We had a great turnout for our “Ugly Sweater” event this past Saturday, December 12th. We know that the 2nd weekend in December can be a crap shoot when it comes to the weather. Although 2020 has been a disaster on a lot of fronts, the typical December cold front managed to stay away for our day of fishing the Farmington. The mild weather brought out more than a dozen hearty fly fishermen from Mianus and Candlewood Valley chapters of TU.
What we lacked in sweaters we more than made up in ugly face coverings. The crew met at Upcountry Sportfishing at 10:00 am. After a few purchases in the store and the traditional picture, we broke up into several smaller groups and headed for the river.
Many of us who attended the CVTU chapter meeting with Derrick Kirkpatrick and Zach St. Amand presenting winter trout tactics, were able to put some of those tactics to good use. Many fish were caught. Definitely more than the last few years. Was it the weather, or was it the knowledge gained from the Wednesday meeting. I’m going with the latter personally. I targeted water that was deep and slow and manage to connect with three trout on a jig woolly bugger; 1 caught, 1 lost, 1 missed. Others connected on nymphs fished both tight line and indicator, and others nailed them on streamers fished low and slow.
After a few hours of fishing we met back at the Peoples State Park Pavilion for lunch and a warm fire. Face coverings were worn and social distancing was practiced. Over all it was a great day and great way to ring in the Holidays, catch some fish, tell some stories, and just enjoy the good company of friends.
Happy Holidays and we’ll see you in the new year!
Mark McBeth