Wild, native fish? 62 °F water on a hot August morning? No other anglers? And, all that, just a quick drive from Metro Boston?

I’m very grateful to fellow blog writer, fly rod maker and fishing guide, Geoff Klane, for reaching out and inviting me to chase brook trout. You see, work and family obligations have been, well, obligatory, and I have almost zero windows this month for fishing.

But, miraculously, my schedule and Geoff’s synchronized together for a brief morning, and he generously showed me a spot that features cold water all summer long (due to a large aquifer, I’m guessing) and is a quick drive from Boston. A truly magical freestone.

This was small-stream stuff, meaning bow-and-arrow casts, thin water, and quite a few hang-ups. It was a blast. I don’t often target small streams, as I’m more of a big-river person, but it was fun to try something new and fish with the #000, whose 7.75′ length was ideal for the tight quarters in which we found ourselves.

We didn’t have luck until we hit a good-sized trough. I had a feeling the fish were down deep, and so, I put on a tungsten nymph and tightlined. Yes, tightlining with a #000 rod! It worked well enough. The wispy tip and light fly line made for a good combination. I had over a dozen takes in that one spot and landed quite a few brookies. The best one was about 10″.

Geoff, thank you for a great morning! Happy to reciprocate and show you the Farmington, and so, shoot me some dates!