A Good Friday

Revisiting

My friend Todd and I recently took advantage of a break in our work schedules and fished together for the first time in a long time. It's always a treat getting stream-side during the week since most of my trout fishing is regulated to the crowded weekends. The plan was to revisit a stretch of river that we had fished a few February's ago. It was great to be back on this portion of river again in mid May when there was much more life apparent in the water and woods around us. We dropped one vehicle upstream and drove down river a mile so with the other and waded our way back.

It was a gorgeous spring day weather wise and the fishing was pretty damn good too. We found more than enough freshly stocked trout to keep us busy at each stop along our route and there were a few higher quality trout mixed in. The highlight of our day was an awesome brown trout that fought like mad and was the most beautiful fish I had seen in some time. If I had to guess, I'd say that one was born in the river. It was a hell of a way to cap off a fine day on the water. We'll have to revisit this stretch more often. 

Like Old Times

"Sometimes it's about the company, sometimes it's the fishing, but every now and then the two elements line up for an incredibly memorable day." Those were the wise words from a friend that I shared the river with on Friday. While we don't fish together as often as we used to, we try to make it count when we do. This was a damn good outing, one that reminded us of old times. Times when our biggest responsibility was being in good position for the start of a hatch. Life has changed a bit in the decade-plus since we began fishing together, but between the laughs, cold Guinness, fresh fiddleheads, and rising trout, it brought us right back. It was like old times.

Spring Into Action

Ever since I could hold a fishing rod, springtime and trout have been closely intertwined in my life. In the month of April, I'm perfectly content being knee-deep in a cold stream while bugs are hatching off the water and birds are singing their hearts out. I love the warm spring sun shining on my face and I can't get enough of the lush green leaves when they first sprout from their buds. The trout fishing can be pretty good too. I've made two trips to the Farmington River so far this spring and was rewarded with one nice holdover trout each visit. I'll take quality over quantity nine times out of 10. Action on our rivers and streams should only intensify over the next few weeks as the bug life kicks it into high gear. I am ready for it.



(photo credit: Aaron Swanson)



In late March, I stumbled upon the remains of an eight-point buck along the banks of the Farmington River. Shed or not, it was the first set of antlers I've ever come across. There was no visible evidence on how the deer died, but my first guess was that it was shot during hunting season and never found. That or struck by a car, but this stretch of river wasn't along any road. With my boot on its skull, I tried like hell to pry the antlers free to no avail. I returned the next chance I could three weeks later half expecting them not to be there. Thankfully the antlers were still intact and this time I had a hack saw. A fellow angler saw what I was up to and crossed the river to lend a hand. He was a hunter and a little upset to see the deer "go to waste," but I was going home with the antlers and many a critter feasted on the corpse since it died, though I understood what he meant. The rack will look good over a garage someday.

An April morning's haul of sea glass from the shores of Long Island Sound.

Opening Daze 2012

Each year it seems the anticipation for Opening Day of Connecticut's trout season builds for months, yet the weekend celebration passes in the blink of an eye. A camping trip along the Farmington River surrounding the third Saturday in April has been a can't-miss tradition for my uncle, close friends and I for a long time (small sampling: 2010 and 2011).  For three nights and four days, we immerse ourselves in fine food and drink around a campfire and even manage to educate a few trout along the way.

The river and weather conditions this year were unlike any other since my uncle began including me on this sacred weekend.  The region hadn't seen substantial rain for weeks leading up to the trip and our waterways were reflecting that with very low flows. It was strange to see and fish the Farmington in her August-like state in the month of April.  In addition, the weather wasn't what we have come to expect for the usually cold and wet Opening Day weekend.  With the exception of our final day, we remained warm and dry throughout our stay, even fishing comfortably in T-shirts!
  

During my first few years involved in this tradition, I mistakenly believed the trip was solely about fishing. I used to grow anxious when we weren't beating the water into a froth and other anglers were. Over time, I came to realize that our annual stint in the woods was much more about getting away from the every day grind and enjoying camp life. Now there is no pressure to be on the water by a certain time. Thanks to year-round catch and release areas, we get our fill of trout fishing long before Opening Day comes around. This allows us to focus on the often overlooked things that we don't always get to do back home, like carving walking sticks, flora and fauna identification, learning knots, sharing Native American artifacts, cooking over a Coleman, chopping kindling, and reliving classic stories from years past.

If there is an overarching theme of the weekend, it could be argued that it is food. Each year we try to out-do the previous year's menu. When not on the water or conked out in sleeping bags, almost all hours of the weekend are spent eating or preparing the next meal. Fresh clams from Long Island Sound were a welcomed addition a few years ago; now oysters have been thrown into the mix and I doubt there will another trip without them. Along with the dozens slurped raw, my uncle shared his roasted oyster recipe that was one of the big hits this year. Each shucked oyster received a dollop of butter, cream and garlic then were roasted in a cast iron skillet over the camp fire until the edges of the mollusks began curling away from their shells They were extremely delicious and couldn't have been more fresh.

Shellfish were just the beginning. On our first evening, we enjoyed a fine codfish dinner with asparagus and wild rice. The following night we had our annual fire-cooked steak and potatoes that were baked in deep in the coals. Not to be overlooked were the natural-skin hot dogs that would rival any other I've ever had. Before each dinner was the obligatory cheese platter along with Aaron's addition of presunto, a tasty Portuguese cured ham. Right up there with our excellent dinners were our hungry man's breakfasts, which included egg sandwiches, bowls of cheerios, and, of course, Entenmann's raspberry danish twist. We finally got on the water between our late breakfasts and later dinners and survived off snacks stuffed in our backpacks in between.

Fly fishing for trout is how this tradition began and we make sure to carve out plenty of time for it every year. Overall, the Farmington River fished fairly well during our stay despite the low water. The recent trout stockings kept everyone entertained and the group managed to tangle with a few older resident fish as well. Aiding our cause was the earlier-than-normal onset of the hendrickson hatch. The various life cycles of these mighty mayflies provided consistent action with a good spinner fall on night one, decent dun hatches each afternoon and pretty good nymphing throughout the weekend using pheasant tail patterns. 

It's not always easy finding water that can fit a crew of four, sometimes five, anglers in it, especially on a weekend as crowded as Opening Day. However, every year we manage to get off the beaten path and set up shop in pools where we can relax, take turns fishing and enjoy ourselves. As great as it is fooling and landing trout on a fly rod, it can be just as fun watching my uncle or friends, who I share this passion with, do the same.

After we put our tents away on Sunday, as on cue, the sky opened up and the river began quenching its thirst. Another memorable Opening Day weekend is now in the books and spring trout fishing is starting to lose its prominence in our hectic schedules as other things take over, none more so than the hunt for migrating striped bass. I know,  however, when next fall changes into winter, and a bunch of guys sit around a table to tie flies, talk of a weekend camping trip in April will bring smiles to everyone's faces and the anticipation will again start to build.

Short & Sweet

There was a strange white substance covering the ground as I walked down to the riverbank.  It was the last day of March and a dusting of snow had fallen to remind everyone that this was indeed still New England.  The inclement weather left the Farmington River void of anglers and the pool I was thinking about during the hour drive up had yet to be fished that morning. 

With only a short window to fish due to family obligations, I was happy to find the trout didn't mind a little foul weather.  Aaron and Derrick joined me and we put together a great sampling of Farmington fish using very light nymphing techniques in scary low flows.  Despite recent stockings, we didn't find any fish fresh out of the hatchery.  It was quite the opposite actually; we netted some high quality trout, a few of which were mostly likely born in the river. 

The highlight of the outing was a double hook-up with a brace of wild fish.  Derrick connected with a female downstream and I stuck the golden male above him, which immediately went airborne on the hook set.  Aaron sealed the deal with a great net job and camera work.  Derrick and Aaron landed another impressive pair of browns after I left too.  It was certainly a short and sweet trip with good friends and cooperative fish.  I am already looking for my next chance up there and will keep doing my rain dance in the meantime.