Daydreams Fulfilled (Part I)

I started this blog as a result of the constant daydreams I had about fishing while stuck inside last winter. With the good weather (at least from a fishing perspective) we've experienced this winter I haven't had nearly as many of these, at least until this week. I was busy over the last few weeks and didn't have any time to get out and fish. I knew the weather was getting nicer, which only led to further frustrations. Every time I let my mind wander, images of deep, clear, flowing waters filled my head.

Fortunately, I was able to get some relief this past weekend.

On Saturday Geoff and I left bright and early for a Salter trip. We were the first car in the parking lot, and quickly made our way to our favorite pool. We didn't get much action at first, but just as I was suggesting to Geoff that we try a new spot, I felt a tug on my line. I turned and quickly pulled in a nice brookie.

Soon after, we ran into Max and his son Nate, who were fishing for Salters for the first time. They seemed pretty thrilled at the couple of big salters we pulled out from under the road while they watched, and they took a few pictures for us. They later told us they were unsuccessful for the day, but this stream can take some time to figure out.

We moved upstream, where we found some smaller, but still fun, brookies hiding out among the watercress and fallen logs.

A beautiful day on Buttermilk Bay

Around mid day, having fished most of the good spots, we decided to hit a small wild brook trout stream in Central MA on the way home.

Looking downstream into the meadow

We saw a ton of stoneflies flying around the stream, so I decided to try a dry, while Geoff stuck with his small streamer. Geoff was the first to pull in a fish, getting two hookups from a pool beneath a culvert. We moved up to a large pool below a small impoundment, and I was able to get my first fish on a dry. It was small, but beautiful nonetheless.

We moved downstream and began seeing occasional rises. We managed to move a fish in nearly every likely spot as we moved through a meadow formed by a drained impoundment and then into a forested ravine. After that we headed home and I geared up for my planned trip the next day.