A day of extremes...

I am still amazed at how much the Farmington has changed, in recent months, due to Irene and Alfred. Once familiar spots now feel like uncharted lunar landscapes with submerged trees and branches that make wading a joy. On one hand, these changes have been frustrating as I feel like I was just getting to know the river however, I now feel like I have a completely new river to fish.

This trip wasn't about the catch as much as it was about being out and re-energizing, something that seems to happen best with a fly rod in hand. I could still smell the fresh cut wood that had been cleared from the roads and parking lots and, like home lately, the hum of a chain saw could be heard in the distance.

I had the good fortune to experience polar opposites with some "average" sized fish stuck in the middle.

How the day started...

How the day progressed...

How the day ended!

The final fish of the day was a spectacular piggy. The situation that lead up to this fish was textbook...I was in totally new water, fishing above an island that split the river in the middle. I presented a cased caddis with a trailing orange scud and at the front of the island the strike of the season. This fish was positioned right where you read about, at the head of the island. The strike was severe, the first leap amazing and the immediate downstream run, terrifying.

That first leap allowed me to see that this was no acrobatic rainbow and that if I wanted to net this fish I would have to be patient.The second leap was a prelude to the fish turning around and bolting right at me, so fast, I wasn't sure I could reel in line fast enough and, at this point, I am hearing the words, "you should have seen the one that got away", running through my head.

Patience won out and I was able to net and revive my most beautiful Farmington brown to date.

Absolute nirvana...and re-charged batteries!