Second Summer

A few weeks back my family and I flew out to California to visit friends and family for two weeks. When we came home Connecticut was experiencing a second summer. In fact it was warmer in Connecticut than it had been when we left Southern California! I took advantage of the second summer weather and headed out to find some trout on a few small blue lines. One was a new area and the other area I had been to a handful of times over the past year.

When I pulled up to the trail-head on Monday the lot was nearly full (well three cars had parked in such a way as to fill up a six car lot) so, I squeezed in between a few trees with my truck and doused myself in tick spray and headed off into the woods in search of some trout.

I'm so grateful for Connecticut!

I checked the water temperature with my new Apple Ultra watch and it came in at 63 degrees. I saw numerous fish but was having zero luck enticing any to chomp my lure until I came across a really nice pool. As I retrieved my lure beside a half submerged log a lovely Brookie ducked out of the cover and slammed my lure. I brought her to hand and quickly released her back into the cool water.

Have I mentioned how much I love Connecticut lately?

It was to be the first and last fish of the day, which was fine by me. It was actually kind of hot in the sun as I had dressed for cooler temperatures. I kept my eyes peeled for mushrooms on the way back but did not really see any - just a pheasant hunter way off in the woods. It was a reminder that we were in the thick of hunting season and that I should probably start wearing my flash orange gear while hiking to and from the river so as not to be mistaken for something somebody wants for the freezer in their garage...

A selfie at the end of a great day (maybe the last for 2022?)

My second day out fishing came a little later in the week. While it was not 77 degrees it was still fairly warm in the 50's. A quick check of the water temperature though with my Apple Ultra watch showed the water to be 48 degrees! My legs went numb quickly as I waded into the water with my Japanese sawanobori gear (read wet wading - waders are for wimps).

A lovely section that had proven to be productive during my last visit...

This river brushed up against several homes but during the spring/summer you could not see the homes. This time though with no foliage I was on full display as I fished up stream. At one point two guys came out on their porch to watch me fish. I prefer more private fishing experiences so I did not stick around too long and kept pressing on upstream.

A choice spot down low on the river on day one..

I was seeing a lot of fish in the river and even had several that chased my lure but no takers. I was starting to think that the river was just too cold to elicit much action until I came to a really nice spot higher up the river than I had ever been before.

Blue sky and sunny

I came around a bend and before me lay one of the best sections of river I have seen in a long time. The bank was littered with boulders creating the most exquisite trout habitat. There was an ancient tree that provided a huge boscage of roots for fish to hide under at the deepest part of the pool. As I stepped closer I spooked a rather large trout in the shallowest tail waters of the pool. I knew my chances were blown, I was not expecting a trout to be in such thin water - but I guess I should have though since the water was so darn cold...

Another nice spot

I was not totally skunked though. A few feet above this amazing pool was another striking run. I cast my lure into the calm pool on the far side of a riffle run and retrieved it through the fast moving water. I had a hit but I missed the set. I tried again and got another hit but I missed the set. This happened a third time and a fourth and a fifth. On the fifth hit I set the hook and brought to hand a beautiful Brook Trout. I was beyond elated. I could almost see the road where I had planned to stop fishing that day and I really wanted to finish out 2022 with a proper fish. This one was a proper native Brookie. I packed up my rod and headed back to the truck. It was slow going though, my legs were so numb my ankles did not really want to flex. I eventually made it back to my truck walking along some quiet country roads. I must have been quite the spectacle though wearing my Japanese fishing getup as I was getting a lot of stares from passing motorists.