EclecticGuy

Willard Brook is a small stream that runs through Willard Brook State Forest in Massachusetts. You drive right through it on 119 and, for a short distance, it is like being transported to another place. I’ve often wondered if there were any fish in the stream with its small cascades and plunge pools. You never see anglers – most likely because it is very small with lots of underbrush.

My son and I drove through WBSF yesterday morning on the way to drop him off at Boy Scout camp. Nick asked, “Do you think there are any trout in there Dad?”. I replied, “I don’t know but it might be fun trying sometime.”

On the way home after the drop off, my mind turned to Willard Brook. It seemed to be a perfect spot for tenkara fishing for Brook trout. I could not resist the temptation to pull over and try it out. No need for waders, net and all of the other accouterments that normally accompany me on larger rivers. I grabbed my tenkara rod and line, a spool of tippet and a small box of my favorite flies (that included a small nipper for cutting tippet). That was it – me, a simple rod, and a beautiful cascading stream.

I found a likely spot, a deep pool with crystal clear icy water. I always sit and watch pools like this for a few minutes before casting in. Many times, a Brookie will give away their hiding spot or come up for a quick bite. I didn’t see anything after a few minutes so I cast in to the cascade and let the current propel my simple tenkara fly. It was a bright sunny day and there were spots of bright sunlight and dark shadows on the stream. I used my favorite red body, grizzly hackle fly. I fished that pool – about the size of a Volkswagon Beetle in size and depth (the original Volkswagon Beetle) – making sure to cover every possible trout lair. No luck.

I moved down stream a short distance to pool #2. This pool was significantly smaller but deeper and was flanked by a large boulder that diverted the water rushing in to it.

I sat quietly on a large boulder and peered in to the clear water. I spotted a long slender shadow on a rock deep in the pool. It still amazes me how a trained eye can locate these tell-tale signs of trout! I focused on the shadow and, sure enough, it moved slightly to the left just as I spotted the Brookie hovering about a foot above it. This was a nice small stream Brook Trout! I watched the trout as he rushed to the surface, grabbed what looked to be a small tan caddis, and headed for the depths of his pool. He was feeding and I knew where he hid – a perfect opportunity! As I quickly found and tied on a small (size 18) tan Elk Hair Caddis (one of my go-to dry fly patterns) he came up for another morsel. This time I got a better look at his colorful spots and white edged fins. This was an exceptional fish.

I waited for 60 seconds after he fed and then gently “cast” my EHC about 6′ upstream of his lair. I like to use the “slingshot” cast on short, precision casts like this. In this case, it was perfect and the fly landed gently on the water in a cluster of foam. I raised the tip of my rod so only the fly and 6″ of tippet were in the water. As the caddis imitation drifted over Brookie’s hold, the fish moved forward and gave a look up, but no take. At least I got his attention. I let the fly drift well downstream – staying alert in case another fish hit. After retrieving my fly, I slingshot cast it to the exact spot. This time it was on the outer edge of a little foam raft and clearly visible. I waited patiently as the fly swirled and slowly made its way down stream. This time Brookie saw the fly and darted to the surface – a good 5′ or so – and grabbed the fly with perfect precision.

As Brookie darted to the bottom with my EHC in its mouth, he realized something wasn’t quite right and turned to head downstream. A quick redirection with my rod and I began the retrieve. Tenkara rods have no reel so the retrieve basically consists of gently pulling the fish towards you until it is close enough to land. In small streams and small trout a net isn’t necessary. I landed the fish and admired his colors and healthy appearance. I always keep my camera at the ready so I wasted no time snapping a few photos.

I like to get the fish back in to the water as quickly as possible so sometimes the photos are not quite focused. That happened in this case. I wanted a shot of the fish next to my rod handle so I could measure it later. The photo was slightly out of focus but suitable for its intended purpose. A little work in Photoshop turned the out of focus photo into a pseudo “art shot”.

Satisfied, I packed up and headed up the bank to head home. The entire experience lasted all of 30 minutes from the time I parked!