October-November Guiding Updates

 Hey folks! It's fall, right? Spastic weather aside, it is, I guess. We're in drought conditions, streams are very low, and the leaf hatch has commenced. So despite the temperature aggressively flip-flopping and the disappointing lack of good storms, it is indeed fall here in southern New England, and that brings a few changes to my guiding program. This late summer/fall transition period certainly wasn't unproductive though, with a few really cool highlights. I did as many big river floats as I could, and they all had their moments even on the slower days. Though smallmouth were the primary headliner, pike and stripers made plenty of showings as well. 

Greg with a nice one on a soft plastic

Barred up aggressor for Andrew

Schoolie for Dar... we were seeing a few much bigger than this!

Javier's pike put on a good show waking off the bank.

And of course there were plenty of good carp too. Late summer often gives up a few really good ones and this year was no exception. Winner goes to JK with this record breaker:

The carp are, of course, still going. It isn't as predictable at this point in the year, so I wouldn't recommend trying to book for them unless you have some flexibility with your schedule. Warmer days, especially after warmer nights, will be much better. 

In the salt, I'm still plugging away at the multispecies trips. They've got a heavier weakfish bend this year than last, they're becoming even more widespread and abundant. We're getting them both in daylight hours and at night, and some pretty nice ones are showing this year too. That's keeping me around the creeks and rockpiles. There are bonito and albies around as well, and when on anchor at rockpiles it's not at all out of the question to get shots at them from the canoe. Tautog season opens October 10th and I'm more than equipped to put you on your first fly rod blackfish! I do light tackle jigging for them as well, both shore and canoe based in shallow waters taking an approach very few others are. It's an interesting game, if you care to try it!

Jason with a good fly rod tautog

Jonathan's lifer weakfish.

And its salmon season again. Just like last year we're in drought conditions and the Shetucket is quite low, so it will be walk and wade trips only for the foreseeable future. This low water does provide shots to catch them on dries though, and that's always fun. If you have a flexible schedule, it's always best to try to hit an evening window or a cloudy or even rainy day, that's when we do our best, but conditions aside I can always put you in front of a salmon with the best flies to get the job done. I'll be taking Salmon bookings right into winter, and if we do start getting water enough to float I'll be doing float trips in the NRS, so look forward to that! 

Mark with a late season salmon from a productive float.

Aside from those saltwater and salmon targeted trips, there are other options coming up as well including kokanee, stillwater trout, and a continuation of the warm-water floats for bass and pike. I love this season, it's one of those times when there's just so much that can be really good it can be hard to decide what to do any given day. I love the fall but it does go fast. Don't let it slip you by!

Thank you to my Patrons; Erin, David, John, Elizabeth, Brandon, Christopher, Shawn, Mike, Sara, Franky, Geof, Luke, Noah, Justin, Sean, Tom, Mark, Jake, Chris, Oliver, oddity on Display, Sammy, and Cris & Jennifer, Hunter, Gordon, Thomas, Trevor, Eric, Evan, Javier, Ryan, Dar, Eric, and Truman for making Connecticut Fly Angler possible. If you want to support this blog, look for the Patreon link at the top of the right side-bar in web version. 

August-September Guiding Updates

 

I love the latter half of summer, I just do. I know some people fret over the days getting shorter and things getting a bit dry and low, I don't really. I love August and September. They provide a kick butt variety. particularly, though, I'm growing more and more fond of late summer smallmouth floats on big water. It's visual, the fish can be fickle enough to provide a challenge but also so absurdly aggressive at times they make it impossible to screw up. I just love them, they have such attitude and aggression but not so much so as to make it too easy. And there's always a chance to put one in the air that's over 22 inches. 

Stephen from Kismet Outfitters with a good one that hammered a Sid at the surface.

Right now, the water is still a little on the warm side for pike, but nights are gradually getting cooler and longer again. That'll change things, the pike will eat better and I'll feel better about hooking and fighting the as temperatures drop well below 80 again. The smaller ones are moving now, most days one or two will show themselves, often leaving us with a fly-less leader and couple of muttered cusses. A few even make it to hand. 

Ed with a 20 incher

Some days, I've taken to beaching the boat, getting out and wading, With the river very low now, this makes for a nice break to cool off a bit on the hot days. It has also provided some shots at some carp and schools of roving, shad fry feeding bass.

And of course there's the salt. Stripers, though? forget it it. Terrible, miserable, no good, bad. If you ask for them, I'm sorry, unless something changes dramatically I just can't. They aren't here like they were just a few years ago. BUT... some things are that weren't, and it's a great time to just go rack up species. Weakfish, scup, fluke, spot, maybe even a cownose ray? It's a good time out there in the marshes and coves, and my canoe is the perfect craft to cover the shallows. Sure, you could go book a guide on a trout stream and slug it out in tough, low water conditions for a few trout... or you could use some of the same tackle and tactics and catch a plethora of weird and wonderful salty characters. 

So that's the short of the long of it. This has been a good summer so far, with a lot of great clients. So far this August, and it'll take something pretty special to give it a run so attempt to de-throne him at your own peril, fish of the month goes to Collin Steadman with this ripper 27.3lb common carp. What a monster! Thanks as always to everyone who has made it out with me so far this year, it keeps the good times rolling. 

Thank you to my Patrons; Erin, David, John, Elizabeth, Brandon, Christopher, Shawn, Mike, Sara, Franky, Geof, Luke, Noah, Justin, Sean, Tom, Mark, Jake, Chris, Oliver, oddity on Display, Sammy, and Cris & Jennifer, Hunter, Gordon, Thomas, Trevor, Eric, Evan, Javier, Ryan and Dar for making Connecticut Fly Angler possible. If you want to support this blog, look for the Patreon link at the top of the right side-bar in web version. 

Surprise Rhode Island Northern Pike

 November 12th was one of those horribly unpleasant weather days to fish in, featuring high wind and very heavy rain over most of Connecticut and Rhode Island. It was at least vaguely warm though, and it was the sort of weather that gets predatory fish fired up. Subsequently, I was going to fish. I didn't want to fish for very long or far from my partner's apartment, so I drove less than five minutes away to a spot that I knew had potential but hadn't fished before. I didn't really know what to expect but it was exactly the sort of spot fish will stack up at in late fall during high water: a big slack water with reasonable depth, just off the main river. Most of the food chain utilizes these spots, from macroinvertebrates, to small shiners and dace, to panfish, bass and larger predator fish. 

The water was high and cold; I struggled a lot last season to get fish in this same river around this time of year. I'd not yet dialed in many areas though, and I'm still doing a lot of exploring and learning here. It was a crap-shoot, this spot, and though it appeared textbook, I wasn't sure I'd catch anything. I started out simple, hopping very small jig streamers along the bottom. This served two purposes. Flies like this catch everything from suckers and panfish to trout and bass, so it would give me a good idea off what was present (if anything). It also served as a way to feel out the bottom contours and find snags or hidden structure. That inevitably meant flies were lost, but that's just part of the game. I did start picking up fish. First, some pretty yellow perch. Nothing huge but nice to see and great to get the skunk off with. Then, a few good bluegills, and a roughly 2 pound smallmouth that I lost. That stung a little as larger smallmouth are pretty rare in this river and that was the largest I'd hooked here. 

I eventually decided to tie on a larger streamer, namely a conehead Marabou Muddler, and try to tempt a larger predator. This did not go the way I expected it to when, merely three casts later, the fly was smashed to rod lengths from me by a northern pike, and not a small one either. I didn't know there were even pike in the watershed so I was taken completely by surprise. I hooked it, but immediately was sure I'd lose the fish. I was using 10lb tippet and I'd seen the take; there seemed little hope my fly was pinned at the tip of the snout or somewhere else that would make a landing possible. I felt a bite-off was inevitable. Miraculously that never happened. I actually landed the fish. I was giddy. I hadn't targeted pike much at all this season, and with the exception of the one lone big one I got early in the season, hadn't encountered many of this species in 2021. To get one five minutes from the apartment in a watershed I didn't know had them during just atrocious weather was awesome- let alone on a 5wt and 10lb tippet. The fish was snub-nosed, which was a big factor in why I was able to land it. It was very healthy in terms of bulk and energy though. 

I stuck it out for a little while longer with only a few more perch, but I was sure the fight with the pike had disturbed the spot a lot. I left soaked to the bone and happy as can be, with a new task to latch onto- find even more pike in Rhode Island. Up until then I'd only heard about one body of water within the state that had any. Since then I've done quite a bit of research and scouting though and have half a mind to put in a solid effort to dial in some bites over here. It's funny how much one fish can change your mindset sometimes. 

Until next time, 

Fish for the love of fish.

Fish for the love of places fish live.

Fish for you.

And stay safe and healthy.

Thank you to my Patrons; Erin, David, John, Elizabeth, Brandon, Christopher, Shawn, Mike, Sara, Leo, C, Franky, Geof, Luke, Streamer Swinger, and Noah for making Connecticut Fly Angler possible. If you want to support this blog, look for the Patreon link at the top of the right side-bar in web version.

Edited By Cheyenne Terrien

Bowfin Agony

 Bowfin are not always easy to catch. They're often pegged as being a dumb, overly aggressive fish. While it is certainly much easier to approach a bowfin in a small watercraft, that does not mean they are easy. I spent an exceptional amount of my available fishing time this spring looking for bowfin and not finding them or finding very few and getting my butt handed to me by them. 

I wanted an early season male bowfin in spawning colors. Bowfin have perhaps the most unique spawning colors of any fish in CT. They turn green. Not vaguely green, not olive, not light green... male bowfin turn a deep emerald green, mostly on their fins and stomach. I've caught one bowfin that had some nice green coloration, but never a fully lit-up one. It is something I badly want to have photos of. Unfortunately this might not be my year for it. May went by without any bowfin for me, and as June trickles along they just get less and less colorful. I had one shot that didn't pan out. It was a moderately warm day and cloudier than I would have liked. I'd hiked my kayak into a backwater that a friend had been absolutely slamming bowfin at just days prior. I got the first one I saw to eat, and he was a stunner: the most green, most reticulated, most brilliant bowfin I'd ever seen. And I lost him. I couldn't get an eat from any other bowfin I saw that day (and I didn't see many). The handful of football shaped largemouth and small small pike I caught were not a good consolation. 

My next bowfin hunt started out hot and sunny- nearly ideal -and ended cloudy and rainy, with some gnarly cloud to ground lightning barrages in between. I only saw two bowfin and I didn't really get a shot at either one. I fished two different water bodies and got one good carp at each... no predator fish at all.

These long kayak outings without a bowfin to hand were starting to get obnoxious. I was burning gas, hauling my kayak in and out of nasty bodies of water, and just not accomplishing what I'd set out to. It's pretty hard not to get discouraged. Soon though, my agony would be swept away. 

Until next time, 

Fish for the love of fish.

Fish for the love of places fish live.

Fish for you.

And stay safe and healthy.

Thank you to my Patrons; Erin, David, John, Elizabeth, Brandon, Christopher, Shawn, Mike, Sara, Leo, C, Franky, Geof, Luke, and Noah for making Connecticut Fly Angler possible. If you want to support this blog, look for the Patreon link at the top of the right side-bar in web version. 

Edited by Cheyenne Terrien

Big Early Season Pike on the Fly

 I nearly always manage to miss the pre-spawn pike fishing here in Connecticut, even when I’m trying to find them. It has been a combination of lack of experience, lack of time, and lack of luck. Despite the fact that I sometimes went to likely places, they simply did not produce. It ended up leading to lots of skunking since there’s very little else around to eat a 10 inch fly in the sort of water pike move into in March and April. March 9th, 2021 though finally broke the long lasting bad luck regime- and in spectacular fashion.  

It was the first day of the first legitimate warm spell of the year. It was very comfortable out but also extremely bright. Noah and I headed north, but our target wasn’t pike. We did know that pike were a possibility and would be fishing a known pike spot. But I didn’t really think I’d be catching one. Big fish were my target though and I was rocking my new 12wt Heritage rod and Lamson Litespeed G5, far and away the nicest outfit in my possession at the moment. I’d fiddled with the rod a bit in late fall with the 11wt line I bought for it and struggled to cast as well as I knew I should have been. Rather than upsizing the line right away, I instead switched to my 10wt SA Mastery Titan, and damn if that thing didn’t suddenly become a cannon! Even with a 11 foot sink tip linked to the end and a heavy 9 inch Flashtail Clouser tied on I could get all of the fly line and 2 feet of backing out the tip of the rod… that’s a long fly cast- about 108 feet when my leader turned over completely. That’s the exact rigging I was using on this day.

The river was low and clear and this made our main target species (which will remain nameless, for now) less likely to move into the shallow water we were fishing. It seemed like a setup to skunk, but we went through the motions anyway. I was limited by trees for backcast space, but was able to shoot about 60 feet with a really strong haul. This gave me just enough of distance to effectively fish the contour. It was when the fly came up over the drop off that, to my shock, it got slammed by what was clearly a big fish. Despite having fished for very little other than trout and panfish for a few months, I strip set well. The fish made a short but hard run for deeper water and for a while I wasn’t sure what it was. As it got closer though I could tell it was a pike, and a pretty good one. Without too much hassle I was able to slide the fish up into shallow water and tail her. It was a very girthy fish, likely a gravid female, and probably the heaviest pike I’d ever caught. 

I was absolutely elated. The adrenaline rush from catching a big fish is hard to describe, but if you’ve experienced it you know how addicting it is. I’d feel high for the rest of the day after catching that pike, and though we left that spot shortly thereafter, the excitement wasn’t over yet. But I need more. I'll always need more.

Until next time, 

Fish for the love of fish.

Fish for the love of places fish live.

Fish for you.

And stay safe and healthy.

Thank you to my Patrons; Erin, David, John, Elizabeth, Brandon, Christopher, Shawn, Mike, Sara, Leo, C, Franky, Geof, and Luke for making Connecticut Fly Angler possible. If you want to support this blog, look for the Patreon link at the top of the right side-bar in web version. 

Edited by Cheyenne Terrien

Simple But Deadly: The Christmas Ornament

Throughout the years, I've very infrequently delved into fly tying on this blog. That may partly be because fly tying feels more like actual work to me than fishing does, but that's neither here nor there. Whatever the reason, I only occasionally have written actual fly tying posts, with recipes, tips, and productive patterns. And because I do routinely mention specific fly patterns, and have over the years simplified and honed my own fly selection down to relatively simple to tie but extremely effective patterns that can fool more than one species of fish, it's high time I started a fly tying series. Most of these flies, basically all of them, are other tyer's designs. A few are my own. But they all work, and I have an immense amount of faith in them. This series is not written for beginner tiers who are still learning simple methods and steps, but for experienced tiers looking to diversify their fly selection that can understand very simplified instructions that don't cover every step in detail. This is "Simple But Deadly."

Flash flies are a loose collection of different patterns composed mostly or entirely of synthetic flash material. There are a number of notable patterns I’d call flash flies, from the salmon and steelhead pattern by the very name “Flash Fly,” to the Empie Shiner and Kreelex. I semi-accidentally came up with my own flash fly in 2018- an abomination of material some would say should never be graced with the designation of being a fly- but it just catches fish so damn well.

The Christmas Ornament was born when I brought home a beat up musky cowgirl lure I found on the side of the road. The wire, hooks, and blades were flattened, unquestionably from being run over by cars a time or two. But the flashy skirt was in good enough shape that it seemed like something I could use to tie flies with. It was a multicolored mylar material, like Hedron Saltwater Flashabou. I tied an utterly hideous fly out of that, articulated and intended for muskie and big pike. The material from the musky lure wasn’t long enough for the tail, so I blended rainbow krystal flash and holographic flashabou in a couple sizes and colors. The fly ended up being pretty useless, but on one day on Lake Champlain, I realized I needed something durable and flashy. I cut off the back hook of that fly, and not only proceeded to catch pike and pickerel but even largemouth ate that silly thing. And thus the Christmas Ornament was born. The fly has caught numerous big bass for me, as well as stripers and bluefish. Mostly, though, it is just a pike catching machine. 

Materials:

Tail: Hareline Krystal Flash, rainbow. Hedron Saltwater Flashabou, Gold. Hedron Holographic Saltwater Flashabou, gold. Hedron Holographic Flashabou, green. Hedron Holographic Flashabou, gold. Equal parts, hand blended.

Body: Hareline Saltwater Flashabou, gold. Hedron Holographic Saltwater Flashabou, rainbow. 1 part gold, 2 parts rainbow, hand blended. 

Thread: UTC 140 Fl. Fire Orange

Hook: Size 4-2/0 Gamakatsu B10S

Hand blending flash takes some practice. Lay out the flash on a flat surface, obviously keep the fibers parallel. Make sure the colors are evenly distributed. Then bundle it all together. The tail fibers should be 3 to 4 times the length of the hook shank. For the body, tie in 3 or 4 clumps about 4 inches long, tied in halfway between the ends and then folded back, almost like a reverse tying bucktail. You can add eyes to this fly if you’d like but they aren’t necessary. Using lead wrap to weight the fly is also useful in some situations. Yes, these are very simplistic directions, but this is a very simple fly. I didn’t feel a photographic guide to tying it was necessary. It also doesn’t need to be perfect, just full-bodied, even, and durably tied.  

Until next time, 

Fish for the love of fish.

Fish for the love of places fish live.

Fish for you.

And stay safe and healthy.

Thank you to my Patrons; Erin, David, John, Elizabeth, Brandon, Christopher, Shawn, Mike, Sara, Leo, C, Franky, Geof, and Luke for making Connecticut Fly Angler possible. If you want to support this blog, look for the Patreon link at the top of the right side-bar in web version. 

Edited by Cheyenne Terrien

Three Trophies in 30 Minutes

Sometimes a short, chaotic bite window defines an otherwise slow day and makes it feel like fishing action was consistent even when it wasn't. For this to happen the fish caught in that short window typically have to be pretty good. This is about one such window, when between the two of us Noah and I caught three trophy fish of three different species back to back to back.

May 22nd was a bluebird sky day with an at times obnoxious south wind and, by all accounts, we did not get on the water early enough. But after farting around and taking our time getting to our planned target area, I laid a cast with a fly I have dubbed "The Christmas Ornament" up next two a log jam and in three strips watched a thick fish inhale it. I strip set hard, and, not having had a great look at the fish, assumed it was a pike. It soon went airborne and was very clearly... not. It was smallmouth, a very big smallmouth. One of the largest I'd ever hooked on the fly. Things got very tense, and even on my beefy ten weight this bass gave the typical smallmouth fight. Bronze bass are defiant, they do not like to come to hand. But, to make my many hours this spring targeting smallmouth without catching any big ones myself sting a little bit less, Noah got her in the net. She taped a little over 19 inches and was soooo thick. It'd been year since I last caught a smallmouth this substantial and I really shouldn't let it be that long before I get another... because damn are they ever great fish!

Up the next bend Noah saw another big smallmouth come up on his jig and missed it. We barely had time to react to that when, while looking down, I felt my line come tight. I strip set into another clearly large fish on the Christmas Ornament. It was in deep water off a clay bank drop off so I again wasn't sure what I was tied into, but it soon showed itself to be a very stout pike. Not long at all, really, but very girthy. Trophy fish number two was soon in the boat. 

That pike was on the inside of the bend.... on the outside, just minutes later, Noah hooked up on a spinner bait. The third and final trophy fish of the streak, a large bowfin, kicked Noah's ass both in the water and in the boat. Bowfin, being air breathers, don't get tired simply from being out of the water for a short time. Fortunately it sat still just long enough for me to get a couple quick shots.

We fished for hours more, and we didn't stop catching fish, but those three fish, in half an hour's time, defined the day. Had they been spread out over the duration of the day the day may actually have felt slower. It's interesting how these things work.
Until next time,

Fish for the love of fish.

Fish for the love of places fish live.

Fish for you.

And stay safe and healthy.

Thank you to my Patrons; Erin, David, John, Elizabeth, Brandon, Christopher, Shawn, Mike, Sara, Leo, and Franky for supporting this blog on Patreon. 

An Incredible Multispecies Day

After revenge on the bowfin lost two days before, I returned to the scene of the crime. I'd told myself I wasn't going to target pike this time and that I'd focus on bowfin. But I just couldn't help myself. I've not caught a lot of pike. I rigged up the Christmas Ornament and ripped it allong the weed lines. It didn't take long. I was two hand retrieving when the first fish waked up on the fly then blew up. It was a nice clean little fish and fought hard.

The next fish blew up much harder, and turned my attention away from trying to spot a bowfin while working the fly. I jammeed it and immediately felt that it was solid fish. Not a monster but my new personal best, the second in two days (the previous day is written up in a patrons only post on Patreon).

I got right back to it after that watching that fish motor off and sight fished a third pike. 

This was now my best pike day it CT, but I wanted to see what else I could squeeze out of the morning. I wasn't seeing bowfin here, so I changed spots.

Musk turtle

Not long after switching locations, I stuck a fish I really didn't expect; a beautiful little walleye.

I followed up the walleye with two decent bass, one 18 incher and one 16 incher. Both took fairly small flies off the bottom. I find that when sight fiahing for largemouth I can best get an uncertain and picky fish to commit by letting the fly settle on the bottom for as long as 30 seconds, then giving it a series of quick hops. Both of these fish slammed the fly as soon as it came off the bottom. The first and bigger of the two had a unique two-tone face and hyperpigmentation melanosis. I've named hime Harvey Dent.

I've caught a lot of bass though so these fish weren't really getting my that excited. When I saw a channel cat nosing through the rocks looking for food though, that got my heart rate up. I dropped the fly in front of it and it took. A few minutes later I missed a take fron another. Now this was turning into something of an interesting day.

Still seeing no bowfin, I moved again. I worked my way up a bank where Noah and I had found a number of bowfin eating a sucker carcass last year. For most of it there were no signs of bowfin but plenty of bass and yellow perch. I hooked one largemouth on a laydown that was no question north of 20 inches. Would have like to have touched that one.

12 inch perch

Then I found bowfin. They were a real pain in the ass for about an hour though. I lead one in circles for five minutes straight and it just would not commit. Eventually though the tide turned, literally, and fish that would not commit suddenly were everywhere and very willing. I stuck six bowfin total. Now I was on my best bowfin day ever too!

With more black bass, some big bluegills, rockbass, amd redbreast sunfish in the mix, I ended the trip far later than I'd intended and with way more fish to hand, including a lot of trophies. I had seen some pretty wicked things too. I had a huge largemouth come out from a laydown and t-bone a perch I'd hooked. If I carried a net I'd have caught that fish. It would have been a personal best for me I'm certain, though degraded by not bei g a fair catch.

In a nutshell, that morning was lunacy. I haven't come close to covering it all in detail, but this is what you get when I have to write up a post on my phone in a coffee shop in Rangeley. I hope you can fill in some of the gaps. 

If you enjoy what I'm doing here, please share and comment. It is increasingly difficult to maintain this blog under dwindling readership. What best keeps me going so is knowing that I am engaging people and getting them interested in different aspects of fly fishing, the natural world, and art. Follow, like on Facebook, share wherever, comment wherever. Also, consider supporting me on Patreon (link at the top of the bar to the right of your screen, on web version). Every little bit is appreciated! Thank you to my Patrons; Erin, David, john, and Christopher, for supporting this blog.