Connecticut

Good People - Good Water - Good Fish

After catching a trout in New Jersey at 6:30 am, I drove to Hawley Brook, Connecticut. Hawley Brook is a wealthy neighborhood of Connecticut with private access to the brook, so I went to a public trail, Trout Brook Valley Preserve. I arrived before noon, and the parking lot was packed, not of fishermen but dog walkers. The preserve turns out to be a beautiful trail to walk your dog. Unfortunately, it also has a sign of no fishing access, strike-one on a Connecticut trout stream. I did review my internet research later, and the creek is a Class 1 Wild Trout Management Area. Maybe if I had looked harder, I could have found access. Unfortunately, when you arrive at the water, you are in a valley and have no internet access to check.

I moved on, following my GPS and trying not to hit bikers on the narrow million-dollar home streets as the cyclist were everywhere. Finally, after about 20 minutes, I arrived at my most likely candidate for catching trout in Connecticut, the Mill River. Beautiful homes also surround this area, but supporters of trout have put money into river restoration and access.

The spot I selected was a designated trout parking lot (41.2409, -73.25385), which also puts you at ease that you are not trespassing. I grabbed my three-wt rod with a small Caddis Dry and Red Copper John. I flicked about three casts before hitting a small colorful Brooke Trout.

Connecticut Done!

I caught about four more Brookies before leaving to move to Rhode Island, as it was only 12:30 pm.