It happens every year at this time. I'm sure it has something to do with the lengthening days, the new birdsong during the early hours of dawn and the new fresh flows as our streams shed their winter covers and give us a glimpse of Spring. And I'm not talking about the marquee rivers that will be packed with anglers as soon as the stocking trucks roll. I'm talking about streams that are not stocked and may not even have a name, a name that can be remembered at least. This is where the real trout live.
I caught many trout as a kid and all of them were wild, native brookies until Bennett Brook yielded a hatchery trout and ruined it. I'll name that stream now but not the others. The Rule of Thumb: if the stream is stocked tell the world. If it's not stocked it's a State Secret.
One of the things that has changed over the decades is that it seems that fewer people fish these tiny waters. They were never crowded for sure but these streams have lost the glamour of years past. You certainly don't see them gracing the covers of fly fishing magazines which seem hellbent on selling us more equipment and pointing us in the direction of some hot, new fly fishing destination with giant fish. Our pastime as lost its innocence.
One sad note is that the DFW still is determined to throw stocked trout over wild fish. Any brook with stream bred trout should be left alone. As I said, few people fish them anyway so you're not going to hurt anyone's feelings if stocking ceased.
I'll take a short trip or two this Spring and visit some old haunts as I do every other year or so. I'll rig up my old fiberglass rod for this bushwacking adventure. Or I'll spy a new place that's not on the stocking list that just has to have trout in it and check it out. One cannot forget their roots!!!
The Rusty Olive
Think Spring!
Ken
11 comments:
Ken that soft hackle will catch, for sure!
Amen on the small streams. The cool thing, is that there are a lot more than folks realize. And while this may come off rather, well, jerk like, I think most catch and keep folks target the larger, often easier to access, stocked streams and rivers. Which largely helps keep the blue lines "safe".
It's amazing how fun it is to bring just a small tin of flies, and sense of adventure!
Will (Hibernation),
You nailed it except "MOST PEOPLE TARGET THE LARGER, OFTEN EASIER TO ACCESS,STOCKED
STREAMS AND RIVERS". Hardly anyone fishes brooks any longer, especially flyfishers!! Blue Lines are a forgotten subject. Good for native trout, good for us.
Ken
Ken,
When my folks moved us here from Ohio as a youngster the only thing I was happy about was I heard that New England had trout. Someone told me about a little stream, more of a ditch with flow that supposedly had brook trout in it. It drained out of wetland that thankfully is still intact to this day.
My brother and I rode our bikes to the place and tossed worms in the zones above, below and the culvert underneath a certain road. Lo and behold we caught a few trout! We could not believe the beauty of them, but back in those days we had no problem taking them home for the frying pan. Mom fried them up for us along with eggs. I will never forget that. I bet there are still brookies in there.
Regards, Sam
I think some apparel could be made out of this... "Blue Lines Matter" ;) I've made a couple of trips to some of those smaller streams that are closer to my home that typically have water year round but have yet to connect or see any fish during my travels.
Sam and Ross,
The DFW has surveyed basically every stream in Ma and inventoried the critters in them. There are trout everywhere, not lots of them but they are there. All the info can be found online.
Sam- I did the same thing as a kid as you.
Ken
Great post and comments. Since arriving at Umass for grad school in the 70s, and living in Millers River country ever since, I have several hiding places--all with native trout. My daughter and her fiancé gave me a gift certificate to a fly shop, and I found a half weight rod on sale. Put a 1 wt reel on it, and I can't wait to get out to the "blue lines." Nothing prettier than a male 5-inch brookie.
Anonymous 11:18 am
I will not tell you of my Millers Watershed spots if you don't tell me of yours!! I think we may be the last of a breed - those that think that a 5 inch stream bred trout can make your day!!!!
Ken
Ken,have you checked out the EB lately? There should be more than a few holdovers. The fall was pretty nice there. Cheers,Chet
Chet,
The EB has been a mess since November with all the high water. It looks low now because they are holding water back. Floods can kill trout too.
Ken
Did you mean Bennett brook in Hinsdale mass??...grew up fishing that in my younger years!. I remember when they started throwing in rainbows a long time ago...i still go there everyonce in awhile and it still has its share of natives...and i did notice last year it was taken off the stocking list
Unknown,
Actually it was Bennett Brook on the Ayer/Littleton border. It still gets stocked.
Ken
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