G lacial Connecticut

A lot happened this past weekend, not all good, but I shall spare the bad and post the good.  My fiance and I moved to Portland, CT this past September and I'll just say don't move to this town, it's no good, and also don't eat apple pie it's no good too.  After talking about hiking great hill which overlooks great hill pond for months, we finally said let just do it.  Our hesitation initially rested upon the fact that we did not know where the trail head was, and on Friday we would also be dog sitting for a pudgy King Charles Cavalier named 'Charlie".  After locating the trail head, we both agreed if Charlie was showing signs of exhaustion we would simply turn around and hike to the look-out at a later date.  Fat Charlie could not wait, his excitement to be outside was immeasurable.  Yes, he was panting before the hike began, but only with anticipation of going somewhere.  He knows that look, and once he sees it, there is no turning back.  

The trail head greets you with a dedication to the founder of the trail and parks of Portland, CT as part of an initiative to protect beautiful land in the United States headed by President Roosevelt.  I have to thank our past President for not allowing it to be turned into a massive rock-crushing site as Great Hill was Glacially stripped down to its granite core.  The proof is in the gravel road (unpaved) leading to the base of the hill/mountain.  With Charlie now hooked into his leash, we were off on the pleasant and flat trail as the base of the hill.  Note: flat entrance trails always mean steep mountain trails.  As we approached the first mountain spring, Laura (fiance) picked Charlie up to avoid getting his long white coat all muddy.  About 100' down the trail, we came to the next spring, set with stepping stones to navigate the otherwise deep black mud.  Laura asked do you think if I guide him over here he can... and Charlie was knee deep in the mud pushing forward with no regard to Laura's rear seat tidiness.  She looked at me with the awe-f-it face and we continued on.  We crossed a number of other muddy areas before the ascent, and Charlie was well on his way to being the happiest dog on earth.  I said to her, I don't always walk dogs, but when I do, I walk the dirtiest dogs on earth.

Laura and Charlie at the Lookout

Charlie, huffed and puffed his way up the steep climb to the top.  He stopped only to greet another couple on their way down, who said, "I hear panting."  But his greeting was brief as he was determined to get to the lookout.  He did not hesitate at all, pushing the whole way.  I give that chubby dog a lot a credit, he maintained his excitement all the way up, and would do so on the way back home.

The top of Great Hill, opens up nicely with views to the South as pictured of United Aircraft's Pier extending out into the Connecticut River, the cut-out just behind it being Hurd State Park, and the Second point on the East being George Dudley Seymour State Park.  To the west you can see most of downtown Middletown including the Arrigoni Bridge.  Definitely, a pleasant surpire in our own backyard.  There are many more trails to explore in the area and I'm certain they hold some more treasures that will be discovered in the near future.

Saturday, I had invited my little brother Andy over to go fly-fishing in the morning.  He had an outfit of fly gear from my Uncle Dave a guide and awesome fly fisherman.  So the outfit was nothing short of awesome gear, however the point was that Andy was going on his first river, with no experience, and the goal for me was to get him to catch 1 fish.  Based on the success I had on the Salmon river the weekend before I decided it would be the best fit for this objective.  I drove us into the TMA area, passing the lines of cars along the paved section of this river onto the dirt access road to a less fished area.  The lack of rain has certainly lowered the water levels, even more than my last post, and spots that had been pools holding trout were no longer holding trout.  Regardless, we would fish the area anyways, I wanted Andy to understand some key things about fishing rivers with the fly rod.  

First I discussed fishy waters, rapids, mid stream rocks, cuts, pools, and the like and how to get your fly into each.  Secondly I talked about how to do this with minimum effort, while maximizing the time his fly could spend in each area.  The river is your friend, and it is your enemy.  I told him, your waders enable you, especially with the water as low as it is to position yourself in the best spots to target certain areas of the river. I had him experiment with three presentations, and he took to it much quicker than I expected.  Within the first hour, he had two strikes but no fish.  

Andy using the current to present his fly

We would witness two separate hatches that resembled snow flurries.  During the second hatch, Andy hooked into the only trout of the day, a 12" rainbow, not huge but beautiful and important because it was the first.  He was able to touch it but it came off on its own at his feet.  Although the trout were not cooperating, we managed nearly twenty Atlantic salmon in the fast sections and had a blast watching these fish attack our offerings.  The last pool we fished was deep and slow, typically over-fished but we gave it a shot anyways.  I had Andy fish it completely from from to back, he ignored the first section despite the rising trout but I wanted him to fish it the way he wanted to.  He moved all the way to the end of the pool just before the rapids began and made a good cast perpendicular to the current and let his fly swing down current.  I heard him yell, "Oh take it, take it, Awwwwww, I pulled it out, he had his mouth open and I pulled it away anticipating the strike."  ... "Matt, cast right there, it's huge, it's freakin' huge."  I passed on the fish, and could only think maybe something good is about to begin.  Here, is the second hatch in video format that we witnessed during the day.

After the near hit, we talked about the day for a little bit, and made our way back to the car.  We had sandwiches on our minds, and well deserved as we had unknowingly fished for six hours.  We both thought it would be eleven a.m. when in fact it was 1:30p.m.  We were both hungry bears, and devoured sandwiches and salad back at home.  After a rest, we would try casting for bluegills at great hill pond with my friend Evan.  It would make for a great balance for Andy, as Evan had taught me how to fly fish almost six years ago.  

Poppers in the Spring.  I can't say enough about top water baits.  I don't care what you are catching, but anything top-water is nothing short of awesome.  As Dick Vitale would say, "Are you serious!"  "Ohhhhhhh, Ohhhhhh, OHHHH!" Top water baits are that much fun, and a (newly renamed) Bluegill-fin-tuna or Bluegill Marlin are the ticket to a great time during early Spring fishing.

Bluegill-fin-Tuna hate Poppers!