The last day of summer in "Brook Trout Forest"...

Today is the official first day of fall, actually for me it began on the first day of September. Whatever, yesterday was the last day of summer which felt like the first day of fall. The air was crisp both Jeanette and myself were comforted by thick flannel shirts. The sun did it's best and cut the chill in an hour or so and things started to pick up. I have often said that from my experience brook trout like to sleep late and the cooler it gets that gets reinforced. I expect it was about 10 am when the first brookie hit, it was not a shattering strike but more like a bump. The small streamer did not seem to be getting it done so I reached into the box and pulled out a fly that I became familiar with on the blog "Teton Tenkara"...Tom Davis suggested it was a good choice for fall trout, but I have had success with it all year.
 

 

The fly is the Takayama Sakasa Kebari...it's basically a thread body, which has a red thread head. There is a collar of peacock and the hackle is hen pheasant. Although a tenkara fly I find it fishes very well with conventional fly rods.
 

These Asters are still in bloom and add brightness to the wild countryside.
 

This impressive guy was the best of the day. I cast the fly into a smooth pool. I saw the fly sink. As I retrieved it I twitched it in an upward motion. I saw the fly's wing open and close as it moved through the water. Suddenly the wild one busted up off the bottom and nailed the fly. Man was he beautiful. He is what I like to refer to as a "black mouth brookie" The photo does not depict just how gorgeous he was. There is a slight kype that I'm sure will be enhanced as the fall progresses.
 

A fitting treat for a fine day in "brook trout forest".....
 

 

I Could Fish With These Guys..........

I have written about this fly several times as well as the book from the pattern is taken from. The fly is Salars Nemesis, and the book is titled Six Months In Scotland. Most fly fishers and fly tyers are familiar with Sylvester Nemes. He is Americas soft hackle guru. He has written several books on soft hackle flies and are considered standards in the fly tying world. Six Months In Scotland is a bit different in that it gives the reader a good look into Atlantic salmon fishing in Scotland. His perspective is at times humorous and detailed.

The salmon fly Salars Nemesis is unique in that it is a soft hackle fly designed to catch Atlantic salmon. I don't know of any other salmon fly that is a soft hackle fly. When I was first shown this fly by the late Bill Shuck I became totally obsessed with it. It's a simple fly compared to most salmon flies and the materials are common and not expensive with exception of the jungle cock. Over the years I have tied many many Salars Nemesis flies and have fished them heavily. They have produced countless trout and bass and sunfish.
 

 

The book is a bit hard to find. I managed to locate mine at a fly fishing show. It's a good read.
 

I found this passage interesting and when I read it I said to myself "I could fish with these guys"...they have it down.
 

Salars Nemesis.....Nemes got it right again.
 

 

The "Berkshires"

There is a mountain group in New England that few know about outside of the folks who live in New England. The Berkshires are a beautiful and quite old group of mountains, estimated to be a half a billion years old. They are part of the Appalachian mountain range. The Berkshires start on the Massachusetts Vermont line and extend down into Litchfield Connecticut. My first recollections of the Berkshires were when I was just a kid and the family spent time every year visiting the Great Barrington Fair. Also those annual trips to the Mohawk Trail each October to view the fall foliage. Many years later I discovered the wonderful small streams that flow through these mountains. Most of them containing wild brook trout. These streams many of which have no names that I know of have given me some outstanding days of fishing. The fishing is good through most of the year with exception of winter. I have always liked fall fishing best.
 

 

A typical Berkshire stream. Large boulders, fallen trees black bears and the best side to fish is always on the side your not.
 

Brookies are about this size. I have never caught a brookie over 10 inches in one of the Berkshire streams, not that they don't exist it's just that I've never encountered  one.
 

 Some years ago I created the Crowningshield Dry Fly. The fly was named for a beautiful wild stream in the Massachusetts Berkshires. The fly is quite effective and has some following in other northeast states. If you  search back posts on SSR's on Crowningshield Dry fly you'll find some more interesting info.

 

Cool Mornings And A Line Runner....

Cool nights and cool mornings make for flannel shirts and a coffee to go. Such was the day I'm going to tell you of. The crispness in the air is welcomed for it also gives brilliance to the wild flowers of the season. They sparkle in the sunlight as the dew runs off of them. Their colors preview what nature is planning in the next month. The crispness of the morning did not keep the mosquitos at bay, and it wasn't until a nice breeze picked up that put the little pests down.
 

 

The stream was sparkling, a mini light show in the sunlight. Most would pass up a run like this but not me. I had a streamer tied on and worked it through the run. No takes. I looked into the box and selected a fly that is known to produce very well this time of year...I'll let you figure out what that fly that was.
 

On the third cast a fish came up and took the fly. Here he is at hand.
 

Look at those colors.

 

This was a pretty swift  piece of water. But there was a soft seam there and quite possibly a fish holding. It was a cast that was not going to be pretty, you know the classic one where the fly floats gently along and you see the trout rise and take. No this was a throw it out and see what happens cast.
 

What happened was this. This wild one actually ran line off of the reel before I was able to gain the upper hand...strong brookie.
 

Have you figured out what fly I used?