Farmington: Part 1

I’m at the Farmington for my annual May long weekend. Today’s post is Part 1. The summary? Good fishing, weird dynamics. More below.

Water early this morning was high, off-color and 52 °F. So, not ideal conditions. I wasn’t expecting much after last night’s rain, but it ended up being a double-digit day.

The best fish of the day was wild. It took a Stonefly, jumped three times, and certainly felt stronger than a stockie. Unfortunately, it was raining pretty hard and the photo didn’t turn out.

 
Rainbows were active. They too were susceptible to a Stonefly.

 
Throughout the day, I ran into some wild fish, with their intact adipose fins. They’re a hoot.

 
I also ran into some Survivor Strain trout. Here is one with an orange elastomer behind its right eye, indicating that it is a yearling that was stocked this spring.

 
Unfortunately, the day ended with a bummer. I was fishing Church Pool. A certain old man was on the other bank and screamed at me. “Leave alone my f*****g fish and stop fishing my f*****g river!” he yelled.

I’ve run into this guy one before in the dirt lot at Church Pool. He said similar things that time: “Stop fishing my f*****g river!” You see, he sees my Massachusetts plates. The more fish I catch, the more pissed off he gets.

I’ve only seen him at Church Pool. He sits at the bench there occasionally with some of his friends. I thought I heard one of his friends call him “Tony.”

I understand that he may feel that too many people are at the Farmington. I get that fishing is a source of solace for him.

But, there really is no excuse to lay claim to a public river. We all pay fishing licenses, and out-of-state people pay a lot more than residents.

So, I’ll be back tomorrow. And, the next day. And, in the many years to come.

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15 thoughts on “Farmington: Part 1

  1. Glad you did well Jo! Jerks like “Tony” will always be around, seems like every river has one. The best thing to do is keep catching fish, eventually they may focus more on catching fish themselves than chewing out other fishermen…..

    1. Amen. Based on comments on my Instagram post, it sounds like he hassles other people, too. Very sad.

  2. Nice! Not nice about that guy that says he owns the river, of course, but those are some solid fish. Even through the blur you can tell that first one is a gem.

  3. After a 40 year hiatus I’ve been fishing the Farmington regularly the past couple of years . I leave Church Pool to the guys that think they own it . There’s plenty of more productive water . Wait until you run across some of not so cordial NY guys . Dan from the kiddy pool .

  4. I never fish the Church Pool. Too many old bastards (like me) claiming ownership of “their spots”. Also I think they do not like contact nymphers and will only fish drys. Better fishing in other areas without all the BS.
    FYI, I was watching and talking to a contact nympher on Thursday and he was doing real well with tan and green caddis pupa droppers on his rig. Wished I had my flyrod instead of a dog leash! This coming week I will have the rod!

    I have run into the NY guys during the Hendrickson Hatch. Some directed backcasts and a stink eye kept them from getting into my hip pocket to fish rising trout two rod lengths behind me.

  5. The first time I fished the Church Pool some old guy came out of know where and told me to get out of his spot. Needless to say I ignored him and continued on. Still, I couldn’t believe it happened.

    1. It is interesting that you, and two people on Instagram, all talk about being harassed by an old man at Church Pool. I’ve been told that the guy who harassed me on two occasions is named Tony. I wonder if it is the same person for all of us? Seems too coincidental.

  6. I rarely fish Church. Has nothing to do w the people there. But now I’m interested and fired up.
    I plan to be there every time I go out. And bring my friends. Wonder how well mealworms will work there?

    1. It’s a good spot. A bit beaten up and there’s more productive water elsewhere. But, when the hatch is on, there’s a pile of hungry fish. Email me if you want pointers? Happy to share but didn’t want to broadcast to prevent spot-burning.

      1. Hi. Thanks for the offer on fishing the Church Pool. I’ve been fishing the Farmington for over 15 years but have spent little time in the pool. Often it’s the last stop to look around etc. Have caught a few small spinner falls and a few fish; usually on the small side. Biggest fish I ever caught there was 15 or so thought I believe there are much bigger fish there somewhere. I do a LOT better everywhere else. Any pointers you might have are greatly appreciated. And safe with me. One activity I almost always run into at the end of the day is some kind of micro micro micro hatch with plenty of fish eating below the surface and with their tails up. What’s that? Thanks again.

        1. Just sent email.

          Not sure what that hatch is, but if fish are tailing in quiet water, then they’re rooting around for nymphs as they’re starting to get active. I’ve always thought of end-of-day activity as spinner falls, and so, I’m at a loss as to what bugs will be hatching towards evening. Maybe, it’s the early stages of “behavioral drift“?

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