Winter Stoneflies

Snipe & Purple

Another wet added to the flybox for the spring:

Trout in February

Got the chance to fish the Farmington on Tuesday after work. Air temps were in the upper 30's, which is not to bad as far as winter fishing conditions go. Winds were light, which was an added bonus. Water temp was measured at 37 degrees, flow was approximately 240cfs.


Short synopsis - I ended up with 3 trout landed, and 1 LDR'ed, which was probably a brown. The fish we're getting right now in the Farmington are pretty good sized by eastern US standards. All the fish I caught were around the 17" mark.

It was nice to see some insect activity going on! The winter caddis were everywhere along the streamside rocks, but I didn't witness a hatch per se.


Later in the day, I met up with my friend Torrey, who is the manager of Housatonic River Outfitters, and his significant other, Mandy. Torrey was into a brown in the first 15 minutes, that went 18".



After that, it was my turn and I landed this fairly beat looking rainbow. Definitely has been caught more than once already. I was actually happy, despite the Tom Green grimace... just cold.



Great to get out and have something tugging on the end of my line, but we still have a bit of winter left to go before the real fun starts.

First of 2009

Went fishing on the Farmington Sunday with my friend Alain. We met on the river at 7AM and the weathermen were forecasting a high of around 50 degrees. Not bad for early February. That didn't happen, but to expect warm weather in New England in February is folly anyway. This was the first time out for me in 2009. January was a bitterly cold month, so I just didn't feel like getting out to freeze my hands off and chip ice off my guides.

Alain's a little more hardy than me, so he's been out a few times thus far. Those experiences have really benefitted him. He knew where the fish were likely to be and so he went ahead and schooled my sorry ass. I don't even want to tell you what the ratio was, it was that bad. But, kudos to him, he's a fine fisherman and a gentleman and his persistance has paid off.

I did manage one decent brown out of the TMA. I can't say where, because it's a relatively lightly fished spot, but here is the nicely colored brown:



We moved around a bit. Tried some other spots within the TMA. The action for the rest of the day was pretty slow, even for Alain. At least we got out and finally got to wet the line in 2009.

Alain intent on hooking up:

Pine Knob Loop and a Slushy River

Well folks, we're still a long way off from bonafide fishing in these parts. Yesterday, we got hit with a pretty potent winter storm that dropped about 5 inches of snow. Then it changed over to sleet, then finally to rain, just to make it extra sloppy out there.

If you take a look at the river, it seems like a different beast. Hatches of caddis and Hendricksons seem like a distant daydream. But, sure enough it will come with time, if we can just make it through the cold nights for another couple of months.

I took a look at the Housatonic yesterday and it looked as if the weather gods had a snowball fight, all of them landing in the water.


Went on a hike with Nora. The hills overlooking the Housy are certainly beautiful, yet quiet this time of year. We didn't see any wildlife at all. Maybe they were hunkering down, trying to get through the storm. Or, perhaps the dogs gave them ample warning of our presence. We were the only ones on the trail and the dogs really loved playing in the snow. Doesn't seem to bother them at all, in fact they relish it.


Anyway, fishing season is not officially closed yet here in Connecticut. Massachusetts (a short drive) doesn't have a closed season. Those are potentially options for me if and when it thaws out. The trout are still in there, surviving in their lethargic states, just waiting for those first warm days of spring.

Winter Must be Tough on the Wild Ones

Here in the northeast, it's been a very snowy winter thus far. For the past few days, the temps have been in the single digits and at nighttime, well below zero. After awhile, it starts to get to you.

I haven't fished in about a month now. The days are short and cold. The fish are lethargic and sometimes it seems hardly worth the frozen fingers and toes. The fishing on the Farmington has been very off compared to last winter. Even my friends who have fished it and are very good fisherman have been doing poorly. Days like these make you long for the warmth of spring, but it is still a long time from now.

So, today I decided to try to pull myself out of my mid-winter malaise and went for a hike along a couple of my favorite local brook trout streams. One of these brooks gets stocked in early spring, but if you do a little hiking and wading, you can get into some very pretty wild fish. I didn't expect to find much open water, but I did find it in spots. Even hearing the sound of running water on a cold day like today makes you want to close your eyes and daydream about warmer days when the brookies will race up and smash a dry fly.

Making it through the winter must be tough on these little guys. Every day is a fight to survive and it makes me respect them even more. When I hold them in my hand this spring, I will appreciate their beauty, then set them free.

Here are some photos from today:

Winter photos

Just driving around the NW corner yesterday and snapped a few shots. It's been a pretty snowy winter so far and I'm already pretty sick of it, to be honest. I guess you just have to try to make the best of it.

Church in Milton













A Cold Housatonic:













Wow - this is sad - wading shoes buried in the snow:













At least the homebrew is ready - YUM!










Winter is supposed to be a contemplative season, and to some extent I guess it is. Although, right now, all I can think about is spring.