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Come Hell or High Water?
Newsletter for June 2017
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When you uttered this phrase in the past, it generally meant that no matter what obstacle was in your way, you'd see a thing through, and do what you said you'd do. In times like these (Mid March to the Present) wading has been very difficult, and High Water has taken on a completely different meaning.
Thinking about it, we had that last onslaught of snow in mid-March of this year, and finding wade-able water has been the obstacle since. Before that snowstorm in March, we were able to fish on the Farmington River and the Housatonic River comfortably, and every day since, haven't been able to. There have been a few times that the Farmington has been wade-able since, but every time their gage goes up, they let loose the water at the dam, and let's not forget the extra water you get from the Still River confluence in Riverton. The TMA in the Housatonic isn't dammed (Unless you count dams in Mass) or the high falls in Falls Village(pictured above). In times of higher water, fishing the Farmington above the confluence of the Still River(where Route 20 meets West River Rd) is a good choice).
For those of us that fish, we don't allow the elements to control us - we find ways around them. For the members that came to our last outing, this meant fishing on Furnace Brook, instead of the Housatonic River. I fished stretches of Furnace Brook from the preceeding Monday to the day before the outing (Friday) and caught fish every day but Wednesday, when I was scared off by a small bear. (I gave him the run of the pool and I encourage you to do the same when confronted by any similar circumstance).
The point being, is that we can almost always find smaller water.
The major tributaries to the Housatonic River are the Williams River (Great Barrington, MA), the Green River and the Konkabot River(Ashley Falls, MA); in Connecticut, the Blackberry River (Caanan), Salmon Creek(Falls Village), Ten Mile River (Gaylordsville), Still River (south of New Milford), Shepaug River and Pomperaug River(Southbury), and the Naugatuck River (Derby). In the TMA you'll find (from North to South) Reed Brook (East side of river below Music Mountain Rd.), Preston Brook, Adams Brook (near Push Em Up, and both from the east side), Mill Brook (on the east side just above the Covered Bridge in West Cornwall), Pine Swamp Brook (from the west), Ivy Brook(from the east), Carse Brook (from the west), Popple Swamp Brook(from the west), and Hatch Brook (from the west). These confluences in the TMA provide cold water to the Housatonic during summer months and provide us anglers with safe wading areas during periods of high water. In the TMA, there are pull-offs next to each of the tributaries on the west side, as you travel down Route 7, except Hatch Brook, because it's inside of Housatonic Meadows State Park). This year, I've seen many anglers fishing from the tributaries on the Housatonic and have done so a few times myself.
I've also fished both the Shepaug and the Pomperaug rivers in Southbury, on repeated trips since April with some success. Both rivers have native brook trout and are stocked by DEEP. I've also caught (yes, on flies) panfish, white suckers, bass, fallfish and catfish and tried desperatly to interest a large carp I watched with multiple flies drifting past his nose, of which he took no notice of.
Yesterday, another member of our chapter and I tried fishing the Naugatuck River (behind the parking lot at 118 & 8 it looked too dark, muddy and deep), at the Campville Exit on Valley Rd and below the construction area on Route 8 the river was too high, fast and forboding; so we drove over to the Farmington River and fished at Greenwoods (near Morgan Brook). This is an area I always do well in and yesterday was no exception. Though we caught no fish, we also didn't lose any flies, and while the water was high and the current strong, we didn't see anyone else connecting with any fish.
When the water levels are at these peak levels, I suggest wearing a 2nd wading belt with your chest waders, just below your armpits. It's a little uncomfortable but well worth it in added confidence and will keep water out of your waders should you venture in and loose your footing.:)
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We had our outing on the Blackberry River a week late from the original date due to a rainstorm, but it proved to be the right date to be fishing, because DEEP stocked the river the day before. GO DEEP! The pizza was fantastic, the bugs were at bay (no moscuito or tick bites reported) and the fishing was good. |
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Housatonic Meadows Outing
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Before you get all excited, nobody caught the fish in the photo at this outing. I downloaded this photo a couple of years ago.
We met with the Mianus Chapter of TU at Housatonic Meadows and due to the higher than normal flow and current of the river, chose to fish Furnace Brook (On Route 4 between CT-125 and US-7). The fish were keeping down possibly because of the earlier rain in the past two days so not many were caught. Our hosts, Mianus TU sprung for grinders and salads. Another outing with Mianus TU is in the planning stages. |
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Next Meeting
June 6, 2017
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Our next meeting is June 6th, and will be held at the Torrington Elks Lodge, at 7:30 p.m. Be sure to bring a fly of your choosing for the fly swap. One of our members will be bringing his vest (a very interesting one) and showing off the cool tools he carries. We've got an instructional video on our sport called "Begginings". that we can watch after the close of the meeting. I like to watch this video every five years or so - as I get older my memory fades and I forget some ot the basics of fly fishing.
The June meeting will be our last until we come back on September 5th. |
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