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. 

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

Fly Fishing for Quillbacks in Ohio

 My now-partner-then-friend Emily dropped me off next to an unfamiliar river in an unfamiliar town in the middle of Ohio. Unfamiliar to me, that is. Emily had grown up around there, but I'd actually never fished in Ohio before this trip. Now I had about an hour to figure out a short stretch of river full of unknown-to-me species, and there is nothing more exciting to me that literally just that- getting dumped next to a random river full of fish species I'd never caught with a fly rod in hand. A low-head dam below a bridge immediately called to me... these sorts of things are a fish magnets by default, being that they are choke points at best an migration barriers at worst. I had an Ausable Ugly on... what else... and went about tight-lining the spill over. The first fish was a smallmouth bass. Leave it to the aggressive and ever-present Micropterus to beat all else to the fly in such a situation. Unlike home, though, smallmouth were native to this place. These creeks and drainages in Ohio had been teaming with smallmouth for ages before they were dumped in Connecticut. I do love a native fish. 

A couple more smallmouth later I decided to move down into the slower water and look for some suckers. Though they'll often sidle right up to the base of a dam in the faster water in the spring, many of the sucker species will settle back into the deep, slow pools for the summer and fall. That's exactly what I found. In a lovely deep hole bellow a bridge were various redhorse, quillback, and some white suckers. The quillback immediately became my primary target. Quillback carpsuckers (Carpiodes cyprinus) are so named for their similarity in appearance with carp. They aren't carp, but unfortunately the unearned poor reputation carp have long held in this country also carries over to species like carpsuckers and buffalo. Given my exceptional reverence for these species it seriously hurts to see photos of them dead on the bank with holes in them... I won't apologize, bow fishing is a scourge and the bad characters in that community FAR out-weigh the good ones. Every time I see a "carp" being foisted on a spear that is actually a native sucker, quillback or buffalo it gives me both mental and physical discomfort. But these ones were safe, save for a little prick in the lip. At least that was my hope. Quilbacks are notoriously fickle and even more so on an artificial fly. I know a small number of people that have caught them and there are no defined tactics. Unlike bass or trout you can't pick up dozens upon dozens of books, watch hundreds of videos or find magazine articles galore about how to convince a carpsucker to eat a fly... this was something I'd have to find out on my own with whatever time I had left to fish this spot that day. I do love a challenge. 

I stood pretty much on the same rock for the rest of my time there, studying the behavior of the quillback. They were fairly active foragers, moving around and feeding methodically. I noticed that the focused most of their effort is spots that had a little bit of vegetation or small collections of detritus. They sifted through this stuff, presumably looking for tiny insect larvae and nymphs, their small mouths working much the same way a sucker's or carp's does. I estimated that I'd need quite a small fly to dupe one of them, and tied a size 20 Pheasant Tail onto 6x tipped, with two shot just above it. For a while I tried to present to specific fish, and this didn't work at all. Either they ignored the presentation or I lined them and they spooked. Eventually I got smart and realized that they were so methodical with their feeding pattern that if I dropped the nymph stationary on an algae covered rock or in a pile of detritus, one would eventually make its way to the fly. They weren't feeding in the drift anyway, but on stationary things. So I found a suitable spot near where two were feeding and settled my nymph in a clump of moss green algae and waited. It was probably only three minute before a quillback started rooting around in that clump of algae. I payed close attention to my shot- I couldn't see my fly but I could see the weights -and hoped that if the fish picked up my fly they might move. 

My anxiety was high as I watched the fish feed and my shot sit stationary on the bottom. This was one of my most coveted North American fishes; I really, really wanted to catch one of these. My shot never moved though and that individual moved on. I stood there for another five minutes trying not to move my rod too much and dislodge my fly before another moved in. This one seemed to notice the fly and move directly to it. The shot twitched on the bottom and I struck. In retrospect, I hit that fish way too hard. The anticipation had been killing me. The was a bright flash of a brassy color and a momentary sensation of tension, then the fish hurried off and my fly and shot landed in the water behind me with a plop. I slumped my shoulders and groaned. I didn't know if I'd get a better shot than that. 

For a while the quillbacks went quiet. They clearly didn't appreciate that disruption. So I decided to present to some redhorse. These fish were in slack water and up in the column. Bad targets, really, I can't recall ever getting suckers that were resting high in the column to eat. But I'll be darned if the first one I sunk a Walt's Worm past didn't immediately move to it and take! As interested in the quillback as I'd been, I'm an absolute redhorse freak. I adore this diverse genus and the crazy challenge of catching them on flies. 

Lifelist fish #199, Moxostoma erythrurum, golden redhorse. 

Though my time at this spot was about to wind down and I'd failed to catch a quillback, just getting to stand in the midst of an unfamiliar community of fishes and catch a new species was full filling enough. Even better, I had come up with a methodology for targeting quillback with the fly that should be sound and, if I ever encounter them feeding in the same manner again, should produce one. I will target them again, that much is a guarantee. 

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.

Impromptu Redhorse Hunt

 I was in Vermont for my younger brother's graduation, and only for a couple days. Fishing time was limited. My partner, Haley, was also with me. Options weren't as broad as they might otherwise be. Contingencies aside, when I'm somewhere I don't always get to be I'm going to fish at least a little. With finite time and a limited number of options within hitting distance, my friend Drew Price pulled through for me with a close to sure bet for shorthead redhorse. Having only caught one lone smallmouth redhorse in western Pennsylvania and being interested in the rest of the Moxostoma genus, this seemed as good an option as any. So I dragged my very tolerant girlfriend with me to a Lake Champlain tributary to look for a new species. 

Redhorse are a diverse genus of North American suckers that includes more than 20 distinct species. Moxostoma are spread across over a substantial chunk of the Eastern half of the continent. Like their other sucker relatives they are often underappreciated, poorly treated, and frequently badly managed by state fisheries agencies. As in all cases, I just don't get that- they're cool as hell. redhorse are native, they fight hard, live in beautiful rivers and creeks, are often hard to fool, and look darned cool. They don't taste half bad either. What isn't to love? Any time redhorse are an option I perk up. I adore targeting them on the fly and don't get to at all often enough. My confidence in success bordered on certainty given Drew's report and we jetted out the door the moment it looked like we might have time. The drive south to the tributary he suggested was about 45 minutes and we only had a few hours to work with so time was of the essence. 

The stream was a lightly-stained freestone over dark grey calcareous shale and blueish limestone from the Ordovician period. Where the stream cut to the bedrock, the step-like fractures allowed sand and gravel from different bedrock layers upstream to collect, and along with algae growth made the riverbed became a rainbow of pastel coloration. Some stretches meandered and featured deep pools with some mud bottom. I was keeping my eyes sharply peeled for any red tails waving in the riffles. The first fish I saw were big smallmouth bass on beds. I half heartedly presented a small Ausable Ugly to the first large one I saw and she ate. The fight was pretty intense as the fish tried to lodge under every large rock in the run. 

I continued upstream a little ways, catching a few more bass and a very large white sucker. It was nice to get a native species but I was getting a little worried that the redhorse had managed to make their way out of the system already since I wasn't seeing them. A text from Drew changed the trip... I'd gone the wrong way!

Counter to my instinct to walk upstream, we turned tail and headed down. It didn't take long to encounter a couple of pools absolutely packed full of redhorse. They stood out quite well in both the pools and the riffles, though I found the fish in the shallow fast water entirely too finicky. The pools were more comfortable territory though- I already know how to catch suckers holding in pools, that's pretty much my typical white sucker fishing scenario back at home. I rigged up with an indicator and left on the Ausable Ugly. The redhorse weren't exactly obliging, but after some time I did convince one to eat: another new species thanks to Drew. He's been responsible for two so far this year. 

Lifelist fish #190: Shorthead redhorse, Moxostoma macrolepidotum. Rank: Species

After bringing the lifelist up to 190, I relaxed a bit and went about enjoying the action. I caught three more shortheads; one with a couple hangers on in the form of sea lamprey. Unlike the ocean, where lamprey parasitize large fish that are capable of handling the the blood loss, in landlocked environments they can be a big problem to native species. I removed both lamprey from this redhorse accordingly. 

Presumably, as anadromous lamprey sometimes do, these guys had latched on to catch a ride up to spawning territory. If so it is remarkable how small they are to be of reproductive age. Of course the landlocked lamprey don't get anywhere near as big as their oceanic counterparts, which attain sizes in excess of 30 inches. 

After getting my fill of Moxostoma glory, we hustled back to get ready for graduation related events. Vermont has one other redhorse species to offer though, the greater redhorse. Perhaps next year I'll get to target them up there. Or, better yet, I get out to Pennsylvania again before then to target Moxostoma and a variety of other species again in the waters near where I was born. It's been a while since I had a dedicated lifelisting trip.

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

CT DEEP's Draft Bass Action Plan

 Yesterday morning I opened up an email from CT DEEP with the subject line "Announcing CT's Draft Bass Action Plan", and thought to myself, "Oh boy, here we go".

For context, largemouth and smallmouth bass are introduced species in CT, often fitting the descriptor invasive by colonizing previously uninhabited waters, disrupting native species, and generally proliferating to a high degree. Both species, though largemouth in particular, are doing plenty well in most CT waters. I personally very much enjoy fishing for both introduced black bass species but also recognize the damage they do, and in many cases I legally remove them from waters where they present a threat to sensitive natives like brook trout, slimy sculpin, bridle shiners, or banded sunfish, as well as non-fish endangered species. Black bass are also arguably the most popular game fish in the United States and are subsequently a notable economic driver and resource. Unfortunately, this puts them in line for management change ahead of native species that are often more or equally as impacted. 

In the introduction of the draft action plan, authored by Ed Machowski, Andrew Bade, Mike Beauchene, and Chris McDowell, a blatant falsehood is mixed into accurate statements: "The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), Fisheries Division recognizes that black bass (Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass) are a tremendous natural resource that provides outstanding ecological, social and economic benefit to the state of Connecticut"(Connecticut's Bass Action Plan, 3)

Black bass are neither a natural resource nor something that provides an ecological benefit. Their presence in CT is entirely unnatural, and certainly an ecological net-negative as they disrupt the natural balance of the ecosystems they're added to. So any need to manage, restore, or protect bass and bass fisheries in CT shouldn't be leaning on any sense of preserving nature or doing environmental conservation. It is frustrating that this draft plan opens on that note, and for me it sets a tone that is predicated on a lie. The main driver for bass management is economic. Through sales tax, license purchases, and tournaments, bass fishing is a huge economic driver. It is also popular enough that if a lot of anglers don't like their experiences bass fishing in CT, they're going to make their voices heard about it. That's what drives this need to manage bass. Not ecology. The authors should remove such statements from the draft entirely as they are simply inaccurate and paint it in a light of environmental conservation when it is simply not. 

Moving away from that, the rest of the draft is long but concise, data rich, and in many ways well-intentioned. Though it still concerns me that it is clear a lot of resources are going to go to managing two abundant, extremely successful species, there are parts of the plan that I like. In particular, the plan addresses aquatic vegetation management. In CT there are two main methods of lake plant reduction, triploid grass carp and herbicide, and neither one is a good thing. They reduce habitat for a huge array of species, including many natives. Curbing both is an excellent idea and should be moved forward with regardless of its impact on black bass. A second plan I'm strongly in favor of is to work with water management companies to open up reservoirs to public fishing. Well regulated, there is no reason not to allow fishing in drinking water reservoirs. Minor restrictions on tackle and access (protecting important intake and outtake equipment, reducing contamination risk, etc.) are really all that would be necessary. Many reservoirs already permit access to surrounding land for passive recreation anyway, and providing more public fishing access to fisheries is something I'm generally in favor of, particularly strong sustainable fisheries like black bass that are under little to no threat of extirpation or depletion by angler pressure. 

My hope is that CT DEEP will move forward with this plan but remove any language that makes it seem like it provides any ecological benefit, it is absurd to suggest protecting introduced non-native fauna does any such thing. There are some decent ideas within, though it frustrates me that the same resources and effort aren't being put towards many of the states at-risk natives. I'm sure that, regardless of this plan, black bass will remain a very viable and productive fishery in CT for decades to come. They're almost unavoidable.

If you'd like to read and respond to the Bass Action Plan, visit this link: portal.ct.gov. 

I strongly recommend that as many of us as possible respond and demand more funds and attention be pushed towards imperiled native species and less towards stable non-native species. 

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.

Spring Guide Season Update

 Everything is happening all at once at this time of year, really. I've been out here and there after whatever is most appealing to me that day. Today I was out salmon fishing, which has the biggest time limit as, at least in the Shetucket, the salmon seem to get weird right when the stocked trout go in. I had four grabs, one of which resulted in a break-off (don't let those wind knots go unchecked!). All took light colored flies: one a white bugger, the other three a white and black Sunray Shadow.  There's a big rain event coming so it'll likely be just this week and then done. If we're lucky and they hold off the trout stocking, maybe when it drops back down I'll open up a few days to clients. 

Suckers are on the move, and I've been targeting them when time avails. They're exceptionally easy at this time of year, very difficult in others. If you're interested in learning to target these tricky, hard fighting, and often large native fish, perhaps even looking to get a trophy fish pin or even beat a length record, the next three weeks are prime. Another often overlooked native is also exceptionally active right now. This is perhaps the best time of year to target very large chain pickerel, and I'll take clients for them as well. These are short windows for the big, big fish, so if you're looking for one don't wait.

Of course the truck trout are being dumped around the state now, much to my... eh, I'll leave the complaining for another day. You all know how I feel about hatchery trout as a fisheries management strategy and ecological problem anyway (if you don't you certainly will eventually). But they're here so we may as well stick some fur and feathers in their faces. The mouse bite is happening. Some years it starts in February. I'm talking about the daylight mouse bite, not the night bite... but that doesn't mean night fishing isn't going now too. It is, but it's focused on streamers and wet flies. However you're interested in targeting trout, be it at night, in daylight, on dries, on nymphs, on streamers, on mice, on wets... you name it, I'll do my best to put you on them. If I don't feel I'm the guy for what you're looking for I'm sure I know someone that is. 

On that note... Noah is now Captain Noah. He'll be starting to run trips on his new skiff very soon. If slamming perch, crappie, bass, carp, or bowfin on light spinning tackle or cane poles is more your thing, I can put you in touch with him. He and I were out last week after big panfish. He lost a monster yellow perch right at the dock, which was a bummer. Though we got some nice fish we didn't land any of the real monsters, but the numbers were certainly there. 

That leaves the two things that I guide for often that aren't really going that crazy yet: smallmouth bass and carp. We're on the cusp. It will get crazy, and it'll get crazy soon. I've already got guys waiting for smallmouth trips, so don't wait too long. I've gotten most of my really large smallmouth in April and May in recent years. With water temperatures approaching 50 in a lot of places already this promises to be an early season. Carp are moving shallow too, and like smallmouth early is better for the bigs.

Like I said, it all happens at once this time of year. Don't let the season pass you by!

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

Using Crayfish for Trophy Smallmouth

 After a really good day of hammering smallmouth, Noah and I became about as tired of catching them the way we had been as is possible. At a point it was no longer that engaging. It was also slowly becoming less effective. After spending a while just swimming, I started catching crayfish and got an idea. I threaded one on a jig to see just how effective they were at getting finicky fish. I suspected very. Last fall Noah, Jake, and I watched three fisherman using live crayfish catch more smallmouth than we realized were present in a creek we were fishing in Western PA. I wasn't quite sure it would work as well here, as I'd be fishing water we'd just been swimming in moments prior. I was mistaken.

The crayfish worked best threaded on the hook tail first, and drifted along the bottom as slowly as possible. The takes weren't particularly violent, but the fish I caught on live crayfish were all big. One was the largest bass I caught all day.

We didn't even fish much longer, but the proof is in the pudding. I'd never fished for bass with bait much even when I primarily fished spinning gear. Its pretty ironic that I now that I only own fly gear, I'm far more interested in fishing live bluegills or live crayfish than I ever was before.

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. 

Housatonic Smallmouth Bass Beatdown

 Back before all the rain brought the river up to atypical summer levels, Noah and I hit the Housatonic looking for as many smallmouth as we could catch. That is precisely what we encountered. 

The conditions were ideal for both numbers and size. It was hot and humid, and thunderstorms were predicted that afternoon. The water temperature was in the low 70's. The flow was down enough that we could wade just about anywhere we wanted. The fish were appropriately fired up. Actually, it was just downright crazy. It was the best day of smallmouth fishing I'd ever had.

We hooked fish after fish in each hole we plied. Noah fished small jigs with soft plastics, I fished streamers. The most productive fly, far and away, was the Half Pint. I think it does a decent job of looking like, well, food. It looks kind of like a crayfish, a lot like a darter, a bit like a bluntnose minnow, and quite a bit like a yearling smallmouth. Whatever it looks like, smallmouth like it.

The average size was phenomenal. The fish above is typically the average- and sometimes a bit above average -on the 'tonic. On this day small fish, bass under 11", were a notable minority. Fish averaged about 13", with a noteworthy quantity well in excess of that number. 

Noah and I both managed to lose fish in excess of 18" though. That was painful, as many go a long, long time without seeing a true Housatonic 18". 

Noah's 18" ate in a deep, fast run. It performed a single jump then shook off. Mine ate in even faster water. It was an extremely visual eat. The fly had been riding deep in the slow crease beyond a very fast current tongue, and when I could no longer manage slack and the line came tight, it quickly rose towards the surface and began to swing. The fish followed it up and ate it in full view in a quite violent fashion. It was nuts. And of course she somehow managed to shake off well into the fight.

Aside from those two moments of heartbreak it was as good a day of bass fishing as one could hope to have on this water. Truly crazy, nonstop, absolute chaos. 

Eventually Noah actually started to get tired of it. We'd exceeded 45 smallmouth apiece by that point, so it was at least a bit understandable. We tried to shift gears a bit. What followed will be the subject of a different post. 

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