I have nothing to declare but yesterday's species count. There were 8 in total and, in order of importance, they were: large mouth bass; striped bass; white perch; sunfish; calico bass; creek chub; brown trout; salmon par.
I caught the first 6 by my house in a natural stream that anglers ignore. I didn't even go there to catch these fish - I was after carp, but the tide was in, the sediment thick, so I had to settle for these 6 different species of wild fish. I didn't see another angler because this isn't a
fishery - it's not a destination, despite the weeping willows, the loveliness of the stream, the reality and challenge of the setting, the plentiful fish. It's not a
trout stream. Here are some of the wild fish:
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Quite a chunk, this fish went air-borne twice. |
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One of the prettiest fish I've seen. |
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If these fish grew to 6lbs I'd buy a flats boat. |
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Sunny, midday, August. A world record? |
Afterwards I made the long drive to fish the Farmington in the afternoon with Zakur and Don, and it isn't even Thanksgiving. These two guys know the pace of a river; that catching doesn't really matter. Sometimes sitting by a river, catching up, is better than fishing it, and this is true of the Farmington in August. It's a great trout stream when the stocking truck's been, but despite its relative beauty, it's something of a limp affair in the dog days. We caught a handful of this year's stockies and a bucket full of salmon par, each delicately fried in cornmeal, held by the tail and consumed whole. We had a jolly time, but the fishing wasn't what you'd call good.
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It looks like a trout stream, but is it? |
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Real wild flowers? |
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Don and Steve. They are real. |
Like a stocked brown trout, by August my brain has re-calibrated from the lusts of spring. By mid-summer I need natural rivers and wild, weird fish.
See you by the old Mill.
Jonny
nice selection of fish. Those bass are sure fun to catch even if my spinfishing buddies look at me weird when I roll up with a fly rod.
ReplyDeleteNo domestics?
ReplyDeleteWent back tonight with Anon. No carp, but another striper, and a yellow perch to add to the wild fish log! Cool to catch 7 different fish in the last two visits.
ReplyDeleteCalico bass, huh? Nice diversity.
ReplyDeleteWe call them crap pies where I come from.
ReplyDeleteCrap(pies). Carp. What's the difference?
ReplyDeleteThe position of the letter "r".
ReplyDeleteAnd how long you cook 'em.