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This Blackberry River rainbow was caught at Beckley Furnace in North Canaan in early April with a heavy squirmy red worm fly tied by Harold McMillan at Housatonic River Outfitters. The fish was returned to the water unharmed. Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan

Looking back: Specks of good news in challenging year

There was one very good thing that happened in 2020: It was the year I finally got the hang of fishing with specks.

I define “specks” as flies size 20 and smaller.

Itty bitty bugs are present on all trout waters, usually year-round. Trout eat them, and anglers using the right imitations catch the trout.

Except me.


Housatonic Valley Regional High School forward Melody Matsudaira, a sophomore, fought for possession during the team’s last game of the season, against Litchfield High School, on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Photo by Hunter O. Lyle

Mountaineers make program history during pandemic season

FALLS VILLAGE — In a season full of questions and uncertainty, the Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) girls soccer team made history when they were crowned as Berkshire League Champions for the second consecutive year.


These are a representative sample of the tiny flies (or “specks”) the author has been using successfully in the last week. They are all size 20 or 22, except for the bushy one on the right, which is a size 18. The fish won’t touch it. Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan

Specks of hope as the 2020 fly-fishing season draws to an end

As the cooler weather arrives the idea of standing around in water becomes less and less attractive. Sensible anglers call it a season. They put their gear in the closet, and leave it there until April.


Bears are coming down to the Housatonic River, as spotted by column author Patrick L. Sullivan two weeks ago. Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan

On the question of ‘stockie bashing’

It is a sad but undeniable truth that many if not most of our trout streams in the Northeastern U.S. require stocking of trout. 

That means trucks from state hatcheries occasionally appear and put large numbers of hatchery-raised trout in the rivers.


Janet, who goes by the trail name A.J., and her dog Coffee Bean set off on a 30-mile trek on the Appalachian Trail from Falls Village to Great Barrington on Thursday, July 23. Photo by Hunter O. Lyle

Finding solitude on the Appalachian Trail

FALLS VILLAGE — Accompanied by her dog Coffee Bean, the hiker whose trail name is A.J. set out on Thursday, July 23, looking to complete yet another section of the Appalachian Trail, this time hiking from Falls Village to Great Barrington. 


These three rods illustrate the range of fixed-line fishing options. The top is a heavy rod designed for carp fishing, and is almost 15 feet long when extended. The middle rod is very small at 5 feet when extended and barely 8 inches collapsed, making it literally pocket-sized. The bottom rod can be fished at lengths of about 8 feet, 9.5 feet  and 11 feet. Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan

In which we learn to use the Tenkara rod

A few years back I received a strange birthday present from a friend. It was some kind of fishing rod that collapsed. I took the cap off the butt and the sections started sliding out. I pushed them back in, screwed the cap back on, and stuck it in the fish closet.

Old-fashioned baseball, where you can still hear the players talking

For sports fans starved for high-quality baseball in this summer of the coronavirus, there is now a nearby option. 

Thursday, June 25, marked the debut of the Great Falls Gators in the Connecticut Twilight League. The team was formed by Willy Yahn, a graduate of Housatonic Valley Regional High School and a Baltimore Orioles prospect. 

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