Winding Down

I'm a trout fisherman. I've noticed on some of the blogs I follow that folks are beginning to talk about the close of trout season. In New York, where I work, October 15 marks the end of trout season with Sept 30 being the end on the Croton Watershed. In Connecticut, where I live, we're blessed with a season that pretty much runs year round. There's a brief closed season before opening day but there are plenty of special regulation waters that allow for fishing in the interim.

Sandy Brook

Fall trout season is a great time of year to fish and I'm glad I won't have to pack it all into the next few days. I do want to fish one particular stretch of the Croton one last time this year but it doesn't look certain. The dam is still running about twice "normal" volume and I've not invested enough time this year to understand how the stream changed after the Spring floods.

There's a small stream near the house that beckons. I walked its banks a week ago. The fruit on grape vines near the water is past peak but the scent of grapes was heavy in the air. I recall a spectacular sulphur hatch a few years ago at just this time and maybe if everything aligns I might freshen that memory of small, wild trout coming to hand. The early darkness of fall evenings adds a special urgency to the rhythm of our sport as we fatten ourselves with memories of vigorous tugs and haunting rises before our long hibernation.

As the season wanes, I've also noticed a significant drop off in the volume of posting on the forums and blogs that I follow. I bet we're fishing less; recent storms and high waters have put the rivers in an unfishable state. That seems to be a trend this year. But there seems to be a special quietude that's laying over the writers. I'm not sure if everyone is too busy with "real" work or not fishing as much or perhaps they're all just written out after a busy season; words hibernating to emerge later, stronger. Hopefully they'll all return after a respite. Second only to fishing is reading about fishing.

Adirondacks in the Fall