Fall on the Family Secret

 With nighttime air temperatures plummeting and a few shots of rain rejuvenating small wild trout streams, I felt it was time to pay a visit to a stretch of water known to a small group of Connecticut small stream fisherman as "The Family Secret". It is special water for a variety of reasons, and I've spent many enjoyable hours on it both alone and with some of my favorite people. 

This year I've fished for brook trout only very infrequently, less than I have any year since 2013, so I was giddy to do one of my favorite things: fast strip small streamers straight downstream for pre-spawn fish. This is a known but not often discussed tactic that is especially effective and fun in early fall. At that time of year, the brook trout almost at like mini Esox, charging down and hammering streamers with impressive aggression. Stripping a fly downstream seems to amplify their aggression, which makes sense as this is both how bait fish like dace and common shiners attempt to escape and how smaller rival trout will try to run away when battling over a redd. So when a brook trout sees what looks like some sort of fish booking down current past it, most especially this time of year, it flips a switch and the fish goes ballistic. I've never seen so much aggression from any salmonid at any time of year before. It is gnarly, beautiful, and awesome. That is what I sought on this glorious autumn day, and that is exactly what I found. 

A bunch of different flies were utilized, all to the same sort of effect. Mickey Finns, Edson Tigers, Grey Ghosts, Pine Specials, Muddlers, and other such traditional style streamers are ideal. I target that flats, pools, and runs that pre-spawn brook trout like to hold in, cast straight upstream, and strip back down at a blistering pace. Sometimes I'll even two-hand retrieve. Often, the fish wake downstream after the fly and finally hit it right in the tailout. The only real downside to this method honestly is the frequency of missed and lost fish, for some reason good hookups don't seem to happen often. 

Of course the fish I'm looking for on this sort of outing is a nice sized male, starting to dress up for fall. When the colors on the fish match the colors of the leaves and water... that's fall on a New England small stream. The handsome fellow below was my trophy for the evening. He wasn't quite fully colored up yet, but he was hefty and colorful enough. He also slammed my hornburg on the surface mere moments after it hit the water, making him my October dry fly fish, though I'm still trying to get a broodstock Atlantic on a dry this season, a challenge I'm very much enjoying.

As the sun set, I decided to call it a day. I'd attempted to night fish this stream once before, but it proved extraordinarily difficult. I may try again, but the brushy surrounding make for minimal leeway with casting, and the tree canopy makes it pitch black in there at night. I may attempt it in December on a warmer night, though I try not to fish it too often as it is very visible, public, and does get some fishing pressure. Alas, the Family Secret isn't completely a secret, though I hope it remains as much of one as possible. 

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.

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