Monday, March 5, 2018

The Class 1 Dash

March could be a really great month to be a wild trout fisherman in CT if it weren't for the fact that nearly all small streams are closed. No fun. I haven't really fished many of the Class 1 WTMA's which are open during the short closed season. This month though, I'm going to try to fish as many of them as I can. Maybe all of them but probably not. Yesterday, after getting the cold shoulder from the carp, Mark Alpert and I visited one that has been on my list for a while. It was a real oddball stream, far bigger than I was expecting, with lots of very unappealing looking water and garbage. Worst of all, I found this:


That's a worm container on the banks of a catch and release only, single barbless hook artificial fly and lure only regulated water. I could go on and on about the ethical problems with catch and release trout fishing using bait whether it is legal or not, the reality is using live bait for trout kills more fish, but the fact that it is illegal on this stream makes it even worse. So, though it is not likely that the you who left this plastic container will ever read this post....

You are a first-rate asshole. 

If you want to piss me off, show me discarded worm container. Want to make me happy, show me some pristine wild brook trout. 




So that's another Class 1 crossed off the list. From here on out I'll have to go further west than I usually do to get to new ones.

18 comments:

  1. Man, you are good.
    If that's where I think it is, I found nothing in 2 hours of fishing a week or three ago.

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    1. What I've found is that there's a gap between the angler who catches and the anger that doesn't. Things like staying hidden, casting, strike detection, and fly presentation... there's a fine line between doing it right and thinking you're doing it right.

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    2. LOL.
      That's what the name of my journal is all about!

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  2. Well said Rowan. They are beautiful natives and should not be caught with bait. Some folks just need to be educated. That is a great Class 1.
    Tie, fish, write and photo on...

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    1. Not quite. This goes for natives, wild non-natives, and stocked trout... if they are going to be released do not fish for them with bait. If the goal is to take an appropriate, legal, and ethical number and size of trout, whether they be wild or stocked, I don't care what an angler chooses to fish with.

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    2. I follow your approach. And as you saw in my journal, I found that with my own technique (very ham-fisted with bait) I end up wounding the fish anyway when trying bait for harvest. This includes the pickerel as well.

      However I have met a number of c&r bait fishermen who fish barbless and don't damage the fish any more than I do. But it requires a tight line and if a strike indicator is present, alertness to avoid gut hooking.

      On the other hand, I gut hooked two trout this fall on flies. I caught 30 trout this year. About 18 of them in the fall.

      But I still won't use bait for C/R...

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    3. In 7 years of trout fishing with artificial lures I have caught 1,000s of fish. Not a single one of them was gut hooked or even gullet hooked, and less than 20 trout I've caught failed to recover on release. Getting 2 gut hooked trout on flies in one season is very anomalous.

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    4. That may be true. However I think the particulars of the presentation encouraged it.
      One was an egg pattern still-fished until a take--which took at least 5 minutes.
      The other was a wooly that was dead drifted over a long long run, feeding out a lot of line.

      The dataset you have amassed is compelling. You catch at least 10x the rate I do and the stats become more than randomness pretty quickly.

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  3. good morning
    i have a bunch of pheasant tail feathers for you if you want them. all i ask in return is a couple of flies- Brk Trt referred me to your site. if you are interested, please let me know. i live close to you .

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    1. Sure, you can send me an email at the adress found on the "contact" page above.

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  4. Rowan
    Unfortunately those individuals could care less about the welfare of the stream or the trout, all they are interested in is keeping as many trout as they carry home with them. Creel limit has no meaning to them or the well being of the trout they are landing------really sad---thanks for sharing

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  5. That's frustrating as hell. I'm fine is someone wants to bait fish. Fine if someone wants to catch and keep a few. But to bait fish in a CR area is straight up poaching. That's up there with the "adults" I've seen catch a limit, put it in the trunk, look around, then come back to get more. Well Said RM.

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  6. I live pretty close to a class 1 wtma and I have gotta take more time to map it out and find areas to fish it. New baby and full time work this time of year means less time to scout and experiment. If I get the chance to fish I'm going straight to somewhere I'm familiar with ha.

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    1. The class 1's have substantial populations it shouldn't take too long for you to find the productive parts.

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  7. I will be frank about this, I have no use for bait fishermen being most are slobs that I pick up trash after their visits to where I fish most times. Now, I understand if one can't fly fish or spin fish, and have no other way of fishing than with worms, but for God sakes pick up your trash when you go home!

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    1. I wish I could say that most didn't do that, but I've seen a pretty distinct and significant amount of the bait fisherman I've seen on the trout stream do something ethically objectionable.

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