Farmington River, Ct.

[dcabarle]

I dread going to Connecticut so last year when my father asked me if I wanted to book a trip with Marla Blair, I had to really think about it. The price seamed reasonable and for all I knew, Marla was going to take us to a world renowned pristine trout stream!

Friday night I left my house at 9:00pm and arrived at the Bed and Breakfast around 12:30am. Yeah, a long ride to catch stocked fish, but I'm an optimist and always try to see the good in things before I see the bad (that's somewhat of an oxymoron). Driving through Connecticut is beautiful (if you like the NJ Turnpike, you'll absolutely love most of what I've seen in Connecticut my past few trips there). The B&B in which I stayed was very quant and the people were extremely nice. I recommend it to anyone wanting to fish the Farmington.

I checked into my room and fell asleep instantly. The following morning, I woke up and enjoyed a nice cooked breakfast at the Gateway Bed & Breakfast in Riverdale. 7:30am an SUV pulled into the driveway, and in came the star of our show in full uniform. What I mean by full uniform is she proudly displays patches like a girl scout on her shirt. For example, one which boldly said, "FFF Certified Fly-fishing Instructor." With all of these patches, I almost wanted to address her, Admiral Blair.

After Breakfast, it was off to the river. The admiral insisted that we suit up and get our gear ready before we left for the river. Marla checked our leaders and tippets to make sure they were to her standards (which they weren't), and proceeded to tie new tippets on using Varivas (YUUUUUK!!!!!) tippet material. My father pleaded with her not to use it (Literally pleaded with her) but she insisted. Hey, she's the guide, and this is what we paid her for, right. (Little river dominatrix never hurt anyone, right?) She also insisted on us using 9x - 10x tippet material. Not 7x or 8x, but 9x or 10x. This was a must. After gearing up, we left for a little fly shop to get our Licenses.

Finally, we were off to the river. The first stop was a nice little place behind the Ovation guitar company. There was 1 person fishing a nice run using one of those 12 foot long rods with the big big big reel and bobber. That would be the second time this season seeing one of those things, and the second time in my life. They are quite a spectacle. Upstream a bit, I made my way into the water and started casting. A few fish were rising here and there which was a good sign. I had a few come up and look at numerous fly's but, I couldn't get one to take. I love fishing like that. I'm sure these trout were fully aware of the fact that I was using Varivas tippet material and wanted nothing to do with anything attached to it, so I switched. (shhh)... 7x Orvis Fluoro, and wouldn't you know it, my first Farmington Brown trout. What a fight (or not)... This fish basically swam back to me and asked me to take the hook out of its mouth. I complied. My father was fishing slightly upstream from me with Marla. He said he was going to enjoy having someone do the work for him. Not me, I like to do the work myself. (Why hire a guide than?)... Needless to say, The Admiral was with my father 95% of the time. They were fishing slightly upstream from me using a (gasp) pink San Juan Worm with three split shots for 2 feet of water. Hey... you've gotta get it down there. It was odd the way the Admiral arranged the split shots though. The first being 1" from the fly, the second about 3" up from that, and the third about another 3" up from that.?.?.?... My father said he thinks he lost more flies that day than an entire season. Luckily they were all hers. Back to the pool we were fishing. You could probably fit comfortably 2 (MAX 3) people in it, spaced apart at about 20 feet away from each other. So when 2 other guys and a woman came and stood a poles length away from me, I couldn't help but shouting over to The Admiral, "Hey Marla, this is just like Cairns pool". She answered with, "Your father just said the same thing!" Now here I am wondering why The Admiral is keeping us here, but she did eventually say, "lets try somewhere else." I turned to the woman and her ?husband?, "Why don't the two of you learn how to fish." The guy turns and says, "I've probably fished Cairns pool more than you." (I guess he was justifying that he was perfectly entitled to fish where he was fishing?).. I than said, "The two of you should learn a bit of River etiquette." If you're fishing too close to me, I'm going to say something. Anyway, they had the nerve to call me rude! When my father said let's go, I replied with, "Hold on, I need to get my can opener out if I'm going to pry myself out between these two clowns." Hey guys, call me what you want but if I don't like something, you're going to know about it. By the way, I learned that if you fish too close to someone in CT, it's considered harrasement, and I could have filed a complaint against all of them.


We arrived at a very narrow part of the stream. I told the Admiral right from the get go that I don't like small streams and she replied with something to the effect of, "I don't like them either." Well, here we are, fishing a small stream. Maybe her hyperdrive was a bit out of whack? Whatever the reason, we were here fishing this narrow waterway. Unimpressed. My father didn't seam to mind though. He looked like he was being pampered down the river from me and he was even catching fish on nymphs while I only hooked into 1 nice brown on a size 10 Iso Comparadun (he got away).

Next stop was off to lunch. The admiral drove us to a nice little park took out a bowl of fruit, had some chips and cookies and just about everything you can possibly want for lunch. Then came the stove and frying pan and spices... The way she was making our chopped steak looked like it was going to be pretty damned good too, but it didn't pan out that way (get it, 'pan'... she cooked it in a pan)... alright, lousy joke... just kidding. It was ok. She apologized for it being so bland. Of course I told her that she was a wonderful chef, and even helped myself to a little more hoping she wouldn't feel too bad about it. Hey, she tried, and that's what counts.

Off to the last and final spot. We pulled in and there was 1 guy fishing where we wanted to fish. Marla wanted me to fish sorta close to him, but I insisted that I was not going to fish on top of someone. Maybe it's the mindset up there??? I don't know, but there was no way I was going to intrude into this guys pool so I went upstream from him. At this point, my father found a bench and took a nap while I hooked into a few small stocked Atlantic Salmon which are very beautiful little fish. I also had my share of 10" stocked browns and 1 brown which appeared to be wild. Either way, none of them fought very well. Ok, well maybe there was this 1 Rainbow trout. I spotted him out of the corner of my eye. He didn't appear that big, but what did I have to lose at this point? I started casting for him and he finally took. This fish was huge, probably in the 18" - 19" range (depending on the glasses you're wearing at the time)... I started to reel him and he put up very little fight at first. I had him on my line for a good 2 minutes trying to get him close enough to my net. My father started to walk closer to me to get a good look at the fish when all of the sudden he shot off like bat outta hell. The tail on this fish was as big as my hand! Too bad he shot off so fast like that, I would have like to get a photo of him. Losing that fish and laughing about it with my father was the best part of the day, and I can only thank the 9x Varivas that was once again tied onto my leader.

Want my conclusion of the Farmington river? It's highly over rated. If I'm going to fish for stocked trout all day, it's going to be on the Beaverkill or a NJ Stream. The farmington reminded me of a bigger and ever so slightly nicer version of the Pequest. I don't think I could ever go so far out of my way to catch stocked fish. It seems that the river brings quite a lot of money to the local economy. Neither me or my dad would ever fish the river again.

A few things I learned from The Admiral: She helped me learn a new type of cast that I'm sure will come in very useful. I still need a little practice on it, but it will definitely come in quite handy at times (Seriously). The second thing I learned from her is that trout in the Delaware (specifically the WB) only grow to 16" (That's what she caught when she fished it once or twice, so it must be true). And finally, and this doesn't necessarily pertain to The Admiral, but I would never hire a guide to fish again unless I needed someone to row the boat. It's nothing against guides, it's just not my cup of tea. They are only doing their jobs.

Should I hire a guide to navigate the ship down the stream, I'd be very clear with what I was looking for. What I mean by this is that I don't need anyone to net my fish, but you may take a photo of me holding the fish. I don't need anyone telling me how to fish or what fly's to use. I already know this, and if I don't, I'm going to have fun learning on my own whether I catch fish or not. I NEVER want someone to tie my tippet on, I can tie on my own tippet. I NEVER want someone tying my fly on. Please do make me lunch, and although unethical, if you're guiding me and I'm paying you to guide me and I ask you to fish with me and I'm paying you for it, please do as the General says and don't worry about what the other people think, for all they know, I'm your pal from next door and we're spending the day together.

By the way, Please read all of this with a little bit of a sense of humor. I'm actually a somewhat funny guy with an open mind. I can also take a joke. Sometimes things written down like this are taken out of context. A few things here should be taken with a grain of salt. - Regards.

 

[HydeLowRider]

DC,

I have not laughed this hard in weeks. Three laughing shout-outs at my desk and my office mate is asking what is the deal. I would have payed the price of admission to watch this horror show.

Keep it comin.

Sincerely,

The Washington, D.C. boy ---

HLR

PS: The Delaware River system was incredible -- at least the scenery was outrageous. I even caught a few trout also. I plan to post the pics later this evening with my obilgatory play by play.

 

[onemorecast_OLD]

I liked the story!

I tend to think that it is unlikely for someone with your experience to fish for trout anywhere in the east. I would suspect that conditions are very familiar to what you are used too. Man, some of that stuff she had you doing was definately goofy!

I'm not sure of your dad's skills and I have found that it is worth while when taking a guest that does not have the pre-requisite skill, it is best to go for the guide unless you are willing to dedicate your day to helping them. From previous posts, I don't think your dad fits this bill (not sure, really).

Were I to go anywhere out of the east though, I think the guide is worth it. When paying for room, flight, dinners, I want to get to where the fish are and used the right flies and methods. Back here in the east, I have time to figure it out, talk to knowledgable locals and have a history built up in my mind of what should be happening when, I even recognize the bugs pretty well. This is not the case when you have 2-3 days in an area once every other year.

Anyway, I've been with many different guides. Personality has a lot to do with it, and I always try to remember that its called "fishin" not "catching."........10x, gimme a break!!!!!!!

 

[onemorecast_OLD]

My first line should have read "anyone with your experience to NEED a guide" to fish here in the east.

so much for proof reading

 

[BozemanSteve]

You might want to try the Housatonic if you are up in that area
again. According to several who have fished out west it is like
a small Madison. Lot's of fish this fall, great hatches and the crowds are more like the West Branch than the Beaverkill.
It is known for great October olive hatches that last 3-4 wks.
If you need information about fly shops, websites or numbers
let me know.

 

[Eagle Claw]

I have fished the Farmington many times and have a different opinion. This is the heaviest pressured stream in Conn and the fish can be very smart. The hatches start early and end late in the year giving it a long season.The Farmington River Anglers Association suppliments the state stocking with some nice size fish and the river fishes well year round.The type of water available is varied from small upstream to very wide downstream with flat water,pools riffles and fast areas.The scenery can be beautiful expecially in the state forest area. Also as to fish sze, I was fishing last year and thought a beaver was swimming toward me when I noticed a fish tail coming toward me which turned out to be a 25-30 inch fish with a 14-16 inch fish in its mouth. The locals know this fish and have actually given him a name which I can't remember but someone did actually catch and release him last year. Maybe your guide just soured you to the river.I have had some of my best fishing days on this stream and some of the most frustrating. The water also is a cold water release so when the Beaverkill gets hot the Farmington is not.

 

[GARYB]

Very funny, I also believe you really only need a guide for drifting or maybe when going out West. After a few seasons or decades fishing NJ or the Catskills the average flyfisher will catch his share of fish first time out on the majority of trout streams. 10x is out of my realm, just tying a knot must be fun.

 

[Scott]

Interesting... everyone is seeing how light a tippet they can catch fish on, and I seem to be going the other way - looking for the heaviest tippet that will fail to spook fish.

10x - Hhmmff... Not on my leader! It's not fair to the fish.

 

[Stimulan]

Very funny dennis. the read was great. You should clarify whether or not 'The Admiral' was a good guide or not. Would she be suited for a beginner intermediate or advance person ? did she go out of her way to make sure everything was good and was she courteous?

 

[dcabarle]

I'm probably not the greatest fisherman on the planet but I also don't feel I'm in need of an instructor.

My father showed me the ropes when I was young, and I took the reigns from there. To finish off my Jedi training, I took a class and fixed up my casting a bit. Suggestions are ok sometimes, but I'd prefer to learn on my own. Now if I saw someone doing something really funky with a flyrod, I'm going to wanna learn how to do it so I'll ask. When I'm on the stream, I always catch fish whether it's 1 and it gets away or 10 that were netted. It doesn't really matter, I just enjoy fishing for rising fish. If they're not rising then I'll just have to nymph and enjoy the scenary.

Why all the gibberish? Marla was a great sport about everything. We teased her about the tippet size and brand and other things, and she got a few good jokes in on us too. I would recommend her to someone going to the Farmington for the first time, or the 10th time and you're looking for an instructor. I personally wouldn't fish the stream again. It's not the size of the fish, it's the experience. People fishing on top of me, catching these fish that just about jump into your net just so they can be released quicker, and the traffic and factories on the way there. It's not for me.

From my understanding, they stocked 30,000 (Thirty Thousand) trout in the stream a week or two ago. I was so disapointed when I heard about that. Marla made it sound like a good thing when in fact, I had my heart set on catching nice wild fish. Why would they stock so many fish into a wild trout stream? It makes no sense to me.

As far as a guide for drifting... Yeah, sure... Like I said, you need someone to row the boat, but please don't tell me how to fish. If you want to teach me something about the river or the history of the river, that's good too, and I'll accept that. Don't offer to tie on my tippet or fly... I enjoy doing that stuff myself. To me, that's part of the game. You tie it on wrong, and you lose. Next time you'll tie it on better or you'll try something different.

If you enjoy fishing the Farmington, that's great. It's just not my cup of tea. If I need a quick fix, I'll drive to the KLG or another stream near by. The Farmington is for the most part of it, a nice little stream.

Fishing on the East! Onemorecast... You've gotta fish the Delaware. See that trout in your great photo, there are tons of em just like that in the Delaware system. They're all wild and they're all a challenge to catch. When you do catch one, be prepared!!!! We should hook up one day and I'll show you around.

 

[NJFred]

Funny post Dennis. The Admiral sounds a bit overbearing for me. I do use DRC guides (only for floats) on the Delaware for a float or two a year and I've rented and floated boats myself.

For me a good guide needs to quickly figure out what a good trip is for their sport. What kind of water do they like? Do they want find risers or spend time nymphing? Do they want flies tied on? Do they want their leader changed? Do they want to tell the sport what bugs are hatching or does the sport want to try and figure it out themselves? Marla sounds a bit overbearing to me but I'm sure she's a good giude in general.

For me I'm in constant discussion with the guide about what's going on. I must drive them crazy because I'm always asking questions to improve my knowledge. I also like to use the same guides as they know me and I enjoy their company. When they do suggest something I usually listen to them or I'll say I'm thinking about a Caddis Pupa what do you think. If they concur I'll go for it. I also like it when guides are honest. Infrequently, I'll show a guide something new... I appreciate candor when they say... hey that's a great idea, I've never tried that but I'm going to from now on.

 

[dcabarle]

I forgot to mention something else about Marla... She carries a camera with her so you don't have to. She takes candid shots of you while you're fishing. Marla is the first guide I've come across who has offered this service to me.

The downside is that her equipment is quite outdated by today's standards and the photos' are not of the highest resolution. Either way, I thinks it's a plus that she does offer this at no extra charge.

 

[onemorecast_OLD]

Dennis, I'd love to get into the Big D fishing a bit more. Believe it or not I have never drifted it and it seems like a big river to wade. I have stuck to the smaller catskill rivers mostly neversink, willow and BK, and have recently branched out more with Joe T on the WB. I think there are going to be a few more trips planned for the big river next year.

My only limiting factor is that my son will be 12 and will hopefully be my main partner next year. That may limit me on the Big D for safety reasons.

On the guide thing, I'm like Fred, I ask and ask and don't have any problem with the guide suggesting stuff, I figure I can never have too much info and I usually come away with a few new tricks. That is one reason I like to go with a guide.

I have no problem with the guide tying on my leader when I'm in a drift boat, I can tie it just as fast and as well, but I use the time to grab a drink or soak in the scenery. If wade fishing with a guide, I'll do the tying myself. Why, I have no idea, probably not rational. I can still get 7x through a 24 trico without mags, but that will disappear with my 30's VERY soon I suspect.

As to the guys who say I want the guide to row the boat only. I mean "wow," the guy fishes a stretch of river a 100 days a year, I think I'm going to listen a little. I nymph only when desperate, I'd rather strip some big old streamers and see what I can drum up. Anyway that is a little more of my 2 cents,

 

[bjmiller]

Scott, I agree with you. If the tippet fits through the eye of the hook without impacting the drift too much, then it's light enough. The fish can be brought in quicker that way.
Dennis, I don't agree with your comment about not wanting a guide to net your fish, especially in a boat. I've had to do it plenty of times floating by myself and it's not the easiest thing in the world to bring an above average wild Delaware fish upstream to the boat within netting range when the water is running 4000 cfs or more by yourself, even with a long-handled net. Hopefully I'll get to show you that multiple times next season.