Bash Bish and Housatonic Sept. 2013

Fished the brook above Bash Bish Falls in Massachusetts the other day. I was expecting feisty little brookies; I found feisty little browns. I fished downstream with a nine foot rod; it's pretty open but next time I will use a shorter rod. The trout came to soft hackle wets on the swing, isonychia nymphs, and Royal Wulffs used as a top fly. In fact, I don't think it mattered much; the key was keeping low as the water is gin clear.

I worked down to the top of the falls — the water disappears into a nice-looking gorge which I am certain holds some good fish. However, short of rappelling or a helicopter (or a James Bond jet pack) I don't see any way of getting down there. I didn't even want to get close enough for a good photo — it's a long drop.

This evening on the Housatonic I worked a stretch of pocket water that's to the side of an extended riffle. The water's about three or four feet deep, maybe a little more, at a medium flow of about 540 cfs.

Big browns took Light Cahills, isonychia duns and spinners, Stimulators and Light Cahill wet flies. And they all got away, except for one.

The gorge at Bash Bish. It's hard to tell from this angle but I'd guess that water down there is a good hundred-foot drop. I wasn't willing to get any closer.

A run just upstream of the start of the gorge

This Housy brown took an iso spinner