Forgive the brevity, but I’m up against it today. First: thank you EJTU for hosting me on Wednesday night. I presented Wet Flies 2.0, the turnout was excellent, and we had an engaging post-talk Q&A.
Gadzooks! Fishing twice in one week? It’s true. On Tuesday night I braved a snotty surf and 10mph wind with surfcaster extraordinaire Toby Lapinski. We fished a top secret rocky reef, and although the conditions seemed perfect for fall bassin’, we managed just one touch before we decided that it wasn’t happening. Yesterday, I headed to points far away to fish a thin blue line with #2 Son Cam. The water was painfully low, and leaves were a constant issue. The action was slow, but we had fun fooling wild brook trout on dry flies and deep jigs.
Finally, please take a minute out of your busy day to sign the ASGA letter to the ASMFC. Striped bass desperately need us to take action now. The following graphic on the Juvenile Abundance Index tells a dire story:
I played in a charity golf event today — “played” meaning “participated” — not my finest hours, although I did sink a very nice 21-foot putt for our team. Tomorrow’s a writing day, and — drum roll — maybe a night sortie to the salt.
Wednesday, October 9, I’ll be celebrating John Lennon’s birthday with an appearance at the East Jersey TU chapter in Rochelle Park, NJ. The meeting starts at 7:30, and I’ll be presenting “Wet Flies 2.0.” If you’re there, please say hello. I might even get out for some wild brookies on Thursday.
A quick thank you to the Bucks County TU group for hosting me last week. for understanding that a fed presenter is a happy presenter, they were awarded the Legion of the Cheeseburger with NE-style IPA Clusters. A great group, and we had an excellent Q&A session. Thank you again!
I hope you’ve been able to get out and do some fishing. We got poured on this morning in Durham, good enough to green up the lawns, but it had no substantial effect on our streams. The Farmington River remains low and clear at about 120cfs in the PTMA. Caddis is the main course right now, and we do have the blessing of cooler days and nights.
The spawn will be here soon, although this guy won’t be partaking — at least not in the Farmington River. As you read this, he’s back at the hatchery, swimming in a tank, ready to do his part to help make the next generation of Survivor Strain browns.
I just finished the chapter in the Farmington River book on caddisflies, and right now is one of those times when it doesn’t seem like much is hatching — and then, there are the caddis, ready to save the day. The truly are an underrated bug, and one of my favorite hatches to fish on the Farmington.
Greetings, fellow currentseamsers. I wish I could tell you that I’ve been out fishing, but alas, no. I’m nearing the home stretch for the first deadline for the Farmington River book, and that’s been my focus. I was visiting #2 son in Ohio over the weekend, took the train, and was able to bang out thousands of words. (I love writing on the train.) I’m really liking what I’ve written so far, and I think you will, too. I appreciate your loyalty and I’m looking forward to not only finishing the book, but getting back a normal posting schedule on currentseams.
On Thursday, October 3 (tomorrow) I’ll be speaking at the Bucks County (PA) Chapter of TU. If you’re in the Philadelphia area, come join the party. The topic is “The Little Things 2.0.”
Next week, October 9, I’ll be celebrating John Lennon’s birthday with an appearance at the East Jersey TU chapter in Rochelle Park, NJ. The meeting starts at 7:30, and I’ll be presenting “Wet Flies 2.0.” If you’re there, please say hello.
The Farmington River continues to run at a very low level. We need rain! The good news is that the water is plenty cold. Lower light will be your best time to fish.
Love me some fall wild brookies. I crossed paths with this handsome char just about one year ago. Those fins! Those haloed spots! Those parr marks! Yeah, I’m a big fan.
Finally, it’s fall, which is a great time to be fishing wild brook trout streams. If you’re going to partake, please read this quick article from the archives, Three Small Stream/Wild Trout Best Practices.
Shorter days, longer nights, cooler weather…I’m definitely in the mood, baby! We do need some rain, but as you read this, Great Lakes Steelhead are staging at the mouths of rivers and creeks. I think this thought train all started when I saw that Jeff Blood was going to be one of the tyers at the International Fly Tying Symposium (you’re going right?) on November 16-17. Jeff’s Blood Dot Egg has been my new favorite egg pattern since steelhead guide extraordinaire Bob Packey introduced me to it three years ago. It works on both Erie and Ontario steelhead (not to mention trout in CT). I’ll stand by the title of the article linked here: The best egg pattern for steelhead might be Jeff Blood’s Blood Dot.
Give that man (Jeff Blood) a ceegar! This is a Salmon River fish from last November taken on Jeff’s fly.
Once again, I’ll be appearing at the International Fly Tying Symposium this November 16-17, 2024, at the Hilton Doubletree in Somerset, NJ. This is great opportunity to mingle, mix, and see some of the best fly tiers on planet earth: Thomas Baltz. Jeff Blood. Bob Clouser. Tim Cammisa. Tim Flagler. And that’s just one partial alphabetical column. Oh! There’s also a well-stocked marketplace that always has common and hard-to-find items. There are classes, seminars, and featured tying demos. The last two are free with your admission, and I’ll be one of the featured tiers on Sunday at 11:45, which will get you home in time for football. The demo is “Matching the Hatch with Wet Flies.” I hope to see you there!
Many thanks to the men and women of the Hammonasset Chapter TU for being such gracious hosts. They’re a passionate group of fly fishers, and we had fun before, during, and after the presentation. This group understands that a fed presenter is a happy presenter, and a very hoppy IPA was an added bonus. We talked about Fly Fishing CT’s Small Streams, and right about now is prime time for thin blue lines. We could use some rain, though.
On Tuesday night I fished a top secret location in LIS with surfcaster extraordinaire Toby Lapinski. We thought we might be in for a treat when Toby connected on one of his first casts with a metal lip plug — decent fish, 15 pounds — but sadly, ’twas not to be. Toby had three more hits, converting one, and I had a nice swipe from a decent fish, but no tug or pull. It was a gorgeous night for fishing, with a favorable wind, but there was precious little bait and no schools of fish.
So it goes…
I’d eat this…this is Ken’s Sure Thing, a three-feather flatwing about 8-9″, a fine choice to swing over a reef in the fading moonlight on a crisp fall night.
I’m kicking off my 2024 fall/winter speaking season Thursday night, September 12, 7pm, at the HCTU meeting in Meriden. The topic will be Fly Fishing CT’s Small Streams, a subject that I’m really passionate about. We’ll talk when, where, how, tackle, flies, tactics, conservation, and more. The meeting is open to the public, so I hope to see you there!
Fishing small streams returns you to the very soul of fly fishing.
I’m way late on the draw here, but there’s still a lot of September left. Ken Abrames’ September Night is by far my favorite finger mullet fly, and you can tie it longer as the mullet get bigger and fatter. I have received confirmed, reliable reports that at least one RI salt pond is loaded with mullet, and that school bass have been harassing (if not enjoying) them. Here’s a good link with tying instruction from yours truly so you too can tie the September Night.
If you think this fly looks good on the vise, wait until you add some water and current. I also tie a variation with a ginger marabou collar. The stripers approve.
The DEEP electroshocking crews will be on the Farmington River Weds through Friday. The river has already come down into the double digits cfs. Not to worry! This isn’t the MDC playing games with our fishery. Crews will be sampling within the PTMA. If you see them, please give them a wide berth, as they are collecting broodstock for trout you will catch in the future. I’ll be on the river Thursday taking photos for the book. Now back to our regular programming.
This can be a tough time of year to fish. A lot of what is hatching is small. Usually flows are low (not the case in either river) and warmer (ditto). Over three days, I saw very little bug activity, and the feed bag was never on. Still, there were some bright spots in all the dreariness.
Monday, August 26: Housy (Slower). I fished with fly tier extraordinaire and fellow smallmouth bum Lou Di Gena from 3pm to 8pm. It was not good. I managed to hook four smallies in five hours of fishing. I should be hooking four smallies on consecutive casts. Bug activity was minimal (small caddis) and there were no fish in some incredibly sexy new water we fished. We ended up in a pool where I once landed 50 smallmouth in an evening. Painfully slow that night. Of course, it’s hard to be bitter when you land your biggest bass of the summer…even if it was in the first 10 minutes of fishing.
This slob went 17″ and somewhere between 2 1/2-3 pounds. Taken under an indicator with Lou DiGena’s CE Crayfish, a small (2″) weighted pattern. A real forearm burner!(Photo by Lou DiGena)
Wednesday, August 28: Farmington (Slowest). This was a photo shoot day with fellow Farmington River guide Antoine Bissieux. He fished from 3pm-7pm with dry flies — I joined in for the last hour with wets — and it was disaster slow. We fished a mark below Riverton, and hatch activity was slim to none. I don’t think I counted even a half dozen rises in three hours. Antoine blanked (to give you an idea of how pathetic the action was, it was his first skunk of the year) and I managed only four bumps and one fish to net. The bumps were half-hearted, and the one I did land was arguably the worst hit I’ve had all year on a wet fly. (Insert heavy sigh here.)
Take your time, Antoine. You’re not missing anything.
Thursday, August 29: Farmington (Slow). I gave a wet fly lesson to Corey and his son Matt from 3pm-7pm. We started off in the bottom end of the PTMA, but that was not a happening place, so we headed north. Another mark, although quite fishy, was disappointing. Both Matt and Corey had some bumps, but no real hookups. Farther north was the call, and I’ve never seen the area below the dam so crowded. My best guess on the crowds is that anglers thought there might be pre-Labor Day stocking? (There wasn’t.) But we found a very nice section to call our own, and had at it. Ding-ding-ding! It was the winner bell and the dinner bell. Both Matt and Corey brought fish to net, and it was gratifying to see their hard work pay off. Well done, gentlemen!
They’re not big, but wild brookies on the Farmington are always a treat.
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