trout took a dry fly-twice in fact. He was a fighter and used the stream to his advantage. When at hand he was a bit darker but again not normal for this stream.

I hooked and lost a few in this stretch....yes folks they win at times.

In the little run just under the fallen log a streak came off the bottom and slammed the fly. I could tell the fish was a bit bigger than normal. And as I guided him to my hand I saw a prime example of a native wild charr.

This day was a 10 best so far this year. Hopefully I'll have a few more like it.

Small Stream 2-Fly Challenge....

You Can Only Pick Two

The 1st Annual Small Stream 2-Fly Challenge will take place on Saturday May 14th. It will be held on a stream somewhere in Connecticut an attended by a group of small stream anglers. The challenge is the angler can pick only 2 flies to fish with. They can be dry, nymph, wet, or streamer. He can use only those flies he has selected. Once those flies are lost by any means the angler is finished. The angler will keep track of what he has taken, and other interesting tidbits of their outing. Upon the completion which will be about 2 hours we will meet back where we assembled and determine a winner.

We will have a little cook-out and swap stories of the event. It's going to be a great day, and if we have good weather it should make for a memorable time.

I'm going to make a shadow box and use the flies we used for the challenge. Along with the flies I'll list which ones were used by each of the anglers and include some of their thoughts. We hope to put the flies up for a raffle and use the money raised for a donation to one of several conservation groups.

This is going to be a fun day. I hope it can continue on an annual basis.

The "Jassid" a Famous Fly

The "Jassid". Here is a pattern created by the famous angler and author Vincent Marinaro. The fly which hit the waters back in the 1950's was designed to replicate the leaf hoppers that frequent streams in the late summer and early fall. The Jassid was first tested on the fabled waters of the Letort Spring Run in Pennsylvania where over the years it has fooled some of the most selective wild browns. This fly most likely will not be found in fly shop bins for reasons of cost, one of the materials used is pretty pricey. I tied up a few in size 18, but they are tied to as small as 28. It's nice to fish an historic fly at times.

The "Jassid" is a simple fly and requires few materials. Hook, Body material which is gray mole fur, Hackle, grizzley..and the Wing which is a jungle cock nail.