Guiding Updates: The Dog Days are Here!

 Summertiiiiime, and the living is....

Muggy. The living is muggy. We've got one gnarly heatwave in the rearview and have settled into more typical summer weather, with most days in the 80's, high humidity, and lows in the high 60's. On trout streams across the state the fish are either posting up in their coldwater refuges, or just dying. It's time to give the freestone trout a rest, and I've got the fix! June was a predictably good month for the warm fishing, especially with bowfin, carp, and some fun topwater bass fishing. It featured a couple great carp days as well, including a second crazy pound-down for Dar (he had a killer day with me in May as well!) 

He got in on the bowfin bite as well with two really good fish. Then, the next day, Michael from Tennessee finally got his bowfin redemption. Last time he fished with me in 2022, we lost a nice bowfin boat side. Then there's Peter with a nice female, and Kathryn with one site fished on a chunk!

The catfish bite has been on the modest end so far, with a lot of smaller fish. I think this is owing to a later than normal spawn, and we're just now starting to get some scratched up post spawn fish. I anticipate July and August to be peak for catfish on the fly as per usual. 

John Kelly bending the rod on a channel catfish

Here's friend and DEEP CARE program instructor Noah Hart with a nice topwater bass and a channel cat from the Connecticut River with me last week: 

Summer can be a glorious time to be a flyrodder. Really, there's plenty more of the above to come. July will be our better month for bowfin as weed growth will eventually get thick enough to make some spots difficult. August has been a peak for channel catfish on the fly but July is good too, and the carp train just never stops. If you're going to book for carp I recommend an early morning half day. 

We're also entering prime time for bass floats, I offer both daytime smallmouth float trips on a number of rivers (including the Connecticut, lower Farmington, Quinebaug, and Shetucket) and evening/nighttime canoe trips for topwater bass. If you'd like to experience summer's best, give me a holler! brwntroutangler@gmail.com

Goliath

 It's rare that I take the canoe out on my own. It's big and bulky and blows around like crazy. There's little sense in sight fishing from it unless I can anchor. I'd actually never bothered to do a solo trip in it until a morning not all that long ago. After multiple client trips with loads of channel cats and carp blind fishing, I wanted my own little piece of the action in solitude. I set out in the early morning haze, groggy and slow but confident. I went about the methodical process of launching the boat without concern of anyone else showing up at the launch on weekday dawn. I undid straps, grunted under the strain of hoisting the yoke over my shoulders, and disrupted the calm by letting the hull slap down when I flipped the boat over onto the river's surface. I feel a little bad when I do that kind of thing and tried to make up for it by poling myself downriver in a manner that blended with the waking up world. Upon getting to the deep cut I'd fish, the push pole served as an anchor with a roped tied to it for easy adjustment. The glassy surface rippled from my activities as well as those of channel catfish and common carp that were just as excited about the warm, humid and calm conditions as I was. 

My strategies for blind fishing carp and catfish are simple, involving relatively small flies, slow presentations on floating or intermediate lines, and patience. As John put it: "Its exactly like bluefin tuna fishing, apart from every single detail". But however slow it may be it is also wildly productive. Though I hardly have any clients interested in it, those that are as well as myself have put a staggering number of fish in the boat this summer. I'm not sure another guide has netted so many fly caught channel cats for their clients in a single month. And the fish themselves are incredibly sporting, pulling like demons and demanding careful fighting and forethought of knot strength and line deterioration. They aren't objectively pretty- not the channels at least, I find carp scales strikingly pretty. But channel catfish, especially big ones, are gnarly looking monsters that are hard to make photogenic. I appreciate their form and function though, and hold the opinion that every living thing holds beauty. The little ones, now some of those are indeed pretty. They have almost a light glitter to their flanks, more like a silver or gold iridescence, and lovely little black spots. Despite all their lack of visual glamour, its still the biggest one that I really want. Garth, John and I have devoted a lot of hours to the species this summer. It's high time for a giant to show. We're after a record. 

The bite proved consistent as the day gradually brightened. I picked off channel catfish from one to eight pounds and a couple smaller carp at a steady rate. By the time the sun hit the tree tops way up above the bank I was fishing, I'd netted more than a dozen fish. 

It was around that time that the Helios registered a faint bite and I swung into shear mass and authority. The fish ran perpendicular and down current, making the line vibrate in the water as it went. I knew it was a carp, and though it would be quite a while before I saw it I knew it was large. It had been a while since a carp had got me into my backing, even on light tippet and rods. This one did so and then some, in the process pulling my makeshift anchor out of the mud and giving me what I'll call a Connecticut River Sleigh Ride. It was 50 yards before I actually saw the fish. and 50 more longer, shakier, heart pounding yards before I sunk it in the net. She was a huge fish, just short of the second stripping guide on the rod and substantially over 30 pounds. I can hoist 20's with two hands not problem but this fish needed to rest on my knee for the photo to work.

Some feeding windows are set up to be exceptional, and the fishy angler knows it. There's a feeling, a smell, something like that. Things aren't going wrong. There is an efficiency and a lack of anxiety to the world. Sure, spectacular things happen when its chaos too. Frequently. But there's something special to a relaxed slam fest culminating in a monster fish. It's more affirming than the rushed, panicked fishing. That's how carp fishing has become for me. I've got a founded confidence after a decade of aggressive and targeted fishing for the species in a huge variety of fisheries from North Carolina to Massachusetts. I'd like to think I'm fairly alright at it. Sure, I get some light jitters to this day when I'm casting at a huge one, and there will always be more learning to do an mysteries to solve. But I set out that morning certain I'd catch carp on the fly, and five years ago that never would have happened. I didn't know I'd catch a huge one- perhaps the biggest of the year -but I was completely certain that I'd catch. That's meaningful for me. That defines progress as an angler. The idea after a short spell of having that confidence is to intentionally throw a little monkey wrench in- change something in a way I'm not sure will work, but might and could even further improve my productivity. 

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, and Sammy 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.

Dredging For Catfish & Carp on the Fly

 Most fly fishing for carp and catfish is done by sight. These species don't have the prey drive that other fish species do, so getting them to move a distance is usually a hard ask. That's often what necessitates sight fishing. If you can see the fish, or at least see where a fish is, you can put your fly on its dinner plate. There are, however, scenarios that both allow and necessitate blind casting. Narrow river channels often offer opportunities to dredge bottom and pick up large fish completely blind. This is something I like to do both on my own and with clients when conditions aren't good for spotting fish, as it can often produce some larger carp and catfish than sight fishing does. 

Fairly recent'y I took advantage of some decent post frontal conditions to get on the blind bite. The strategy was to post up on channel edges, anchoring the canoe in place with the push-pole, and slowly pull heavy flies through the channel itself. I fished a short two piece leader, 20lb-15lb, and Drew Price's Mr. Bow-regard on a clear intermediate, 8wt. The retrieve was just as slow craw. Takes weren't necessarily frequent, but if we'd been sight fishing that day we'd have been SOL. The fish just weren't shallow, though they were feeding.

 These were typical conditions to get carp and cats feeding in the channels, low-ish light, high pressure, and stained water. That first fish was a brutish near-20 pounder that took the fly quite subtly just off the bottom then but up an impressive fight.The next one hit pretty hard and began to fight very much like a cat. Instead, it was just quite a small carp. 

Effective flies for this strategy are generally 1.5-3" long, dull in color, and heavy. I fish buggers, slump busters, the Mr. Bow-regard, and a few of my own patterns to good effect. Patience is key, as you need two thing to meet in close proximity without too much control over where the fish actually are in relation to your fly. All you can do is get your fly near bottom and fish it slow until it finds a fish. It's easier to explain and demonstrate the principles and intricacies of this tactic as well as where it is best employed on the water, from my canoe. These are fisheries and strategies I don't really see anyone else utilizing with fly gear, or artificials at all for that matter. And yet they're incredibly productive and fun. 

After those two carp, I was really hoping to get a good channel to eat the fly. I slid the canoe quietly back up to the top of a deep cut and anchored again. Maybe 10 minutes later I got a light grab and set into a powerful fish. This time I was much more sure it was a channel cat, though the previous small carp still made me second guess it. Sure enough it was a cat, and one of the better ones I've caught this year. With only two exceptions, every time I've set out, either just myself, with a friend, or with clients to get a channel cat on an artificial or fly we've put one in the boat. I don't think there's a single other guide in southern New England that could offer such a consistent and reliable opportunity at catfish on fly, and they're often pretty big. I just need to find the sort of weird client that is actually into that sort of thing. 

Interestingly, though I can just about guarantee catching both carp and catfish virtually every trip, the catfish fishing quality varies year to year. Last year, likely due to the numerous high water events, the channel catfish were going crazy. There were days I caught more than 20, all on fly. This years severe drought hasn't seemed amenable to them. I think most have remained in the deep shelter of the larger river instead of wandering into the tributaries en-masse to feed. 

It's very interesting seeing large yearly pattern shifts of this nature. Sometimes it very literally drives fish abundance. Though that can result in inconsistency and years that just aren't going to fish as well no matter what you do, that's a big part of the intrigue. There's always more to learn. 

Thank you to my Patrons; Erin, David, John, Elizabeth, Brandon, Christopher, Shawn, Mike, Sara, Leo, Franky, Geof, Luke, Noah, Justin, Sean, Tom, Mark, Jake, and Chris 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.

Hex Hatch & Other Updates

 There's currently an exceptional hex hatch happening in the evening on one of the rivers I guide. It's an exceptional opportunity to get large warm-water fish on dries, an opportunity most CT fly anglers never experience, and I've got the right vessel and gear for it. The window is short, I expect little more than the next 4 nights. If you'd like to try this, it's a short two hour trip that I'd run at a discount, so reach out soon if you've got a free evening and want to try something extremely unique! If the hatch doesn't happen there's generally still very good fishing. Channel catfish, huge carp, mega white perch, and large bass are all eating the hex. This isn't something you'll get from any other guide in CT. 

In other news, Noah and I have started doing weekly report for The Fisherman, specifically about the more odd and off-the wall bites that are happening. Subscribe on Youtube to catch our take on what's happening each week. 

Last but not least, on Thursday, August 11th I'll be doing a talk at the Middle Haddam Public Library at 7:00pm, entitled CT's World Class Carp & How to Catch Them on The Fly. It'll cover the history of carp in CT, how I go about targeting them on the fly, and their impacts on the CT River ecosystem. I hope to see you all there! 

Thank you to my Patrons; Erin, David, John, Elizabeth, Brandon, Christopher, Shawn, Mike, Sara, Leo, Franky, Geof, Luke, Noah, Justin, Sean, Tom, Mark, and Jake 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.

Mid June Update

Man, this season is just rushing by. I had a good spring with clients. It mostly trout trips which are nice and easy, but I'd have liked a bunch more carp, bass, and bowfin trips as those are, frankly, much more engaging. I got one client out for the magical flood plain carp fishery. The window for that generally lasts just a couple weeks but man is it ever glorious. My client Jim got two carp to hand as well as a nice largemouth and had a shot at a pair of bowfin too. Of course, once the water dropped out the fishing didn't actually get any worse, just different. The Connecticut River and its backwater truly are a world class fishery. We've got some of the largest wild carp in the world right here. It's a shame they do a lot of damage, but they aren't going anywhere so we may as well have some fun and pull on them. There isn't another guide in CT who is as well equipped to get you on giant carp on the fly, so if its a game you'd like to learn you ought to book a trip. I can promise you shots, and probably shots at extremely big carp. Record chasers, take note. 

The trout trips all went well, some so well my clients immediately booked second trips. The dry fly action was minimal most of the days I had trips, but nymphing and streamers produced an excess of  fish. Jim and Trein had two very memorable days, first each hooking large holdover salmon and catching loads of rainbows, then putting the hammer down on copious amounts of trout and big fallfish.

A week ago I took a step forward that will take both me and my clients to new places. I've followed guide and angler Drew Price of Vermont for years, he's had a large influence on my interest in non-traditional targets like bowfin, gar, and freshwater drum. For the better part of a decade I've admired from afar the rig he guided from an fished, a sweet 14' Indian River canoe that he rigged up to suit his needs. When I started thinking of getting a small boat to guide motor-less in CT River backwaters, coastal flats, and marshes, and with a motor on CT's many "non-navigable" lakes, ponds, and swamps, I reached out to Drew for advise. We became fast friends, and when he bought Chris Willen's Towee Skiff and wasn't sure he wanted to keep the canoe I said I'd take it. So it was that I was driving up to Vermont last week to get myself a boat. 

With the "Champlain Stealth II" now under my possession and command, I'm ready to open the can of worms that is the Central CT multi-species fishery wide open. There are so many species and options here that are so far have remained untapped by fly anglers. I've got the experience and know how, and now I've got the boat. Monster bowfin, 35 pound carp, giant channel catfish, monster bass and pike... it's time to take my guide business up a notch. 

The first fish on the canoe under my ownership was caught by my mother, her first fish on the fly believe it or not. The second was a good channel catfish caught by me. A good sign of things to come, I'd say!

Until I've got here fully registered (expect by the end of the month) I'll run just man-powered trios on the CT River backwaters for carp, bowfin, catfish, and top water bass. It's been good lately, I've been catching all four, often in the same trip. Once it's registered I'll start running trips on the bass , walleye, and carp lakes where I cut my teeth: Pocotopaug, Moodus Reservoir, Gardner Lake, and others. 

It's going to be an exciting new chapter! I hope to see a lot of new faces and put you on some incredible fish very soon! 

 Thank you to my Patrons; Erin, David, John, Elizabeth, Brandon, Christopher, Shawn, Mike, Sara, Leo, C, Franky, Geof, Luke, Noah, Justin, Sean, Tom, Mark, and Jake 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.

Hammering Channel Catfish on the Fly (And a Few Quality Carp)

 Channel catfish are a species I've caught only sporadically over the years. My first on the fly was tiny, under a bridge just down the street from my house. It was less impressive than bullheads I've caught in the same stream, and a fairly underwhelming lifer- though I wasn't life-listing at the time yet, really. The next channel catfish I caught on the long rod was far more impressive, but also very close to home. I was kayak fishing my local lake. It was late in the day, and I was meandering back towards where the kayak was being stowed at that time, trolling for perch as I went. I'd just caught a white perch and cast back out, but fiddled around a bit before starting to paddle again. When I did and I came tight, I really came tight. There was a serious fish on, what I thought was probably a pretty typical carp. It ended up being a roughly ten pound channel catfish. 

Since then I've caught the species sporadically, both by accident and intentionally. The closest I came to really successfully targeting channel catfish was a night trip last summer that produced just one quite nice fish. This year it has been something I was especially interested in, as I've drifted away from crowded trout streams and away from schoolie striper fishing as much as I once did. I've fished for white suckers more than ever, had loads of time and success on common carp, and I've been thinking about catfish. I'd seen some in an area I'd targeted them before and I had a handful of casts at some unwilling ones, but I wasn't finding what I wanted. Then, on a before work trip a week ago, I hit the mother load. Fishing for catfish was what I hoped for that morning, but what I expected was some smallmouth and maybe bowfin or pike. I was rolling in the kayak, spending most of my time standing and spotting fish. I flubbed a decent shot at a group of carp in a very unexpected spot, a place I'd never seen any before, then spooked more as I poled my way around. I saw no bowfin and no pike, but eventually I did see rather a lot of channel catfish. They were lining the bottom of a very deep hole with a few commons mixed in. I disturbed everything there a little bit, so I backed off and gave it a moment. I came back with a Polar Bugger tied on and low expectations. The fact that my first cast- completely blind, mind you -produced a very high quality common carp was encouraging.

Given how much more opportunistic catfish tend to be, I figured I was pretty much assured to pull some out of that water if even the carp were willing to suck up that big Bugger. A short time later that proved true, though the fish I got wasn't especially impressive.

I then got a second nice common before the flood gates opened, and the catfish bite of my dreams materialized. I needed but one fly and my trusty TFO 5wt, and nothing more. The presentation was a simple slow crawl. The takes were obvious, the hook set a simple strip and lift, and most of the time the fly was in the very corner of each fish's mouth. They weren't huge catfish, but over the next two hours I caught a whopping 26 and a few were in fact pretty good sized individuals. 

Frankly it seemed nuts, and I began to wonder if I'd just been missing this bite in this spot ever season or if this was atypical. There are always catfish in the general area throughout the summer, I see them and occasionally catch them, but this was clearly different. 

Anyone that has caught enough channel catfish knows they pull pretty hard. They tire out before a carp would, but I do think the dig harder and they do sometimes go for pretty good runs. By fish 15 my arm was already pretty tired, but I could see fish rolling the next hole down and I just couldn't stand to leave, not yet. 

I was already very tired out when far and away the largest of the day at my fly. When I set the hook it put an awful bend in the 5 wt, and for a spell I just couldn't peel this one off bottom. When I got it up I proclaimed "hooaaah yeah, that's the one I've been looking for" in the gravelly tone of a fisherman that fully expected what he'd hooked but was still impressed... perhaps as much with himself as the fish. Some days I feel like a pretty damn good angler and this was one of those days. Other days I just flat out suck. There's fortunately enough of the latter to keep me from being an absolute ego-maniac, but in this moment I was pretty chuffed with what I'd just managed to make happen.

There's really one simple thing that makes catching catfish on the fly possible, and one thing only... being able to get flies in front of catfish. They aren't picky, but they also usually won't move to a fly as far as a bass would. There needs to be a lot of them around to have a good chance at consistently putting flies in front of them, and I'd finally found a whole lot of them in a confined and easily fished location. It was a pretty spectacular discover, and one I intend to turn into a pattern. It would be really nice to be able to have bites like this with relative consistency. It'll certainly be logged, and I'll be back there when time allows to see if they've stuck around. 

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.

Brood X: Fly Fishing the Magic Cicadas

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. I truly would not be able to keep this going without you wonderful folks!

 Our story begins in the cold, damp, soil of a forest in the Mid Atlantic. In this soil stirs an alien creature with big eyes, monstrous looking legs, and a thick abdomen. He has been in this dirt for most of his life, but that is about to end. Something draws this little alien creature upward, right to the surface, where he then climbs up the nearest tree trunk. He then leaves his subterranean shell in favor of a perhaps even more alien, winged form. This little black, orange, and red bug then flies up into the tree canopy and begins to... scream. He screams as loud as he can. In time he is joined by thousands, then millions of his own brethren, creating a deafening chorus. 

These little creatures are periodical cicadas (also known as magic cicadas), and they do this every 17 years. They are not all the same species. Three different cicada species make up Brood X, which emerged to breed, lay eggs, and then die this spring throughout large parts of the Mid Atlantic and Midwest. The event is a special one that would be interesting even if the bugs didn't end up creating some very unique fishing. Towards the end of the show I made my way south, seeking the cicadas and everything else occurring in the wake of their chaotic emergence. I'd been fascinated by periodical cicadas long before I'd ever picked up a fly rod, and this was to be a very exciting trip for one totally obsessed nature nerd.

I made it a substantial distance into Maryland before I encountered the first periodical cicadas. Near the town of Thurmont I began to see cicadas flying around. I stopped and found a bunch of dead ones in a parking lot. It was a cold morning, a lot chillier than the cicadas seemed to prefer, so I wasn't yet hearing their trademark singing.

I wandered around for a while before I found both a huge number of cicadas and fish actively feeding on them. I was on a river I'd fished years ago but a part of it I hadn't visited back then. There was a substantial clay bank with overhanging trees creating shade at a bend. The current was lazy and the surface slick. Fish were sporadically rising to cicadas drifting down the river. 

Some of the bugs struggled, flailing on the surface and buzzing in an agonizing sort of way. Some just succumbed and floated unmoving. Not every cicada was eaten by a fish, but there wasn't much pattern to the feeding. Sometimes a flailing bug was the target, sometimes a still one. At times cicadas floated through unmolested for five minutes, maybe more. At other points not a single one made it past the catfish and bass that were in there. 

Catching these fish wasn't as easy as I would have liked. Precise drifts and long casts in tight quarters were necessary. Hooking the catfish also took some experience I didn't yet have- how often can you find channel cats free-rising for insects to practice on? It certainly isn't their most common feeding behavior. I missed many, but caught plenty as well. Catfish on dry flies... this was exactly the sort of thing I'd made the drive for. 

The smallmouth present in the spot weren't quite as gung-ho about the cicadas as the catfish, which may have been because the were smaller and were already about to pop; they were so full of bugs they all looked like little footballs. 

After seemingly depleting that source of active fish, I decided to explore a small tributary nearby to see if it might harbor some species I'd not yet caught. Just up from the mouth was a chub mound occupied by a pair of average sized river chubs, a species I'd first caught last summer in western Pennsylvania. I didn't have real micro fishing gear with me, so wasn't equipped to catch the dace and darters that were around the mound. 

I continued upstream hoping to encounter some mounds with other species, or perhaps fish schooled in a deep pool. I found both. In fact, a lot of fish were on mounds in this little creek. Most were river chubs, with a few super colorful common shiners mixed in. I was having a hard time catching anything but did eventually get a fairly run-of-the-mill small river chub. Since that isn't a species we have in Connecticut, it was cool to catch one again. 

All the while, the cicadas were screaming in the tree canopy. It was loud and constant, and would soon follow me even when there were no cicadas singing around me. 

I eventually found another chub mound loaded with fish and began working it. I caught a small river chub, then the largest and most unusual looking fish in the school took my nymph. A gnarly looking male of whose identity I wasn't sure of at the time came to hand. I now know it was a Central stoneroller, a quite trick species to catch on hook and line let alone on the fly, and a new species for me. My 180th life list fish was a totally unexpected one!

Lifelist fish #180, Central stoneroller, Campostoma anomalum. Rank: Species

With a satisfying and surprise lifer out of the way, I continued on my quest for fish chowing on periodical cicadas. Now I was looking for carp. It would prove to be a very rewarding challenge. 

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.