Another week, another pile of flies so to speak. Well it looks as though fall has finally decided to show up. The cooler weather that I personally look forward to arrived but with it came a nor'easter that dumped a bunch of rain and some damaging winds. The bellyachers and meme genies were in full effect online, whining about high water again. Note to self, high water makes for fat and happy fish. One motto that rings true from my past career was adapt and overcome, and arguably this past season has been one where you could easily apply that to your fishing strategy.
In a sense, what’s the big deal if you can’t fish, you should be looking at it in another light. You could look at it like this, those fish that get pestered daily are now able to take a vacation from gambling on a meal. There’s a silver lining in every story, and although we had a lot of high water this year in New England, some rivers have fared just fine, and many of you don’t even realize that there are more than one river in Connecticut with trout.
Conversely, high water, or changing flows this time of year can have some rather negative impacts as well depending on timing. I am certain that got some of your attention, and you’re wondering about the irony of this passage. Brown trout and brook trout are fall spawners, many of them are in the middle of, beginning or finishing up doing just that in our area. When the timing of severe fluctuations in flow coincide with heavy spawning activity there can be a much lower probability of higher levels of success with potential future fish stocks. The subject is a lot more complex than that, but essentially if a major change in flow in either direction, in excess or lack there of, the success of trout eggs hatching significantly decreases. There has to be some serious extremes mind you, for example a complete dewatering of a spawning bed (redd) exposing those eggs to air or conversely a large volume of water that scours the river bottom.
In the past week we have experienced a significant amount of rain so much that our rivers have run exponentially higher than what is considered normal. This past summer the amount of rain we received was even greater with noticeable changes in river habitat and streambed scouring. Now I am not certain as to the impacts of this recent storm, but it is safe to say that it very likely has had some impact on the 2022 class of fish. Some rivers like the Farmington have dams that can mitigate some of the negative impacts, but we truly will not know until a little ways down the road as to how that particular year class of fish fares. I can say with a very high level of certainty that there have been some very noticeable changes to habit, both good and bad. Being in a boat covering many miles of a few of the rivers I frequent regularly has painted a very vivid picture of what has transpired.
This brings me to yet another topic that I plan on delving into in greater detail at a later date. What can we do as anglers to protect these fish and the fishery for that matter to ensure that we continue to have river reared “wild” stocks of trout? Personally, I would love to see closures on many of my local waters to ensure that these fish get the best chances of furthering their genetic lines, but that idea gets mixed responses. I will let that one simmer for a bit but will come back to that in the coming weeks to the arguments that go hand in hand with that idea. In the meantime I will leave you with some eye candy from this past weeks adventures and a glimpse into the life of what it means to production tie. Have a great weekend.
-RS-
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Who’d of thought that a website with a space to piece together some random thoughts, adventures, or what have you would ever become so “old school” so quickly? It truly is kind of hard to imagine of such a thing, especially if you, like myself were born before 1980. But then again, I never thought that the hard wired house telephone or books for that matter would be such a thing of the past either. I know some of you younger folks are probably reading this in bewilderment, rolling your eyes letting your biases filter into your brains with colorful metaphors and nicknames all while simultaneously wondering when I’m going to tell you about how rough I had it growing up. You know the story; walked to school barefoot, uphill both ways kind of bullshit, everyone was tougher back then because of X-Y-Z blah blah blah.
Yeah. No.
I probably lost many of you already, because your circa 2021 conditioned short attention span has taken over your brain causing you to feverishly start swiping left or right on your Iphone cuz the odds are relatively low that you’re reading this from a desktop computer. It’s ok, I have found myself doing the same from time to time, but I recognize that Apple and many other tech companies have won by creating this information addiction that has changed the fabric of society. I have started to realize that I liked things and myself for that matter a lot more when I didn’t have a mini computer at my fingertips. I have this gut feeling that many of you out there, probably in the same age bracket or older are starting to push back on the machine and doing the same in a valiant effort to go back in time to what seemed to be a more innocent age when discovery was left up to the imagination and passing thru the front door of your house out into the real world and not by flicking your fingers across a computer screen in the palm of your hand.
My childhood is a constant reminder of that, and although my life wasn’t perfect by any means, it sure seemed like there was a whole lot less anxiety, angst and drama. With the close of my 18th year of being a small business owner in the flyfishing industry, I feel as though I am starting to see things a bit more clearly. I have always been a guy who constantly reassesses, looks at the big picture and tries to continue to forge ahead with my best foot forward and do so in the most simplistic way that I possibly can. I recognize that I am a very fortunate person, I have been able to take something that I am extremely passionate about and turn it into a rather nice livlihood. Many days, I honestly do not feel as though I am working, and although I hear it on a constant basis that so and so could never tie flies in the quantity that I do. Well, to be frank, that is why you aren’t me my friend, and that is what sets us apart from one another. When I guided on a much more regular basis, it was the same in that realm to. Passion makes people take things to extremes, and I clearly recognize that what I do daily fits into that category.
But I once again digress, so let me get back to my last thought. The one constant that swiping left or right, perusing the net for details or asking good old Siri for the golden answer simply will not give you is hard work. If you do not have a strong work ethic and drive, well I hate to tell you folks but you will fall short every time. Humans are always looking for a short cut to everything, its built into our DNA, but with short cuts often come consequence. I thank both of my parents for that character trait, because it has served me well. Hard work can be sidetracked by distractions, and recognizing them at times can be difficult especially if you buy into popular opinions that “you have to have this in this day in age to succeed”.
I too bought into that notion with the onset of social media that “I need it for my business” to succeed. Well, I’m here to say that I don’t necessarily believe that anymore. I had built up “my brand” so to speak before social media existed, the same way my father built his business as a carpenter; word of mouth. And although I have seen some growth via social media (small in all actuality once you really look at it), a majority of it was what I like to term a headache.
Being a commercial tier, any time spent away from my vise is time wasted, and over the course of a day a dialogue back and forth on “DM’s” can quickly turn into hours of time spent not completing the task at hand; tying peoples flies. Over time, there became more and more of what I refer to as “tire kickers” asking a plethora of questions only to never follow through on a purchase. Especially if you provide regular “content”, which in my case was an almost daily rendition of what flew off my vise the day prior. DM’s would almost always follow within minutes of a “content” drop but the same pattern would more often than not emerge. “Hey man, can I get what’s in this picture too?” Sure no problem, you’re looking at 6 weeks until I get to your order”. I would say that on 9 times out of 10 that would be the deal breaker, the reality that I couldn’t scratch that instant itch in our current world of swiping was unfathomable. You see, that is entirely ok, as many of you understand that time is a required ingredient in producing anything, let alone flies tied by someones hands.
So in closing, I hope to semi regularly start to write excerpts to share with you all here as it truly is enjoyable for me at times, and keeps all of you who have supported me through the years a bit in tune with whats going on over here. I often kick myself for erasing my original page from my earlier years as it had a plethora of good information there and was what spearheaded my move to an authentic webpage. My plans are to start doing some fly tying classes once again as there has been some interest in that department as well; whether I do them independently or through one of my affiliated fly shops or venues will be determined at a later date. I wish you all well and hope that you’re enjoying your time at the vise and/or on the water, and hope you will pop in on occassion. It has been a great year on the water on my end and I will share some stories and photos of that in the weeks to come. Until next time, here are some pictures of this past weeks work.
-Best,
-RS-
I’ve never been the type to pushback on change, in my former career I embraced the challenge. Honestly, I have always thought that change is healthy and a sound way to grow as an individual while also keeping your focus sharp and that brain of yours constantly working. But I wouldn’t be honest if I said that many of the changes I have witnessed in fly fishing have been something that I am willing to embrace. Certain things you just don’t want to change, and inevitably fight them tooth and nail until you finally realize that it is a losing proposition. But people like myself, as many of you know aren’t the type to follow the pack so to speak, and if something doesn’t pass the smell test will quickly divert and change course.
I have come to embrace a few things that have changed on the waters that I call home. When I first frequented the banks of one particular fishery; one that I was on hundreds of days a year at one time in my life mind you, If you were fishing anything other than a 0-4 weight rod with a dry fly, you were the exception not the rule. At that time in my life, I was most definitely the exception as I spent a majority of my days matching hatches in the subsurface realm almost exclusively with some time spent fishing dry flies and then streamers on a semi regular basis mostly dictated by what was going on in front of me.
Today however, when I drive or walk the banks of the same fishery things have significantly changed. Aside from the labyrinth of newly beaten paths that grace the banks that get larger and larger from the daily barrage of man made erosion, the roles have now flipped. I would say that the majority of anglers are high sticking nymphs while the minority of anglers are casting dry flies to rising trout. Trivial I know, but an obvious and notable change in what was once the “norm”. Now I myself have changed in my ways too; I fish with nymphs rarely these days, more with dries and streamers if anything even though I still deem myself a trout fisherman to the core regardless of the fact that I chase dozens of species outside the trout realm both in fresh and salt water yearly.
Maybe I changed to be different? I’d like to think that might be a small part of why that is, but I would largely argue that with a body of work, in this case closing in on 4 decades of time spent on the water, my life’s progression as an angler has brought me here because these are the things I enjoy most about fooling fish with a fly rod. That’s probably why I have such a penchant for fishing with streamers, but then again, in todays world I’m told that this isn’t a very technical way to approach fishing for trout, and to be quite honest I’m fine with that. I wholeheartedly I thank those of you who turn your nose up at the method of flyfishing for trout in lieu of other methods most often involving long rods, mono and a fly reel. I won’t judge you, so the expectation in return is the same.
I guess it was made very clear recently in a discussion with a younger industry friend of mine when the topic came up, he looked me in the eye and said I didn’t know you fished nymphs? After a loud chuckle I embraced the idea that most have considered me that “streamer guy from Connecticut” but have quickly forgotten or just simply do not know that I do so much more. In the end none of it truly matters, I fully recognize the fact that unlike many fellow anglers, I am spoiled by living in close proximity to a couple of rather good trout fisheries. I mean, I can literally be at the waters edge in the time it takes most to run a mile even if slowly, and that also affords me the option after years of time spent on said fishery and the knowledge gained to literally pick how I want to fish for the day.
But once again I digress, so let me get back on point. A few stories of yesteryear usually unfold shortly there after although I am starting to realize they really do not matter much, but some listen and many don’t cuz you know well “I’m just a fly tier”, and I take that as a compliment. Guess all those years serving the public made my skin overly thick; or maybe I came to the realization that at the end of the day it is only fishing, and that what is in front of me is what is most important. More seem to miss that these days, but once again I am not here to judge.
Since I have all but hung up my guiding career for the most part; only doing a handful of trips a year for a very small number of past customers and friends that I have been fortunate enough to make, the top guides in the area has also changed. Not only has the faces changed, but so have the means by which they choose to fish for the same trout with a fly rod. Many of you know that I have been rather outspoken on my moral compass in regards to angling with a fly rod, and although some respect it and move on, many do not and take it personally. Look, you do you and I’ll stick to me, I’m not looking for your approval. You head downstream and I will head upstream cuz that’s just how I prefer to fish. Who’s right or who’s wrong is not important. Once again it’s fishing and there are many ways to fool a fish but many have seemed to lose sight of that notion.
This leads me to another interesting observation, it seems there is two very strange things going on not just in flyfishing but in society these days. One is this sense of community and the other is the concept of the herd mentality. Most logical people realize that you simply will not have blanket agreement on anything and that blanket acceptance and agreement just isn’t realistic. Free will and choice give humans the ability to experiment freely despite always wanting to have an edge. Humans will always strive to find an easier way to get to the end result, which in reality can be good and bad. I’d argue that the new cyber parallel world that we now have accepted has some serious flaws. You can fake your way with many things in that cyber world, but in the world of flyfishing nothing compares to knowledge learned and garnered through simply being out there and doing.
I will say that despite this urge for community in the flyfishing world, its even more evident that the divide amongst anglers is cut even deeper than ever before as a result of this cyber alter universe. Look, the sooner all of you self proclaimed do gooders realize that like life, people have the ability to fish how they chose, when they chose, and where they chose and that they don’t necessarily have to follow your lead, the better off you’re gonna be. Just get out there and unplug, it is primarily why many of us gravitated to flyfishing in the first place.
This past week I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow angler who embodies what I have just laid out there in the aforementioned paragraphs. While wading a particular sand flat in search of cruising striped bass, I crossed paths with Bill. Now I preface this with the fact that I have been coming to this particular swath of sand for about 20 years now on a semi regular basis, and I have seen Bill just about every time I have visited. Dressed the same mind you; seasoned waders, raincoat, weathered stripping basket and small chest pack with his green pliers seated in the front pocket. On this day however, Bill was walking out as I was coming off the flat due to a rather nasty pile of clouds that had the occasional rumble of thunder.
Bill stopped and struck up conversation and we delved into a 45 minute friendly conversation about our experiences on this exact stretch of sand. You see, I learned that Bill fishes this beach every day, he leaves his house and walks to the same pile of sand in hopes of tangling with some of those migratory fish that come and go with each season. His approach is simple, he packs lightly but regardless of what he does or has with him he goes here everyday to be by himself to recharge his batteries and clear his head. Bill most likely isn’t on any social media, he doesn’t scroll feeds to keep up with the Jones’ and he most certainly isn’t doing Tiktok’s to profess his dominance in the virtual world. Bill simply goes flyfishing and when he isn’t doing that he is spinning up a few flies that have inevitably left some vacancies in the selection he brings with him every day to that same beach.
Bill still travels to fish, and was kind enough to share a few stories about places he’s been, many of which I had experienced as well. Come to find out, he was eager to hear about my experiences in the same locales; even relaying situations we both encountered on that same water albeit at different times as if we were there together. Bill is also friends with another close fishing friend of mine who guides the area as well, and as our conversation unfolded the feeling that Bill and I had known eachother for years took over the conversation.
Crossing paths with Bill was a sound reminder that as stated earlier, you really need to be focused on what is right in front of you, and that just about everything else is a distraction. I have always tried to stay grounded with that premise with my family and the things that I enjoy most, but will admit that the cyber world has dug it’s claws into me a few times in recent years; but I guess when you sit in a chair for several hours a day tying flies this can happen to the best of us. So as I finish this excerpt, and get my gear ready to ascend upon a mud flat with my wife and two daughters in hopes of finding a bounty of clams for dinner, I cant help to look forward to crossing paths with Bill as he is a reminder of why I live my life the way that I do. Hopefully when I am Bill’s age, I too will have the mind to live my life in the manner in which he does, because quite frankly, if it’s not right in front of me, it simply ain’t worth a shit anyway.