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A wild brown trout plucked from the Wachocastinook on March 30. These fish are extremely skittish, hard to catch, and must be returned to the water, unharmed, as soon as possible. Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan
The problem: It keeps raining.
The other problem: The nights are still chilly.
I cleaned out the Fish Closet the other day.
This is no simple matter. The Fish Closet sits beneath a staircase, so the ceiling is sloped. The shelving is at the rear, which means it’s best to put things back there that won’t be needed any time soon. If ever.
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
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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
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.
The gist of fishing right now is: There are three brook trout streams, the Blackberry and the Furnace Brook in North Canaan and the Housatonic, all within 20 miles of Lakeville (staying in-state).
I can avoid other people quite easily on any of these bodies of water. I’ve been doing it for decades, never mind pandemics.
A group of teens from Westchester County, N.Y., traveled to Falls Village to leap from the cliffs above the Great Falls. Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
AMESVILLE — When the water level on the Housatonic River is low between the Great Falls and the First Light power station in Falls Village, I like to fish this angling no-man’s land.
A stocked brown trout from the Blackberry River in North Canaan, Conn. The state has stocked the stream several times in recent months. Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan
The gist of fishing right now is: There are three brook trout streams in nearby Conneciticut, the Blackberry and the Furnace Brook in North Canaan and the Housatonic, all within 20 miles of Lakeville (staying in-state).
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