Long Rod Chronicles

[TT]

Jon, Sent you a PM did you get it?

[lowaccord66]

Hey Hank, I just saw it.  Thank you Ill try ti check that out. 

Tonight was real good again!

[Steve H.]

Thank you Steve.  Im always willing to show other members these spots and techniques.  Plenty of river to share and I have extra euro nymphing setups I'm happy to share if anyone was interested. 

That's very generous.  Thanks.

[lowaccord66]

Ill warn once you start catching trout this way its real hard to go back!

[Bartman44]

Nice brown, cool spots.

[lowaccord66]

Nice brown, cool spots.

Yours was better!  What a toad.

[lowaccord66]

Fished 12-8 yesterday and forced myself to deal with the high water.  Fished the Farmington first and the Housy later.  There was a lot of "stuff" suspended in the farmington and it was high.  So I visited a section of the river that breaks off from the main stem and got into a number of smaller browns and a couple rainbows.  I spent hours there because irs way back in the woods and was about a third of the flow of the main river.  Didnt see a soul. 

I moved onto a very well known section near the woodshop.  Even with the heaviest nymphs the drifts were too fast and the softer seams were out of reach.  So I split and went up to a tributary that comes in a few miles downstream from the dam.  Broke out the jig streamer and let several chunky rainbows have it!

This brought me to around 530.  I took a break, ate some food and decided it was time to take the ride back.  Figured id go the back way and follow the housy home. The report from former Housatonic River Outfitters owner Harold (his store is closed and now is just a kiosk in another local store) said the river was off color and to be avoided.  Turns out that was utter bullshit.  While high the color was good so I stopped at the spot I have been hammering the past few nignts.  Noting all of the guides affiliated with Harold and his failed shop were out guiding in there boats....so much for off color eh?  I starred at the water for some time and saw caddis and bwo coming off and maybe some early sulphurs as some of the surface splashes were super aggressive.  2 hours later I had out performed the several hours spent at the farmington.  Mostly browns here and lots on a thread frenchie.  A guide gave me the hairy eye as they drift past only to catch my smug grin as I hooked up in front of his clients.  That was icing on the cake as "Jim" likes to tell me I am cheating because I fish nymphs.  He didnt repeat that mistake this year.  I think the earful of embarassing comments and questions I laid into him with the last time he opened his mouth may have been haunting him, thus the stink eye.

In another delight these group of guides lobbied the State of CT to put up barriers at one of their take outs to reduce parking.  Non-fishing families were apparently ruining there day picnicking there.  Well in a ironic plot twist now when fishermen park there (and I am a frequenter of this parking spot) the guides cant all fit their trucks and trailers and are forced to park on the road.  Just dessert for a bunch of dipshits trying to gentrify a river....

[Bartman44]

Sounds like you found a gaggle of territorial gents that want to turn the Housey into the River Test. You were in "their" beat without paying them the requisite quid. 

I've had pretty good luck with the guides over the years. Case in point, just a few weeks ago, I had one guide paddle over to me and point out some rising fish that he wasn't targeting, nice guy. I was also fishing a tail out for rising fish one afternoon and every guide boat (maybe 6) made it a point to paddle away from my targets and go behind me. It would have been easier for them paddle right past me.  Good etiquette.

Good that you are getting out. I haven't cast a line since my trip a few weeks ago as I've had one family thing after another. All good stuff but I think I'm free for a morning run tomorrow.

[lowaccord66]

Go get em Bart!  I'm not surprised to hear your experiences with guides are mpre pleasurable.  When I started fishing more and more in NY I noticed a huge increase in sportsmanship.  Down here, get a drift boat, pay CT a nominal fee and you can be a guide.  I could ignore the macho guide stuff, but reducing access because some spanish folks wanted to enjoy the river where they take out is what cemented my hate for them.  Doenst help I found a youtube video of one of these jokers holding up a nice wild brown upside down by its tail. 

By the way, if you and your son ever want to come give it a shot Id be happy to show you around. 

[Bartman44]

Thanks for the offer. I'll need to get my CT freshwater license first.  I used to fish the Farmington and Housey in CT occasionally, I liked both rivers. Not as far a drive as the Catskills. I'm meaning to hit the Deerfield too soon.   

I did make it out this morning for three hours locally. Got to my spot at 6am and to my surprise, the water was higher than I thought it would be.  Both spots I wanted to fish required a river crossing and that wasn't happening with my rickety old legs so drove far upriver to find some manageable water.  I found 4 decent trout willing to play with the woolly bugger. Beautiful morning, nobody but me and the warblers.

Now it's back to mowing the lawn.

[lowaccord66]

You are welcome!  Glad you got out!  Sounds like a nice morning.

[lowaccord66]