CT doesn't really have steelhead. I've heard rumors of lake run rainbows, but nothing from the sea run strains the Pacific Northwest has made it in CT. There is an alternative though. In the fall the state of CT dumps a bunch of big rainbows in some of CT's rivers and lakes. As much as I love wild trout, it is fun to stick some big rainbows that run and jump clean out of the water every now and then. So today I went to the salmon river to cast streamers at big spawning rainbows. Boy am I glad I did! I got a bunch of big male bows, all dressed up and ready to dance. Some were milting, and one of the females that I caught covered my shoes with eggs. It's an unfortunate truth that most of these fish will not successfully spawn. One redd may kick out a couple of wild rainbows, but of all the thousands of eggs that will probably be laid in the next few weeks very few will survive.
The best flies were my Shrimp Pink Muddler and an olive Woolly Bugger. They both took some big bucks, but the Shrimp Muddler did better by a wide margin. Some company made the morning even more fun. David Gallipoli happened to be in the area and came by for a while, catching some nice bows on caddis and on a streamer. Another gentleman, I believe his name was Jim, was there when I got there. He gave me a blue and black Woolly Bugger, which worked surprisingly well and will remain in my arsenal for a while now. We made conversation throughout the morning, talking flies, fish, and casting... typical fisherman chat. It was pleasure fishing with him and I hope we meet again.
 |
| First fish of the day, one of the biggest rainbows I have ever caught! |
 |
| David hooked up to a big fish. |
 |
| Big tail= hard fight! This one jumped 8 times! |
What an adventure...beautiful fish, big fight. I didn't know there was a covered bridge thereabouts. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
DeleteIt's an old one. Been renovated a few times, but it's still in the same place. The big rocks bellow it are from the original pilings.
Now that was amazing!!! Those bows are beauties!!! What a great day it was!!! A new record for you and good conversation with fellow fisherman. Can't get any better than that. I can almost experience your catches.
ReplyDeleteTie, fish, write and photo on...
Thanks.
DeleteIt was just plain fun. No records though, my best rainbow was 19 inches. I don';t think any of these broke the 17 inch mark.
I almost stopped there yesterday. There is a section on the Salmon I fish this time of year, it has some stunning colors.
ReplyDeleteWell done.
Thank you.
DeleteIf it wasn't such a pretty river I wouldn't bother fishing for the stocked trout it holds.
I am usually not a fan of stocked fish either, but those are some huge bows especially that first one! That is a once in a lifetime fish for us east coasters. They all look to have been in the river for some time, and I can't believe those tails! I recognize that stretch pictured...it's where caught that holdover brown in the summer.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
DeleteThe last was the biggest, at about 16 inches. The first was close though, just a little under 15. And keep in mind that we live a mere half day's drive from a fishery with very few rainbows UNDER 4 lbs, (the average is 9 to 10 lbs) and some of them wild: Lake Erie and Ontario tributaries.
These fish were fresh. Probably been in the river for less than 24 hours.
True true...surprised to hear how fresh those bows are though. They look really really dark, which is unusual as most bows fresh from the hatchery are light and more silvery.
ReplyDelete