Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Last "Bonus Day?"

Sorry for the delay in posting. I had a few obligations to attend to including new grandson Patrick, born November 11. I did make a couple uneventful trips: to the Pemigewasset River (38F water b-r-r-r-r)the Farmington River in CT (no fish landed, a couple strikes on small dries) and a few hours on the Squannacook River in W. Groton (I can still smell the skunk from that trip.) And then today Dick and I went to the Swift River and we loaded up on fly fishing junk food. I don't know how many fish we fooled (I am not a fish-counter) but it was a lot. Most were caught on Shadan soft-hackles, red, size 16 and 18. (Go to the Evening Sun Fly Shop in Pepperell and ask for some tied by Charlie. I think the special dubbing wax he uses has some secret ingredient.) Dick got a hook straightened by one fish and we both had quite a few break off the 6x and 7x tippet. The water temp was a warm and toasty 51F and the fish were real active. A lot of the fish were very dark, had no hook marks and were extremely energetic when hooked. I asked one of the regulars if they were recently stocked and he told me they were "Bondsville fish" that had migrated from a few miles downriver when it started to get cold. They moved upriver until finding the perfect spot to hang out - at the mouth of the hatchery pipe.
Every time I have gone out this fall I say it will probably be the last good day of the year - until the next last good day! I think this was my last bonus day of fishing. The next fishing report I file will probably be from Florida. Can it really be just a month until I point the car south on I-95? Well, who knows, maybe just one more bonus day may be left in the 2009 calendar, we'll see.

5 comments:

  1. Congrats on the birth of your grandson Patrick! I have been to Squanacook and Nissitissit over the last couple of weeks. Skunked on both trips. Sounds like I need to go to the Swift.

    BOB W

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bob, no lack of fish at the Swift.
    H-m-m-m-m Monday weather looks pretty good. Maybe just one more "bonus day!"
    Gerry

    PS thanks on the congrats. At 2 weeks old Patrick gave us one more thing to be thankful for.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gerry,

    I hope you can get more than one more "bonus day" this year. The Swift is loaded with fish and but it's loaded with fisherman too. I had a wild day on the EB of the Westfield today but for all the wrong reasons!!!

    Ken

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ken
    Anybody fishing today needed extra weight on the line to keep it out of the trees and onto the water. I will take as many bonus days as the weather will allow!
    Gerry

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gerry,
    You are starting to get more bonus days than I got real days of fly fishing this year... LOL

    -Eric

    ReplyDelete