My evening began way above the covered bridge in some snotty rapids. — from 6pm to almost 9pm. Mysteries as yet unsolved (but I have my theories): Why such lousy action on wets? We also fish a nearby tailwater called the Farmington River. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. – Fish near deep(er) water access. Sometimes a change in plans turns out to be better than expected – Sometimes. The Housatonic River, or "Housy" as she is known to her regulars, is a famous New England freestone trout river flowing through limestone deposits, and best known for heavy hatches and fat holdover trout. James Gorman Outdoors column discusses smallmouth bass fishing in Housatonic River (Conn) as means of alleviating frustration of midsummer slump; photo (M) All of the bigger fish blitzed the fly moments after it hit the water. Catching these strong fighters on poppers is a blast. They’re feeding with confidence under the cover of darkness. Part of it was the drought, which made for challenging conditions. (I could hear the announcer saying, ''You know, it's painful to watch. It was, in a word, slow. The Lake Lillinonah is an impoundment of the Housatonic River, created in 1955 by construction of the Shepaug dam. It was tough fishing until he found the right fly, and then an orange Stumpbuster and a rust Woolly Bugger did the trick. He's trying so hard but he's all off balance, his weight is too far back, and it's like he's not seeing the ball.''). You’ll find a little river history, a little reconnoiter, some trout and smallie basics, and a couple of my favorite Housy fly patterns. When the rain let up and the fog started rolling in, I headed for the sound. Water temperature is the most critical factor in terms of trying to determine whether trout will be active or not. I believe I fished more days this summer for smallmouth than I have since I started seriously pursuing them (in 2016). The trout had been seeing a lot of fishing pressure, and tasted a lot of artificial flies, and they would sense a mouthful of feathers quickly, and spit it out. Today I headed out to the Housatonic River for what I thought was going to be a chance to chase trout with dry flies. Started out with a white cone head Woolly Bugger, and its production level was uninspiring. The fish are plentiful, the anglers scarce, the water’s pleasantly warm, and there’s something magical about the feeding frenzy that occurs during the change of light on a hot summer evening. We buy, sell or trade used and antique fishing equipment rods, reels, lines, duck and fish decoys, fishing lures, books, artwork, collectibles and tying materials/tools. First cast. It is also a superb but underrated smallmouth bass fishery in the warmer months when the trout fishing … Four inches is a good cutoff point. Dusk. Hello, boys, I missed you! Fish alone. The bass will vary in size from 8 to 17 inches and are fierce fighters that take your fly eagerly. Black Magic was featured in the color plates of Robert Smith’s book The North Country Fly. The secret to consistently catching smallmouth from rivers is being comfortable fishing in current. The best part was a few some-teen inch slobs in the mix, all on the Countermeasure at dusk. There will come a point where the bite will shut down, which is usually about the time you can no longer see your fly. So I explored. The smallmouth bass are wide awake. Some of the little guys may want to fight outside their weight class, but often can’t get the hook in their mouth. I got into more larger smallies this year than ever before. I fished new water. But we can take comfort in the hope and promise of 2021. The more you fish, the more chances you’ll have to hook up with a big one. Summertime Smallmouth on the Housatonic River. 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