4/2/2020 fishing

Good morning all,

I'm grateful this morning to have a place to fish and a governor who recognized that opening day was a bad idea because of Covid-19.  I'm also grateful to my mother for getting licenses for myself and my 18 year old stepson, my dad and Frank for teaching me to fish, and the weather for cooperating.

After no success waking the 18 year old, I tried the 8 year old and she snapped awake excited to fish at about 5:30, an hour before sunrise.  We tried our favorite spot and weren't successful for the first hour or so, with Phoebes or her orange trout balls under a bobber.  Then we switched locations and I took turns casting her rod and mine, while she was able to reel the Phoebes properly.  I got about 2 casts to her one, and finally successfully caught one.  She was nervous about reeling it in (I offered), so I pulled it in and she netted it.

It turned out to be a Brown trout, somewhere between 14 and 16 inches, and not stocked.   You can judge from the pictures, I didn't have a tape.  It was tail hooked and we released it at Abby's behest. I thought it was a stick at the bottom of the river at first!  We caught it at about 7:15 am, while the world was still frozen at about 35 degrees.  It was across a narrow, deep (maybe 6 ft) section of river, 3/4 of the way across and in some riffles.


Have a great day all, and I hope you find something to do outside with your families,
~Mark
Exerpt from:
http://www.eregulations.com/connecticut/fishing/rivers-streams/
Farmington River Regulations, in case anybody's interested:

FARMINGTON RIVER (West Branch and Mainstem), Hartland-Barkhamsted-New Hartford-Canton-Burlington-Farmington-Avon-Simsbury-Bloomfield-East Granby-Windsor (T)

GPHCZ

Intermittent sections from Goodwin Dam to RT 4 (Farmington Center). Then from Tariffville Memorial Park (Simsbury) through the Tariffville Gorge (Bloomfield). Then from mouth of tailrace canal below Rainbow Dam to confluence with Connecticut River.

Farmington River Trout
Management Area X

From Goodwin dam (Hartland) downstream tothe intersection of Hogback Road and Route 20 in Hartland, as indicated by signs posted by DEEP.

• Season: Open year-round.
• Trout & salmon stamp required to fish.
• Trout:
  • Catch and Release Only from September 1 to 6:00 a.m. 2nd Saturday in April.
  • Daily creel limit—2, 12″ minimum length from 6:00 a.m. 2nd Saturday in April to August 31.

From the intersection of Hogback Road and Route 20 in Hartland, as indicated by signs posted by DEEP downstream to the gas pipeline crossing approximately four-tenths miles downstream of the confluence with the Still River in Barkhamsted, as indicated by signs posted by DEEP. THIS AREA IS CLOSED TO ALL FISHING FROM THE FIRST DAY OF APRIL TO 6:00 AM 2ND SATURDAY IN APRIL:

• Season: Open 6:00 a.m. 2nd Saturday April–last day March.
• Trout:
  • Catch and Release Only from September 1 to 6:00 a.m. last day March.
  • Daily creel limit—2, 12″ minimum length from 6:00 a.m. 2nd Saturday in April to August 31.

From the gas pipeline crossing approximately four-tenths miles downstream of the confluence with the Still River in Barkhamsted, as indicated by signs posted by DEEP, to the old footbridge abutments approximately 1.4 miles downstream of the confluence with the Still River (Barkhamsted):

• Season: Open year-round.
• Trout & salmon stamp required to fish.
• Trout:
  • Catch and Release Only from September 1 to 6:00 a.m. 2nd Saturday in April.
  • Daily creel limit—2, 12″ minimum length from 6:00 a.m. 2nd Saturday in April to August 31.

From the old footbridge abutments (Barkhamsted) downstream to the Route 219 bridge (New Hartford). This area includes all of the former West Branch Farmington River Trout Management Area:

• Season: Open year-round.
• Methods: Barbless hooks only
• Trout: Catch and Release Only.

From the Route 219 bridge (New Hartford) downstream to the route 177 Bridge (Unionville):

• Season: Open year-round.
• Trout & salmon stamp required to fish.
• Trout:
  • Catch and Release Only from September 1 to 6:00 a.m. 2nd Saturday in April.
  • Daily creel limit—2, 12″ minimum length from 6:00 a.m. 2nd Saturday in April to August 31.

Lower Farmington River

Farmington to Windsor; From Route 177 bridge in Unionville Center downstream to Rainbow Reservoir.

• Trout: Daily creel limit—5, 9″ Minimum length.