Stalking Salmon

A unique fishery takes center stage for many anglers each fall when DEEP's Inland Fisheries Division releases Atlantic salmon into designated Connecticut waterways. These surplus broodstock salmon, sometimes surpassing 20 pounds, are stocked after doing their duty for the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program. I don't take advantage of this opportunity enough, but with a sun-soaked fall day, perfect for spotting salmon, friends and I made the run up Route 8 to give it a shot. Below are some photographs from a recent fly fishing recent trip on the Naugatuck River.



Photo credit: Tommy Baranowski

Photo credit: Aaron Swanson

Autumn Browns

Friends and I just enjoyed a picture perfect fall day on the Farmington River. It felt great to be casting for trout again after a long lay off. The morning was crisp and a little on the windy side, but it turned into a stellar indian summer afternoon. The river was at a fine flow and crowds were light. We connected with quite a few cooperative fish on various egg patterns and small pheasant tail nymphs. Of course the outing's best trout broke free, but a some quality holdover browns found their way into the net. With great fishing and friends and a few cigars thrown in, it was a hell of a day.

   

Photo credit: Derrick Kirkpatrick



Photo credit: Derrick Kirkpatrick

Photo credit: Aaron Swanson

Trout Bums

Fishing buddies of mine just returned home from a road trip to Great Lake tributaries in New York and Pennsylvania. I made this voyage one fall a few years ago, but these guys have things down to a science now. The scene up there is not for everyone, yet the catching can be epic. Their video got my blood pumping pretty good and I'm looking forward to getting back on the wagon next fall.   

Roosterfish

My wife and I just returned from our honeymoon in Costa Rica. We enjoyed a week-long stay at Playa Conchal in the Guanacaste Province. Set along the Pacific Ocean, this stretch of shoreline is famous for its white sand made from billions of broken down shells, or conchas. While it was far from a fishing vacation, a guided trip was high on our agenda. Costa Rica offers so many angling opportunities from offshore marlin to inshore snook, yet our sights were set on roosterfish...from a kayak!

 

At 6 a.m. on a Tuesday, there we were—two newlyweds in a taxi van rolling down a dirt road to the small, coastal village of Potrero. The driver left us at the water’s edge where we met Ralph, our heavily recommended guide for the day, who was readying three kayaks. It was dead low tide overlooking beautiful Potrero Bay and howler monkeys were making their presence known in the treeline behind us. A few locals were fishing in the surf, but instead of rods they were using wooden spools, line and a simple metal lure. They whipped their offering out into the water and retrieved it by wrapping it back around the spool. I soon learned casting distance was not a factor because the whole bay was teeming with life. There were countless tiny sardines so densely packed that they turned the turquoise water brown. Right in the wash there were bigger fish slashing through the schools of bait sending them into the air and raining back down. 

Since it was our first time fishing from kayaks, Ralph gave us a brief primer before heading out. At first he set us up for light-tackle trolling around the shoreline, which gave him time to secure enough bait for the real mission at hand. Mosey and I cruised along tight to the rocky coast with small lures trailing behind us. My wife had the hot hand and landed a few feisty Spanish mackerel that were kept for the table. In the meantime, Ralph landed four precious moonfish using a Sabiki-type rig similar to one I use to catch herring back home. Silver in color and the size of a saucer plate, moonfish are high on the preferred dining menu of roosters in Potrero Bay. They were put in Ralph's handmade PVC container and towed behind the kayak, keeping the baitfish lively throughout the trip.

Moonfish a.k.a roosterfish candy


With bait on board, it was time to switch to beefier conventional gear and paddle a few hundred yards out into the Bay. Being that far from shore felt a little unnerving at times, but that is where the big roosters roamed. A circle hook was pierced through the back of the bait and several yards of line was let out behind the kayak. The offering was dropped down with no additional weight and we began slowly trolling between two rocky outcroppings. Not more than five minutes passed before we heard the sweet sound of line peeling from the spool. I came tight to the fish and the circle hook did the rest, burying itself into the corner of the fish's mouth. It was only a little guy, yet the fight was incredible. After a couple of minutes I saw flashes beaming from under the kayak, then the seven long spines of dorsal fin from which the roosterfish gets its name. I grabbed it by the knuckle of its tail for a quick photo before harpooning it head first back to the depths. 


Now it was Mosey's turn. A fresh bait was hooked and lowered down to the money zone. She didn't have to wait long until a rooster gobbled it up took her for a nice Costa Rican sleigh ride around the Bay. Ralph coached her well and Mosey looked like a pro subduing her first roosterfish (handling it for a photo was another story!). By this point the trip was a major success, yet our guide was determined to go bigger. We paddled out to deeper water and dropped down our largest bait. There was a longer wait this time, but the next run-off was well worth it. Right away by its initial run I could tell this fish was in another size class altogether. The kayak was getting towed and turned with ease and the rooster took much longer to tire out. Ralph even strategically slapped his paddle on the water in order to drive the fish towards the shallows. The tug of war lasted several more minutes before I hoisted up my prize. Mosey did a great job capturing the moment then the fish kicked off like a mad man. It was in the middle of that fight where my deep respect and admiration for roosterfish began.

Photo credit: Mosey Broatch

The overall experience was more than I could have imagined and called for a proper celebration with cold cervezas. Before heading back to the resort, we hunkered down at a beach side bar and shared fish stories and laughs with our guide. Looking out over Potrero Bay, it was mind-boggling to comprehend how rich it is with marine life--a different universe than what I'm used to back home. Ralph is a lucky man to have this oasis almost to himself. I hope to return to Costa Rica again someday and take better advantage of the epic fishing opportunities it holds. This is one fishing trip that I will never forget. 

Shock & Awe

Taking a six month seasonal job with the DEP's Inland Fisheries Division helped me put off the so-called real world after graduating college. By far the coolest part of the job was sampling bodies of water across Connecticut via electrofishing. For anyone unfamiliar with the process, electrical currents are sent through water that temporarily stun fish, allowing for easy capture and transport into holding pens. Then fishery biologists can count and measure the fish, take scale samples, and even bring back the cream of the crop to the hatchery for breeding. Electrofishing big rivers, small streams, and even lakes and ponds was an eye-opening experience to me, especially from an angler's point of view. The amount of fish we got to see  up close and handle was obscene. My favorite waterway that we sampled that summer was one that I fish very often, the West Branch Farmington River.

For years before and since that job, I've tagged along during this survey. I like keeping tabs on the trout situation in the Farmington and it brings me back to those fun times as a seasonal staffer. I continued the tradition this September and documented the first of the two-day event with a camera. On a beautiful Tuesday far from my office desk, I spent a few hours with old colleagues admiring trout and their fine habitat. Though cool from the bottom release dam upstream, the river's had been extremely low for a long time. Normally the flow from the dam is cut back the day before shocking, but this year that was unnecessary because it was the river was so low already. This gave trout ample time to find deep holes that are difficult to sample, which can ultimately affect the integrity of the survey.

A Wood turtle, a species of "Special Concern" in Connecticut

Bright and early that sunny morning, a large crew amassed at the lower boundary of a designated Trout Management Area. A human chain stretched across the river and moved upstream at a snail's pace, stunning and netting everything in their path. All fish were transferred to holding pens until enough were captured to make stopping worthwhile. As the shocking crew continued on, a few fisheries biologists and staffers stayed behind to record the captured fish before catching back up with the group. Recording the fish consists of measuring, identifying, and sometimes taking scale samples. To the best of their ability, biologists determine whether the fish are born in the river or raised in a hatchery. If it's a stocked fish, it can sometimes be determined at what age and sized they were released. This is possible thanks certain fin clips, as well as elastomer tags, which are injected dye marks that are placed above the eye of Survivor strain brown trout.  

With the recent drought conditions, it will be interesting to see this year's data stacked against previous samples when it becomes available. While I didn't witness any crazy big, wild trout this time around, I did get to get to see plenty of healthy wild specimens in the 18-inch class and an excellent amount of small wild browns too. On the negative side, I noticed a large amount of skinny trout, especially Survivors from the 2009 and 2008 class. It seems the younger Survivors stocked last spring may be out-competing them for food. But overall it is always impressive witnessing the sheer number of trout captured over such a short stretch of river; way more than any angler would like to believe during a hard day of fishing.