Naugatuck Report: October 2024

 

Carter's Bug (sz. 8) and Salmon

Boy it's DRY out here. Bone dry. The last time the water was this low was back in 2016. I look forward to our local salmon fishery pretty much every fall, however, it's pretty hard to get excited about fishing when the river is this low. I like swinging wet flies and tubes on a two-handed rod, but I don't need to fish a two hander to have fun. I honestly don't have a preference between a single-handed rod and a two-handed rod. That said, it would be nice to have a bit of current to work with. I'm not crazy about frogwater Atlantic salmon fishing, regardless of tackle. 

Despite the conditions, it hasn't been all doom and gloom. This season's silver lining has been how amped up the salmon have been to dry flies. I have caught plenty on dries in the past, but this is the first season where I've actually had more action on dry flies than wet flies/bucktails/tubes. I realize the weather will get cold and the dry fly fishing will end but, as of last week, they're still willing to play ball with dry flies. 

I've been using two dry flies this season: The Carter's Bug (as tied by the late great master, Bryant Freeman) and the Newfoundland Bee Bug (pattern below). All the action I've had on dries this season so far has been on flies sizes 8 and 10. 

Welcome bycatch 

The other bit of excitement was catching a really nice brown. This fish was actually laying in some of the little bit of current actually there now. The trout ate a size 10 Cascade, which happens to be the only wet fly with which I've caught a salmon so far this season (lost one on a size 12 Ally's Shrimp). As soon as I felt it tug, I knew it was a big brown and not a salmon. It put a heck of a bend in my 9' 6wt rod. One salmon landed on the Bee, one lost the Bee, one landed on the Cascade, plus this brown on the same Cascade. That was a really good day! 

Anyway, back to the dry flies...I'll post the recipe for the Bee Bug below. Both it and the Carter's Bug are fairly simple ties...much easier than tying Bombers or the deer hair bodied Wulff Bombers so popular in Quebec. Try them out and let me know how you do! 

The Bee Bug in action

Newfoundland Bee Bug

Thread: Black

Tail: Black deer hair

Body: Alternating bands of black and yellow deer hair, spun and clipped 

Hackle: Brown, palmered the length of the body 

Unbelievably Late Report & the Upcoming Season

A hard fighting November salmon

    A while ago, I decided to stop posting regular reports to take a little heat off of the fishery. I actually did mean to post an overall report last season, but it sort of slipped my mind. There's no time like the present!

    The one thing that stood out about the 2020-2021 season was how small the fish were. They were really puny. I've never caught so many small salmon in one season. From what I understand, the hatchery had problems with this year class of fish, starting at the egg stage. From what I've heard, last season was just an outlier in that respect. I still had fun, but it definitely made me miss the old days (fewer, but much larger, fish) even more than usual. 

    Even though all of my own catches were small, my clients tied into some nice fish. There were a couple of scraps that I thought the salmon would win, but both anglers came out victorious. There were plenty of small fish caught, too. In all, it was a very productive season and a lot of fun. I could tell people appreciated being out after being cooped up for so long. 

Another hard fighter on light tackle 

    The overwhelming choice for fly of the year went to the conehead Ally's Shrimp tube fly. All three salmon pictured in this post were caught on that fly, as well as several other salmon. I fished mostly classic salmon flies and caught several salmon on them. I also recall catching one on a Green Machine and a couple on Shumakov's Golden Shrimp (I catch salmon on this every season...will make a post about it soon). As far as guiding, however, I stuck with the Ally's tube fly and there was really no need to use too much else. Detailed tying instructions for the Ally's tube can be found in my ebook, "Flies for Connecticut Salmon: How to Tie & Fish Them." 

Conehead Ally's Shrimp - Fly of the Year 2020

    As far as the upcoming season goes, I am planning on guiding again. We've had plenty of rain so, as long as it doesn't stop altogether, we might have an early start to the season. My favorite time to fish is early on, so that would be great if it works out. If you're interested in booking, contact me and I will add you to my email list. I offer discounts for multiple days booked in case you'd like to book more than one trip in a season. I look forward to seeing some of you in the upcoming salmon season! 

Christmas Eve rocket 

It's Been a While...

 

Small, but my favorite fish of the season nonetheless

Hey! It's been a long time! I'm not sure if anyone reads blogs anymore or if anyone will actually check this. I didn't update this blog at all last season. I didn't guide last season, either, save for one trip that had been rescheduled from the year before. I think I fished the Naugatuck all of four times in 2019, though I did hook and lose one of the hardest fighting broodstock salmon I've encountered. I think I was a bit burned out last year. Also, I had tons of work in the music field, so I was plenty busy. 

Enter 2020...very little work after mid-March, buckling under the stress of distance learning with a second grader, a wife who was super stressed out having to teach music online...and less time for fishing than ever. When students returned to school in September, things began to normalize a bit. There was still very little work for a performing musician, but I had plenty of time to fish all of a sudden. In light of the circumstances, guiding was back on in 2020. In all, it was a pretty decent season for both myself and my clients, though it was certainly not a normal season. 

Here are a few things I noticed...First of all, there were fewer salmon around this year and most were a lot smaller than average compared to recent years. I caught my first one and thought, "What I've heard is true...these things are puny." Then I landed one about 5# immediately afterwards and thought, "That's more like it. That first one must have been an outlier." Nope. It was no outlier. Most were puny. That 5# fish was the largest I'd catch all fall though, luckily for me, I had clients who caught larger fish on guided trips. 

The other strange thing was that, as a whole, they were more difficult to catch this season. There was only one day I saw them behaving recklessly. Usually, I see that happen a few times per year. Personally, I still did fine and caught enough fish to be satisfied, but I didn't land more than two in a day on any day. Every season, I have at least one four or five salmon day, and sometimes more/multiple days like that. But that didn't happen this year. I didn't hook one salmon, all season long, in my two most reliable spots. Or, what used to be my most reliable spots, I should say. 

I don't really have an explanation...at least one which can be proven. I think the fact that we were fishing over fewer fish had something to do with it. The only other thing I can think of is, since I am used to targeting larger fish, maybe these little guys starting finding lies more suitable for smaller fish? I have caught a lot of salmon in a run with some relatively heavy water (for the Naugatuck). It was a salmon ghost town there this year. Maybe it was too much water for these little guys? 

I don't know. In any event, I managed to adjust pretty quickly and still found enough fish for a successful season. I spent more time at pools I have avoided the past few years, so it was nice to get reacquainted with old water. I hooked a fish on a Sunray Shadow, fished at light speed. It's been a few seasons since I've had that happen, despite it being a staple in my arsenal for so long. I caught a couple fish on a classic salmon flies, namely the William Rufus and the Popham. That's always exciting for me. The fly of the year, for myself, my clients and one of my best buddies, was the Ally's Shrimp/Conehead Ally's tube fly. One of those two did the absolute bulk of the heavy lifting for us this season. Other good flies were the Golden Shrimp tube fly, the L.T. Special and, as always, the gold bodied Willie Gunn. 

My favorite fish of all was the one pictured above, however. I caught it in my favorite pool. It's far from my most productive pool. It actually might be one of my least productive pools, but it will always be my favorite. The water moves at just the right speed and has a everything a salmon could want. But, for some reason, they seem to move in and out of that pool. They don't stay very long. 

For some reason, salmon are susceptible to Buck Bugs when they find themselves in this pool. So, the fly for my first run through was a no brainer...Green Machine, sz. 4. About midway down the run, in fairly deep water, I saw a salmon come up to the surface and roll on the fly. Now, in recent years, I have seen this typical salmon behavior less and less. They either want the fly or they don't. They either take it or they don't. I remember epic chess matches with salmon, getting them to rise over and over, only to hook them or to bore them into giving up. But now, it's a lot more cut and dry, which makes me sad. My friends and I agree, they have been behaving less and less like salmon every year for the past four or five years. But this time, the fish wanted to behave as it should. So, I rested the fish for two or three minutes. I cast my Green Machine to the same spot...whammo! The fish nailed it. There was no prolonged chess match,  and the fish was small and easily landed, but I was still satisfied with the events of that hookup. 

I fished on Christmas Eve with my buddy Val. He got a nice fish in my favorite pool. I got my smallest salmon of the season immediately after. The river is blown out now. I might get out one more time in 2020 or I might be done until next fall. We'll see. I think I've actually seen the best of it this year, but it's not like I have any gigs to play, so I might as well fish as long as the weather cooperates. And, if it doesn't, I have fly orders to keep me busy...and some time to write, so maybe I will post some more here soon enough. If anyone reads this, I hope you had a happy holiday season and have a happy and fruitful new year! 

-Ben 

Conehead Ally's Shrimp was top dog this season
(fished with a single hook, of course)

Good Riddance, Winter!

First fish of 2018

     Whew! Spring is finally here! Prior to February, I hadn't wet a line since Christmas Eve. A brief, but intense, February warmup made us think that spring would be very early this year. I was able to take advantage of ice out by hitting a local carp pond. It took a little while for the water to warm up enough for the carp to feed, but I waited patiently. It was a good day, bringing three common carp to the net. I didn't move any grass carp, a fish that has been taunting me since last summer, but that's a different story...

      Shortly thereafter, winter returned with a vengeance. March was pretty much awash in snow. I think it has snowed three times in April so far. Unbelievable! But, it melted quick and it was time to start the hunt for spring migrators. Schoolies were on the menu on my first trip, which was fun. Unfortunately, the keeper-sized holdovers moved out a few days before I was able to get to the river, but the migratory fish will be here soon enough. The river is COLD. That might be slowing things down a bit. 

First striper of the year

     I went out today for a couple hours. The river was lower, clearer, and slightly warmer. Today, April 12, the Connecticut River was 41º, which is quite cold for April 12. The schoolies had vanished, but had been replaced with good sized smallmouth bass. It was the "wrong" species but, at that size, I am not complaining. 

     I'm sure it will only get better from here. I haven't felt like writing much, but I do have a few posts planned when I get a moment. I'm experimenting with a new tube fly that I'll test out and, if it works out, will post here. Anyhow, enjoy your spring fishing. I know I will! 

First smallie of the year 

Naugatuck Report - November 25, 2017 - A Welcome Surprise

Bruiser brown trout 

     Today was the first day so far this salmon season where I could fish all day long. The day started off with a salmon in net right away. I was betting on fishing close to the surface today, but I threw on a Shumakov Golden Shrimp on my second pass through the first pool. Luckily, that did the trick for a morning salmon, just as it did two seasons ago in the same pool.

    I was still betting on action close to the surface, but it never came. After flogging three more pools, I switched to the sinking rig. It was a bust at the first pool, but it worked like a charm at my final stop of the day. I didn't plan on being there as long as I was, but the fishing was really good, so I stayed. I had to throw long bombs to reach the fish. I used a 5.6 ips versileader and a small German Snaelda, which has been a very good fly for both me and my clients lately. 

    The first pull was a good one, but it fell off immediately. Further down the run, I got my surprise...a bruiser brown trout! And on the Snaelda, of all things. It was bigger, and fought harder, than any of my salmon so far this season.

Salmon and Snaelda

     Then, it was two more salmon on the Snaelda. I switched to a gold body Willie Gunn for a change of place, then nailed one more salmon. It was a good day for sure. The water was 44º and the air topped out around 58º. The flow, 238 cfs, is getting low for this time of year, but it is just right if you know where to go and can handle a switch or spey rod well enough to cover the lies. 

     What do all the flies have in common? They are all yellow, orange, and black, a killer combo for this time of year. The German Snealda and the Willie Gunn can be found in my ebook, Flies for Connecticut Atlantic Salmon: How to Tie and Fish Them. The Golden Shrimp recipe can be found below. 

     There are plenty of good days left this season! I'm looking at the 10 day forecast, and the weather looks favorable every day. Care to take a trip? Let me know, even if it's last minute...

------------------------------------ 

If it ain't yellow, orange, and black, put it back! 

Golden Shrimp (Yuri Shumakov)

Tube: Shumakov Long Range (brass, 4 mm), grooves painted red 

Thread: Glow red or fluorescent orange

Wing: Two sections golden pheasant tippet dyed red (sub natural gp tippet in pic); yellow bucktail; two strands pearl Midge Flash; hot orange arctic fox

Hackle: Yellow dyed badger over orange dyed badger 

Head: Glow red or fluorescent orange

Naugatuck Report - Early November 2017

Small, but always appreciated

     After some major setbacks, courtesy of the city of Waterbury, the fall salmon season on the lower Naugatuck River is finally underway. I was optimistic about an early start this season. How wrong I was. Now we need to make up for lost time. 

     I went out for a couple hours while my son was at preschool. The river was 53º and the air temperature was 48º. The river was flowing at 319 cfs, making the two handed rod viable, which is a welcome change from the past couple of seasons. I fished with a Sage TCX 11'9" 6 wt. with a Scientific Anglers triple density Scandi head (float/hover/intermediate), and a 9' mono leader. The leader was 6' of 20 lb. mono and 3' of 16 lb. mono. I am giving Rio Salmon/Steelhead mono a try this season. It's sort of like Maxima Ultra-Green. So far, so good. 

    I scurried through three pools before I had to drive back to Guilford. I lost the first salmon I hooked, but quickly landed another two. All three took a #5 Picasse. The first salmon landed was small (pictured above). The second once was about 5 lbs. or so. I tied on an orange Bismo and stripped like crazy in my last pass through the pool. A fourth salmon nailed it, but I lost the fish after a minute or two. It was a good way to spend a couple hours. 

     Lately, I have been suffering from social media burnout/overload. I probably won't be posting updates regularly like I have in the past. The archives of this blog has a lot of helpful information, so search through old posts for good tips here and there. Also, never hesitate to contact me if you have any specific questions. I will be on the river as much as possible, both fishing and guiding, so I'll have my finger on the pulse of what's going on. Good luck and I hope to see you on the water!

Catching Up

My first fish of 2017 betrayed how well this spot would wind up fishing.

     It has been a long time since my last post here. I've been busy with family, work, and fly tying. That's one excuse. Another excuse is how miserable spring fishing was for me this season. The most likely excuse is that I just haven't felt the urge to write much. In any case, I wanted to document how this season has gone so far, if for no other reason than to have a causal record on which to look back.

     I wanted to get out during the warm winter stretches, but something always ruined it. Come March, I was getting irritated and decided to ride it out until the spring runs started, when I would make up for lost time. My first trip, on April 20, to my favorite spring spot yielded one schoolie, which is better than most first trips to this place. Based on that, I figured I was in for a treat this season. 

Stripers on nymphs

     How wrong I was! This river has been fishing worse and worse every spring. Not only didn't I see a sea run trout, but didn't hear of any caught or seen, either by anglers or state sampling crews. The striper run wasn't too great either. That schoolie was the biggest striper I caught there this season. There were a ton of dinky stripers around though. After a while, I decided to get goofy and tried to catch them on nymphs and a trout rod, which wound up working great. That was only fun for an afternoon or so. The best thing to happen to me all spring was driving off with my net on the car roof, not losing it, and having it crushed by an 18 wheeler (like I did last spring on the Naugatuck). I got to Target, did my shopping, then saw it on the roof of my car. That's about as lucky as I got there this season, so I think it is time to move on and find a spot with better spring prospects. I have one in mind, but will have to wait until next spring to see how it pans out. 

 

The highlight of my (former) favorite spring spot

     Fishing in the salt yielded similar results for me. Lots of tiny fish. I was always in the right place, but just a little too late. Rowan L. (CT Fly Angler) had sympathy for me. While my spring river was fishing worse than ever, his was fishing better than ever. He took me out one night and the place was absolutely loaded with stripers. Finally, I was in the same place as some keeper-sized fish. I hooked two and lost them both!

     American shad fishing was OK for me, but not nearly as good as it had been for me the past two seasons. I broke one of my favorite switch rods on my first shad of the season. It was a bonehead mistake on my part. Extreme frustration was beginning to kick in, so I decided to take a couple weeks off and regroup. 

An order of orange Caribou Bombers for trophy brook trout fishing in Labrador

     I had a late wave of salmon fly orders to tie, so my break was the perfect time to catch up. I am happy to hear that the flies have been doing their jobs. I love tying. I really enjoy it. But, after a couple weeks of hardcore tying sessions (and a new chair born out of necessity...ouch), I was ready to fish again. 

A wild, small stream brown that was one of my first of the season

     I figured I needed to change gears, so I dusted off the trout gear. My first solo trout trip of the season happened much later than normal for me. I think it was sometime in June. After teaching some drum lessons, I stopped by a small stream that has been good to me in the past, but that I had not fished in a few years. I was surprised that the water was as low as it was and it made me uneasy. Getting charged by a pit bull made me even more uneasy. Luckily, he just wanted to play. Thinking the pool was spooked, I flipped my caddis downstream. To my surprise, my first trout of the season was a 12" wild brown! Unfortunately, he didn't want his picture taken. There were way more downed trees than the last time I fished here, so that made fishing a little more challenging. I wound up having a really good evening and caught many more trout than I had expected. In years past, I would pull a brookie or two from this river, but it seems like there are fewer than ever in this section of stream. Maybe they move around, or maybe it has become too warm for them. I'm not sure.

Farmington River Yellow Drake

     It was about time for my favorite evening hatches on the Farmington River, so I moved my operation over there. My first day on the Farmington was a sulfur bonanza, with several hour of consistent dry fly fishing. I stayed in one pool for about six hours. There was no incentive to move. My next trip, I decided to focus on the big bugs of summer, the Yellow Drakes. It was a successful trip, other than being warned by the police not to stay after sunset. I've fished this spot for years, mostly into the night, and this was the first time I've been warned. It was a successful trip, so I decided to push my luck...

The big Cream Variant was the winner. 

     I tied up some big flies for the Drake hatch and decided to go with a friend (who shall remain nameless in this case!). I asked him to drive in case we got caught. Since I never had a problem in the past, I thought it might have been a fluke. We fished, the hatch was pretty good, and I nailed one of the hardest fighting Farmington browns I've caught in a while. The fish was perfect and had no elastomer tags. He freaked out every time he saw the net. I suspect that trout might have been a wild fish. He absolutely nailed a sz. 10 Cream Variant, which is such a fun fly when it works. I was riding high until two police cars stopped us on the way out! Quickly, I stashed my hat and glasses under the seat. It worked, and we got off with a warning. Another friend wasn't so lucky and was actually ticketed.

     I went back once more, but set my cell phone alarm to get me out before sunset. It was a rainy day and the fish were taking olives and I managed a few browns from a very fussy pool. The drakes hatched early and I hooked (and lost) one nice trout before I had to go. As I packed up, an officer drove by to make sure I was leaving. What a drag...that spot fishes best right before sunset and into the night. It's a shame it's now regularly patrolled and off-limits. Oh well, I'm happy to have done as well as I did there in my few trips. 

Wild Farmington River rainbow trout

     A Farmington River first for me was the wild rainbow trout (pictured above). To my knowledge, it's only the second wild rainbow I've caught in Connecticut. Wouldn't it be great if there were a lot more of them...and bigger? It makes me wonder about some of the fish I have lost...

Finally...a carp! Small, but I'll take it. 

     The past couple of weeks, I have been focusing on carp fishing. Rowan L. was kind enough to show me the ropes. It took three trips and a couple of blown hook sets to land one, but I managed to land three on my third day. They were all small, but we have our sights set on something much larger...possibly the largest exclusively freshwater fish that swim in our state...But they are so difficult to hook....hopefully more on that later...

     So, that's about it. Luckily, the summer has been going much better for me than the spring. With the rain and mild summer, I'm cautiously optimistic about good fall fishing this year. I will be doing more frequent posts than I have been and will be doing some prep work for the upcoming Connecticut salmon season, so check back often.

Naugatuck River - Fall 2016 - Summary & Observations

It was a short fall, but not without its highlights. 

     This was definitely a strange fall. With water levels at historic lows, we were lucky to have a salmon season at all. I'll admit, I was not optimistic. I canceled my guide insurance policy in early October only to request it be rewritten a few weeks later. This was the first season I guided significantly more hours than I fished. Once the season started, I had only a couple of days to get my bearings before my first trip. After that, it was a whirlwind of activity until Thanksgiving weekend.

     The ultra low water made the salmon behave in ways I wasn't used to seeing before. When river was at its lowest levels, the fish seemed to favor depth over all else. If they could have moving water too, that was preferred. If the moving water was too shallow, they seemed to hide out in any deep depression they could find. A lack of rain stalled their usual movement into the secondary pools. The few times it did rain, fish moved out quickly. Since we had a low number of salmon in the river this year, they became harder to find once they spread out.  

     I figured we might have epic dry fly fishing given how low and clear the water was. This was not the case. It was the first fall in a while I haven't at least moved a fish with a dry fly. I think they were too freaked out to come up, though maybe I just had bad luck. I don't think I tried fishing a hitched fly at all this season. 

     Luckily, the salmon were still happy to take wet flies. As the water dropped, our flies got smaller and smaller. After watching several people lose fish on larger flies, I switched to flies tied on very fine wire hooks. It worked and the vast majority (90%!) of the fish either my clients or I hooked were landed. In the lowest water, a size 14 Mickey Finn did the trick! 

The infamous sz. 14 Mickey Finn

     I had several clients hook, land, and release their very first Atlantic salmon. That is always exciting for me. A couple of them said it was the largest fish they had ever caught on a fly. I was very happy to be a part of that. It is one of the highlights of the job. 

     I guided two clients into the same fish in the span of nine days. The salmon had a very distinct tail. The first time I saw it was in an unstocked pool in Naugatuck on November 8. Six days later, we had enough rain to move fish around. The salmon turned up again, this time in Beacon Falls, on November 17. It moved about five miles on one relatively small bump of water. Assuming it hasn't already been eaten, that fish is probably in the Housatonic now. Practice catch and release so others can enjoy the sport! 

     The fishing seemed to slow down as we got into late November. I pinpointed some salmon in a pool that is very difficult to fish with a fly. Unfortunately, my unorthodox presentation experiments didn't pay off. I have some ideas for next year, though. 

     As always, there were many anglers who refuse to follow rules. Some of them seem legitimately ignorant of the seasonal regulations. Others just don't care. There is a definite lack of signage on the river, especially pertaining to salmon season. Because of this, some conservation officers let people off with a warning instead of fining them. If there is no fear of consequences, what is stopping offenders from breaking the rules again? I'm getting pretty sick of this and I am going to write letters and emails over the winter. It is time to be proactive. The squeaky wheel gets the grease and I plan being very squeaky. If I have to, I will print my own signs, bring a ladder, and hang them up around the river. 

This guy put on a show his first day of salmon fishing!

     I used a two handed rod less this season than in any other season since I started fishing with one. There just wasn't enough water for it. Fortunately, I got some time with a switch rod at the end of November and the beginning of December. I sure do miss the good old days of normal water levels and fishing with a two handed rod.

     The last day I fished was December 8. I went out for a couple of hours, but had no luck. Last year, fishing was productive into January. That was a lot of fun, but the warm temperatures were the main reason why our season was so short this year. I guess it balances out over time, at least hopefully it does. The cold weather came the second week of December. If these fish fought like fresh springers, I would go throughout the winter. They get too lethargic for me to bother, so I felt okay hanging it up early. I had the best action I'm likely to get and I'm satisfied with how the season went. I might give it another shot if we have a warm stretch in the winter or spring. We'll see how bad cabin fever gets...

Ally's Shrimp caught the lion's share of my own salmon this fall.

Top Flies

     Since I guided more than I fished this season, I should factor that data in with my personal top flies. In past years, I didn't include the flies used in guide trips, but they are a large part of the data now. Here are the top three:

Mickey Finn - 10 salmon

Ally's Shrimp - 6 salmon (5 conventional, 1 tube)

Cascade - 6 salmon (3 conventional, 3 tube) 

     Between myself and my clients, we hooked almost 50% of our salmon on flies between sizes 10-14. I've had small fly years before, but never 50%. Conversely, we caught fewer on tube flies this season than during a normal fall. Almost every fish we hooked was while using a floating line and untapered mono leader.  

     My typical "Hail Mary passes" (Sunray fished fast or Snaelda fished slow) didn't work at all. This fall, it seemed like they either wanted a fly or they didn't. If they wanted it, they usually wanted it on the first pass. As such, we moved around quite a bit to find "players." Really working a pool seemed to have either no effect or a negative effect (you lose valuable time) this season. "Run and shoot"...like the 1990 Houston Oilers. 

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     I will have some gear reviews coming up soon, as well as some fly tying stuff over the winter. I already have a couple orders of flies to tie for the upcoming season in Canada, so I might post a few of the interesting patterns here. In the meantime, thanks for reading this blog. I got a lot of great feedback this year. Have a happy holiday season! 

Naugatuck Report - December 2 & 3, 2016 - Some Water...It's About Time!!

Salmon and Dirty Water Dog

     It rained hard for two days straight. After letting the river fall for a day and a half, I had high hopes for December 2 and 3. The water was cool, about 44º. I predicted 350-400 cfs by the time I was fishing on the 2nd. It dropped to 369...good guess! I thought the water would have been clearer than it was, so bad guess on that one. It was okay, I came prepared. 

    I used a F/I/S2 scandi head with a 7.0 ips Versileader. I lost a Lady Amherst on a snag at the top of the run, which was a drag. I decided to use a larger, but lighter fly. I chose the Dirty Water Dog to deal with the murky water. It paid off, bringing one salmon to hand in the two hours I fished. I was satisfied with how my short trip worked out. 

     Today, the 3rd, was a different story. The river was still flowing at an ok level, 269 cfs. I had four hours to fish today. I had high hopes for today, figuring the water would be clearer. It was clearer, but still sort of colored. I lightened up on my line selection, using a F/I scandi head and a 5.something ips Versileader. 

     Today was a day I felt like I couldn't do anything right. I lost flies. I made bad casts and lots of them. I made a really poor detour choice in Naugatuck and added way too much time in the car trying to get down to Beacon Falls. It was cold and windy. My left leg has been really sore as a result of falling onto some rocks last Friday. I just couldn't dig myself out of the hole today. I figured a hookup might turn things around for me, but it never came. 

     Regardless of results, it was nice to fish a two handed rod again. I've only taken two fish on a two hander this season. The rest have been on a 9' 7wt. That was fun for a while, but I missed throwing a longer line over a wider piece of moving water. Hopefully we've seen the worst of this drought and Mother Nature will start to turn things around. I really miss fishing a two hander in early October, swinging flies just under the surface, and watching a salmon chase a fly halfway across the river before nailing it. The good ol' days! 

Naugatuck Report - Late November - Blah, blah...Cascades...blah...

Shumakov Cascade

     Kind of tired...don't want to put much thought or effort into this at the moment, but this blog is my "fishing journal" (juicy data stored off site!). Forgive my laziness...

Day before Thanksgiving...lend rod and reel to Val (check out his art and fly tying!) for him to test out...tie him a fly an hour before he gets to my house...not enough time for head cement to dry, so I use Solarez instead. Fly is a sz. 6 Cascade...Val catches 30" salmon first pass through pool...mission accomplished...

Saturday after Thanksgiving...finally, a day to myself...help land a fish for guy fishing with Rapala w/multiple treble hooks...frustration at lack of respect for regulations sets in early...growing more irritable throughout the day...put my time in, catch one salmon at popular pool...took a Cascade tied on an aluminum Shumakov Long Range tube...tied the fly for Russia 2012...nice to see it work after sitting my pack for 4.5 years. That was the only action of the day...

Cascades (in various forms) seem to be put producing every other fly for me at the moment.

Stuff to do, then bed...back at it tomorrow...Fun, as always, but sort of looking forward to playing drums full time again...over and out

Val's fish while I cleaned the gutters

Naugatuck Report - November 17 & 18, 2016 - The Last Warm Days of the Season?

Wayne's first salmon of 2016

November 17, 2016

     I was pretty giddy about the 17th. It was two days after a good rain. The river would be clear and dropping. Temps were expected to reach 60º. I had a guide trip that day and I was very optimistic. 

     I didn't pack enough clothes. It was windy and never felt as warm as it was supposed to. The fish took forever to wake up, not until around 2:00pm. Wayne landed the fish pictured above and pricked another, both on a sz. 4 Cascade. Fish were somewhat active in the afternoon. I thought we might have a red letter day, but it didn't go that way. Still, catching and releasing one salmon per day is pretty much ok with everyone, myself included. It was a fun time, despite feeling cold all day long. 

     While we were fishing, Wayne and I saw a good sized salmon jump close to shore. We covered the fish, but it wanted nothing to do with us. As the sun began to fade, I began to think about the next day. It was supposed to be even warmer, which shouldn't be hard to achieve given how cold I felt all day on the 17th. I was debating whether or not to fish for 90 minutes while my son was at nursery school. It's a big gamble. I could use the time at home, alone. 

     I thought out loud, to Wayne, "I'll tell you what's going to happen. I'm going to go to bed early tonight, then wake up around 3am to pee. Then, I'll debate whether or not to check the streamflow level on my phone. I won't be able to resist, so I'll check it. Then, I'll think about fishing and I won't be able to fall back asleep. Gah...maybe I should just stay home and watch a movie." 

     Wayne said, "Send me an email and let me know how you make out tomorrow morning."

A rushed Cascade, head not totally dry

November 18, 2016

     I woke up at 2:52am and went to the bathroom. I debated looking at my phone for about 10 seconds before I realized my prediction sort of forced it to be my destiny. The flow was about 120 cfs. I was still sleepy, so I might be wrong. As predicted, I lied awake, thinking about how far the river would drop by my 10:00 ETA. Cascades have been working well, but all I had left were big ones tied on tubes. I considered tying one at 3:30am, but I tried to fall back asleep instead. It took a while, but I got a couple more hours of shut eye. 

     Around 7:30, I gave in to my son's demands to watch some dumb show on Netflix. I gave him something to eat and I slipped away to tie my #8 Cascade. I knew this fly would be the one so long as I didn't forget in the vise. I put on one coat of Cellire and let the fly sit. Around 8:30, before the Cellire was totally hard, I added a coat of Sally Hansen's, then brought the fly down to the car. 

     After school drop off, I was suited up and casting by 10:00am, just as planned. The sun was out and the wind was gone. I was sure I was going to hookup and hookup quickly. Everything felt right. I threw about six casts before my hunch was confirmed. A nice salmon grabbed my swinging Cascade and it was game on. By 10:07, the fish was landed. Mission accomplished. 

This fish was about 28" and just barely fit in the net. 

     That was the only salmon I could nail in my 90 minute window, but I was definitely happy. I also caught a brown trout which I regret not netting. It was about 14" long and the most perfect looking trout I've seen come out of the Naugatuck River. The fins were perfect and all erect. The color was perfect. It was fat and in great shape. Was it a wild fish? It sure looked like one to me. It was the icing on the cake. 

After...a trip that went exactly as planned

Naugatuck Report - November 11 & 12, 2016 - Tactical Changes

This healthy male found a Cascade tube fly in a sea of leaves.

     In the past, I've said I don't necessarily post about my guided trips. However, I've been guiding way more than fishing lately, so posting about the trips is the only way I can generate these reports (for the time being). Our low water woes continue, but they are countered by consistent action (also for the time being). Up until the past two trips, the Mickey Finn was getting the job done. As the water dropped, so did the size of the Mickey Finns. It pays to be adaptable, because things took and abrupt turn the past two days.

     November 11 was a warm, sunny day. It was also windy as hell. I mean, really windy. The leaves fell in full force. I started the day with a small Mickey Finn, as per usual, but I quickly realized it wasn't going to work out. First of all, it hooked too many leaves. Also, it wasn't going to be seen with all of that mess in the water. I switched to my "leafless" Ally's Shrimp tube fly. That solved both problems. It wasn't long before the angler had a salmon in the net. Next time we changed flies, we tried a similarly sized Cascade tube fly. In short order, he did it again, landing his second fish of the morning. Then he did it again, landing the fish pictured above, also on the Cascade tube.

     When leaves litter the water, the low water/small fly thing seems to go out the window. The best decision was to give the salmon something they could see and feel. Luckily for us, they hit the flies hard enough to stay hooked up.

Ally's Shrimp tube fly w/"leaf guards"

     The wind died down today (11/12). The temperature dropped quite a bit, too. At least the leaves weren't bad. I suspected the salmon would be sulking, so I rigged up an extra rod with a 3.9 ips sinking Versileader. We tried the Mickey Finn first but, like yesterday, the salmon weren't having it. Plan B was to drag a Grape marabou tube fly through their lies. The fly was fished low and extremely slowly. I usually want a fish to chase, but I didn't think it would happen today, so we would settle for pissing them off. The plan worked, hooking two salmon. Unfortunately, the takes were very subtle and the hooksets were too precarious to hold. Despite that, two hooked is a good day. 

     The moral of the story seems to be, "What worked last week might not work this week." Also, "What worked yesterday might not work today." Observe the salmon's patterns over the course of multiple seasons and you'll be able to alter your game plan in a pinch. Keeping a journal helps. I'm about to update mine right now. 

Marabou tube flies 

Naugatuck Report - November 5, 2016 - Go Small!

A real dandy, in his "tartan breeks" 

     Quick report today...I'm too busy to bother writing anything but the basics now. We had a good guide trip today...one angler, two salmon landed and another pricked. The highlight was the healthy cock fish pictured above. 

     The water is super low. In my opinion, it is time to go small and/or try dry flies. All the action today was on a sz. 12 Mickey Finn. If they're on 12s now, I am going to try 14s next trip when the water is even lower. Sure, you can probably catch some on larger flies, but why risk spooking a good fish? The fish above is as nice as any I've seen so far this season and he took a small fly. Don't mess with success. 

     That said, I really wouldn't mind some rain and lots of it. 

Naugatuck Report - November 1, 2016 - Quick Trip, Quick Report

It was "one and done" today.

     I had a couple of hours to fish this evening, so I braved the horrendous traffic on I-84W and made my way to the river. It was surprisingly warm today. The air was 71º when I checked it and the water was 64º. That's a world of difference from the last time I fished, when it rained and snowed. 

     The pool I wanted to fish had seen a couple of anglers pass through. It was low, clear, and warm, which says "small fly" to me. I knew it wasn't likely the fish had seen something small and somewhat dull, so I tied on a sz. 10 Almost. It wasn't more than a dozen casts into the day when I hooked and landed a salmon. Luckily, my buddy Rog was there to help me net it, which was nice for a change (I usually fish alone). 

     And that was it. There's nothing else to report. I didn't hook anything else and saw only one salmon jump. The fish felt sluggish today, I guess. I have my theories why, but they're just theories. One salmon to hand is fine with me. I've been skunked enough times to know I shouldn't complain!

Naugatuck Report - October 29, 2016 - First Guided Trip of the Season

Josh's boots were barely wet before he caught his first Atlantic salmon!

     I don't usually post updates about my guided trips, but the first trip of the season was one for the books. I think most of us who have fished for Atlantic salmon, be they broodstock or wild, realize that any day with a hook up is a good day. Maybe that's different if you're fishing the Ponoi River or have access to a prime holding pool somewhere in Eastern Canada. But, for most of us public water guys, one fish per day is pretty good. 

     

     It's the same for broodstock salmon fishing. One hookup is a solid day. If the fish is landed, even better. Two hookups is a good day. Three hookups is a great day. Anything over three is exceptional. Based on conditions (falling and clearing water, warmer day, overcast, etc.), I had a hunch yesterday would be an exceptional day. I would never say it out loud for fear of the trip not living up to expectations. But I had that feeling in my gut. 

     Between two anglers, we had five hookups with four salmon landed and safely released! It was both anglers first day of Atlantic salmon fishing, which made it all the more exciting. Andrew fished all day. He hooked four salmon and landed all but one. All four fish took a sz. 8 Mickey Finn. Josh joined us after lunch. He wasted no time at all, hooking and landing his first salmon within 20 minutes of starting! Josh's fish was the outlier of the day, haven taken a sz. 4 Green Machine w/white tail. 

     That was the third day I have been out on the river so far this season. Between myself and the one guide trip, we have hooked a total of sixteen salmon hooked with only one fish lost. We got a late start to the season, but we are making up the time extremely quickly! 

Naugatuck Report - October. 27, 2016 - Hell Seemed to Freeze Over Today

This fish creamed a sz. 6 Butterfly.

     Snow? Huh??? It's not like October snow is all that unusual, I just wasn't expecting it. I was expecting heavy rain, which we also got today. Actually, it snowed, then it changed to rain, then changed back to snow, and finally back to rain. I was cold, wet, tired, and sore. I was hungry enough to stop fishing at one point. I lost way too many flies by doing dumb things. It seems like everything I own is drenched. Despite all of that, it was a tremendous day.

     I'm too tired to give a play-by-play. I'll sum it up briefly. When the river is rising, there seems to be a window of time when the salmon turn on. It usually ends when the water gets dirty. Today, the river rose, but very slowly. The window, which is usually fairly brief in heavy rain, lasted almost all day long. 

     I fished my 9' 7 wt. Sage One with my Islander IR4 reel. I used a floating line, mono leader, and unweighted flies. On paper, it shouldn't have worked this well on a day this cold (air between 33-36º, water 48º). Sometimes these fish defy logic, however. Everything I hooked, I landed. I pricked a couple of others and moved a couple without hooking up. Here is a rundown of the flies which successfully hooked and landed salmon:

1. Mickey Finn (#10)

2. Mickey Finn (#4)...worked this fish 40 minutes and got it up 6 times before he finally took

3. Same Thing Murray (#8)

4. Butterfly w/Green and Red Butt, red Krystal Flash tail (#6)...biggest of the day, about 7lbs. 

5. Butterfly w/Green and Red Butt, red Krystal Flash tail (#6)

6. Ally's Shrimp (#6)

7. Ally's Shrimp (#6)...crazy fish!!!

     Salmon #7 went totally berserk. I wish I got the fight on video. My reel was screaming and the fish cartwheeled all over the run. It wasn't just jumping, but flinging itself through the air with reckless abandon. It was a good day. I'm going to bed. 

Let it snow (but only if fishing is going to be really good)

Naugatuck Report - October 23, 2016 - Swingin'!

First salmon of the 2016-2017 season

     Swingin'...not just flies, but what I do for a living. Sure, I sell some flies and guide some, but it mainly helps feed the addiction. The addiction to swinging, and this time I do mean flies. 

     At the beginning of last week, I had pretty much given up hope that we would have a salmon season on the Naugatuck. This drought is for real. By last Tuesday, I said to myself, "Screw it. I'm sick of thinking about losing my favorite local fishery. I'm just going to play music every free chance I have." So I did and it felt really good. I hate to admit it, but I forgot about salmon fishing pretty quickly and began to get excited about some upcoming gigs and some other longterm goals. 

     Then, out of the blue, I found out salmon season was on. I had three guide trips booked within the first couple of hours of hearing the news. I needed to get out on the river ASAP to get my mojo working. But I still had music on the brain. I had 2.5 hours to fish this afternoon, so I decided to do it with headphones on, something I never do. "What if a salmon rises behind me and I don't hear it?" I thought. So what...it's just a fish. Besides, I really wanted to continue listening to Eric Reed, Ben Wolfe, and Gregory Hutchinson swing their asses off. 

     I tied on a size 10 Ally's Shrimp and went to the top of Pool #1. Before the first song ended, I was tight to my first salmon of the season! What made it more exciting was that it was the first salmon on my new Naugatuck single hand combo, a Sage One 9' 7 wt. rod and my trusty Islander IR4 reel. The reel purred and the salmon was eventually brought to the net. I think that's the fastest season opening salmon I've ever caught. I raised another on the inside of the seam, but couldn't get it back. As much as I like a challenge, I decided to find more fish than to play the chess match. 

Ally's Shrimp excerpt from "Flies for Connecticut Atlantic Salmon"

     That move paid off, as I took another three salmon at Pool #3. I trashed my Ally's Shrimp with my forceps, so salmon #4 was caught on the next closest thing I had, a size 10 Cascade. I was losing light fast, so there wasn't time to change pools. That's ok, I was really satisfied with how the last 2.5 hours of the day went. Good fishing and good music...what more can you ask for? 

A killer combo 

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     If you'd like to book a day on the water, CONTACT ME soon. Dates are filling up quickly! 

Eric Reed - "Wade in the Water"