September 1, 2010

Fall is upon us, finally; and none too soon if you ask me. Other than just a couple highlights, the summer season closed out without much fanfare. 2010 continues to be a tough year in terms of “numbers of fish”.

A New Personal "Best"However, despite the dismal number of fish coming to the net, 2010 will go down as a new personal best for this old boy. A twenty-eight inch brown trout engulfed my Midnight Mouse on July 19. After a few minutes of some serious tug-of-war, he came to the net and the tape measure. What a handsome brute, indeed . . . a scarred up, kyped up male, with tons of character.

Another highlight, was the successful induction of a twelve-year-old angler to the joys of fly fishing. You’ve got to love those soft hackles, when the pressure is on. I’ve posted an account of that outing in the “journal” section of the website.

Chrome Came EarlyThe fall run of steelhead seems to have come early this year. As my enthusiasm for sleepless nights dwindled, I kept sampling the daytime fishing activity; hoping to tie into a silver bullet. August 23rd is the earliest I’ve ever put a Nutcracker into the jaw of a chrome head. The 26-inch beauty was all the convincing I needed to put away the rodent collection, and switch gears back to streamers.

So, it’s back to streamers in earnest. The Maple, Sturgeon and Manistee will be high on the priority list. A fall color tour to New England is planned too. I convinced my wife that one of the best ways to enjoy New England’s fall color is from a drift boat on the Housatonic River, throwing streamers. Can you believe it? She actually bought that story!