Fox Collectors

Opening day fishing here in The Nutmeg State. My 42nd.

With the recon reports filtering in all week telling of record low water levels, I honestly resigned myself to nothing more than getting a little fresh air and enjoying a late breakfast at our deer camp, situated a half mile from the honey hole; a hundred yards of lovely pocket water amidst a classic, southern new england trout stream.

I have fished with the "old man" ( the camp cook) for several years now and since he's a pure "meat" fisherman, I usually let him make a few casts before I decide whether or not to rig-up. If he doesn't score in 4 or 5 drifts, I'll pour another cup of coffee and wait for the temp to warm-up a bit.

The stockers had by-passed our spot for the last few years, favoring the bridge- dump locations where the masses congregate, a mile or so upstream. Again, I wasn't holding out much hope and was already fast-forwarding to our venison sausage and egg breakfast. Just then however, the "old man" whistled and I saw that familiar boil in the pool, that meant "fish-on." Well, now.....that was all the motivation I needed.

I entered 50 yards down-steam from him and selected one of my favorite nymph patterns. I'll spare you the fly-fishing, genus/species
entomology lesson ( sorry SILVERS) but let's just say it's damn "buggy" looking and to a trout, nothing short of a black angus tenderloin.
The stream was teeming with life, including several nice fish that I immediately marked in a 30 ft sluice, well within my casting zone.
Two gobblers were thundering off the hillside behind us and a lone grouse was performing his best Gene Krupa imitation a few hundred yards away. Add to that, rising brookies and browns and brother, you could skip my wake because I was already knocking at the entrance to the condo marked, "Pearly Gates"!!! It quickly turned into one very memorable day. I think they call that serendipity, no?? Here's a pic I took of the aftermath. Trout almondine in a dutch skillet tonight!! Here's to my beloved Connecticut and all of her splendor!!!!--TOOL

Very refreshing. Thanks for posting that!

Very nice Tool but why a graphite rod????????------ I figured you would be a bamboo guy, nice fish and nice day, Thanks

Im from CT as well and have decided this season to add fly fishing to my repertoire of outdoor activities. I picked up a rod and reel on sale around Christmas and from the looks of your post I may yet have some success!

Tool, thanks for sharing your day with us. I've always liked trout streams; it seems they go hand in hand with deer and grouse woods and I've sure spent plenty of time in both since a young pup.

The entomology story has been a long kept secret known only to a few of the comrades here, but since Tool opened the door, I'll tell all about it. What a coincidence, it was 3 years ago this coming week, and my friend Toolman and I went on an intense, hammer down, two day road trip to look at a large collection of Foxes. Both of us were pumped on adrenaline, talking Foxes on the way out. We had a great time with the owner, good dinner, libations, only about 5 hours of sleep, and then the LONG drive back home. About 11 hours of driving to where Tool and I had met up the morning before. Both of us were tired and we plain ran out of things to talk about. But then a chance comment prompted the entomology professor Toolman to get really pumped up and read me a long lecture on the facinating matter of matching the hatch. It was a part of Tool I hadn't known about before. Nope, he wasn't satisfied to tell me about the orders: Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera etc. MIle after mile was filled with excruciating detail on every single genus & species (each pronounced in proper latin, I know because I had taken Latin for 4 years), insect form, common name, its matching artificial fly, and how, where and when to fish each of them. I couldn't get in a word edgewise, and by the time we got back to the meeting place all the bugs in my car would have taken at least 5 pounds of old time DDT to kill.

It was a good time Tool; thanks for reminding me of the entomology lecture. Silvers

LOL....thanks for the replies.

Admin: No bamboo yet. That'll come with the DE 20b....ha-ha. Instead, a wispy little 4 wt. ( just like a 28 ga.) . A 10 inch trout feels like a blue marlin striking a Kona Jet!!

Ithaca33: Hopefully you will be coming to Addieville on May 12th. We can talk Foxes/Flyfishing between stands!!

Silvers: Hard to believe it's been 3 years since the historic "Barthmaier Summit Meeting". An unforgettable adventure into Foxdom, to say the least!!!-----TOOL

Tool man-you should fish the Henry's Fork in Idaho. The fish all speak fluent Latin and none of them come from a hatchery truck. It is all catch and release. Hope to see you out west. John

Hey TOOL, I just saw a gent with your tee shirt at the hotel breakfast. It said nymph-o-maniac on it. Heeehaw.