Small Stream Journal 9-4-17

Labor day presented itself as a good opportunity to fish a nice little stream. There had been some rainfall the previous night and I know it had brought the stream up to where the brookies would move about. The day started wet, the foliage was wet and glistened in the sun light. The stream had many inviting little runs with a few pockets and undercuts.

I moved along the bank fishing a dry fly and found some willing players. The fly I used was beat and was loosing hair, but it still looked like food and they hit it repeatedly.

One of the better brookies that morning. He was the last fish to be taken on that beat up fly.

I was busy enjoying life along the stream when someone said Hi, I looked to my left and saw Mark. His blog "Fishing Small Streams" is also recounting our outing. He told me of his success and we both fished the stream together for a few hours

It was a very enjoyable morning, and the "Bomber" helped.

Iconic New England And The Gray Ghost

Iconic New England, I'm aware that other parts of this great country of ours also hold claim to being iconic areas and I agree, but in this post I'll be highlighting New England. The apples are a big part of the region, and not only are they a big money crop they are also the best fruit for countless recipes that can make one almost give up their first born for a taste. As this is a fly fishing related site I'm going to delve into another of New England's Icons.

A whole bunch of materials, kind of looks like mess. But when certain items are selected and placed on a iron hook they will turn into probably the most recognized fly ever tied.

The "Gray Ghost"...Carrie Stevens Iconic Streamer. She tied this back in 1924, and since then I'll guess more fish have been taken on it than any other pattern. Mrs Stevens tied many patterns over the years but the Gray Ghost is my personal favorite. Mrs. Stevens was from Maine but part of the story behind the Gray Ghost has its roots in Connecticut. A fellow named "Shang" Wheeler played a big part in Gray Ghost history.

Here is my "Gray Ghost"...while not an overly difficult streamer to tie, it does have it's problem areas. One in particular is the tying in of the golden pheasant crests. They can be very brittle and problematic in getting them to set properly in place.

But when it all comes together the streamer is with out question a very beautiful part of New England.

It Is Almost Here

Small Stream Reflections

The page of the calendar changed Friday, September moved in and the last day of summer was placed back in the memory column. With the change in months there also came a feeling of joy for the up coming season. Autumn is without a question the finest season for the angler, especially the small stream angler. It is a time of cool days and colored leaves. A time of shorter days and flannel shirts. It is when brook trout start moving to their spawning grounds and are their most colorful. These are my days folks.

I spent the first day of September here, a beloved brook trout stream. You can see the reflections of a changing scene in the slick pools. These are what small stream angling is about.

This is a favorite pool, it will bring a strike almost all of the time, that strike coming from anywhere along its course. This day was no different except for the trout that took the fly.

Instead of the usual brookie that I hook here I tangled with this very strong brown. She took a bomber and used every inch and obstruction in that pool to gain her freedom. The Cane and Silk fiberglass 2weight did its job and she was at hand. I observed how dark she was and how well conditioned she was. A quick photo and back in the water she was.

September 1st was a fine day and a great start to that "Glorious Season" that is near.

A Few Walks

The CT. section of the AT

Over the last two weeks Jeanette and I have done a bit of walking. The trails selected took us to some special parts of Connecticut and western Massachusetts. The days that we hiked were perfect weather days, an option you have when your retired. So join us and with the great last day of August weather we may be leaving once again.

What a view. We met some through hikers on the AT, some from Georgia and some from Oklahoma

This fellow had a productive day in the woods.

 

Not very friendly, but pretty.

A mountain meadow. Peace and solitude.

Some natural sweets

Carved out of an old tree stump....mountain ingenuity.

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