best days ever

[David]

Its called the Quinapoxet River and it flows into Wachusett Reservoir


That is the one that flows through the turbines but with fish ladders on the side, correct? I fished it once without any success. I did get a couple lake trout from the resevoir on the fly with big streamers one spring. My brother-in-law was an assistant football coach for Holy Cross when I lived up there, so they lived right by Wachusett Resevoir. I remember getting hot dogs from the hot dog truck at the causeway.

 

[Chaz]

One of my best days anywhere was on Slate Run one September a few years back, I caught over 150 brookies and about a dozen browns. The largest fish was a 14 inch brookie.
Then 1 June day in 2005 a firend f mine and I caught over 150 brookies in about 4 hours that were between 9 15 inches. The amazing thing was we didn't catch any small then 8 inches.

 

[Chaz]

Jack,
When you document the number of fish you catch it's easy to keep track of how many you've caught. And on the 2 outings I mentioned we marked down every fish we caught.

 

[jayL]

That sounds too much like glorified work to me.

Perhaps I'll try it, but counting and writing stuff down is a real downer for me.

 

[tomgamber]

Thats catching and releasing a fish every 1.6 minutes including the time it takes to get out your pen and paper and write it down...

 

[Chaz]

Tish happens when you catch em on every cast.

 

[fishingspider]

The day my clicker broke...just kidding.

My best days on the water have been those spent with friends. Getting frozen, getting lost, falling in, etc. and coming out with a smile and a story to tell are what make a great day on the water for me.

One of my favorites was dragging my friend to an unknown "hotspot" in the middle of winter to catch 2 fish and a cold. The fish were stockies and our bootlaces froze, but we had a great time razzing each other.

OR

Hitting a great sulphur spinner fall w/ my girlfriend and coaching as she caught brownie after brownie, then hiking out in the dark to a picnic dinner at the car. I wasn't fishing and didn't want to be- each of those fish meant so much to her. It was fantastic to see how excited she was with bugs in the air, rises all around, and a bend in the rod.

I really don't know what my "best day ever" was.

 

[Wmass]

DAVE Yah, that is the one but the river actually flows for about ten miles above where you were fishing. The turbines have been replaced so there is no more fish chopping. The river has a good population of wild brookies, brown, and landlocked salmon and then it is also stocked with rainbows. If you ever get up that way again let me know and I will give you directions to some great pools. I am actually moving back up there soon.




Also, I am saddened to report that the original Bob's Hot Dogs is no longer there. It operated by the reservoir causeway for almost 30 years but Bob passed about five years ago. Great hot dogs though.

 

[afishinado]

One of my best days on the water was on the Beaverkill. I caught over 100 trout (Jack), which has happened a couple of times over the years , but the most memorable part of it was that most were caught by skittering caddis during a hatch. Every fish in the stream just jumped all over the fly. Even if I missed, the fish attacked the fly a second or third time until it was hooked. This went on for most of the day.

Also one of my best days on the water was a day on the upper Delaware River where I caught 6 trout, 2 rainbows and 4 browns. Catching 6 fish on the Delaware is a good day anytime, but what made it special was the dink of the day was 18” and the largest fish was a brown just shy of the 24” mark on my rod. I was into my backing 3 or 4 times on that day alone. The strange thing was, I’m one of those guys that never bring a net when I fish – that day I brought one and carried it with me starting first light. I thought it was an omen, and from that day on, I always have a net with me when I fish the Delaware – but I’ve never come close to equaling my success that day.

 

[Wmass]

afishinado wrote:
One of my best days on the water was on the Beaverkill. I caught over 100 trout (Jack), which has happened a couple of times over the years , but the most memorable part of it was that most were caught by skittering caddis during a hatch. Every fish in the stream just jumped all over the fly. Even if I missed, the fish attacked the fly a second or third time until it was hooked. This went on for most of the day.

I have never had a 100 fish day but I wouldn't be surprised by this kind of day on some of the rivers in Vermont. Last summer I visited and fished with my father on some smaller brookie streams and it was just like you said. I caught close to 40 one day and I didn't even fish the entire day. There are so many little brookie streams in VT that I swear you could fish a decade up there and not hit them all. Hopefully I will get up there soon.

 

[pcray1231]

Hmm,

I think I have to split this one up, lets stick to trout.

I had a day on Elk Creek where I landed 15 steelhead, and lost 10-15 more. By weight, this was certainly my best day ever for trout. I know locals do better on occasion, but I don't get up there that often.

I've had a couple days in central PA with 20+ wild trout, one with 30+, averaging 10-12 inches with a few 15-16" thrown in for good measure, and all on dry flies. Tough to beat that.

An evening on Spring "coaching" my wife right after a big storm and a during a sulphur hatch. Perfect conditions, water stained but not unfishable, and noone around because a half mile downstream near the road it was unfishable. I think she got 6, but must have missed 30 more (I'm not a very good coach ). I caught one, on one cast that was merely intended to be a demonstration.

Several with 20+ native brookies in some beautiful surroundings.

My first fly-fishing experience. Oil Creek as a teenager. Carried my dad's typically unused fly rod and a spinning rod. Hatch came off, figured I'd give it a try. 40-50 missed trout. Only hooked one, my first on a fly, but I was hooked too.

Its hard to choose. Other things are perhaps more important to having a good day than the final tally. The company of family and friends is most important. The surroundings and scenery are just as important (I've fished Idaho and Wyoming, and still love a brookie jaunts and big water in nice areas like Penns). And the satisfaction of having "figured out" a complicated situation on a stream like Penns holds a special memory, even if your final tally doesn't rank up there with the best ever.

 

[schrec]

One day on Oil Creek I was finishing up when I walked past a guy in the parking lot, I asked how he did. He said pretty good, pulled out a clicker from his vest pocket, then said, "34 to be exact." I figured he was either an umpire, accountant or was compensating for a lack of something else. :-D

rising fish always
schrec

 

[fishingspider]

sorry, double post

 

[fishingspider]

schrec wrote:
One day on Oil Creek I was finishing up when I walked past a guy in the parking lot, I asked how he did. He said pretty good, pulled out a clicker from his vest pocket, then said, "34 to be exact." I figured he was either an umpire, accountant or was compensating for a lack of something else. :-D

rising fish always
schrec

Of course, then you've gotta ask:
"But have you had any fun?"

The response may frighten you:
"No, b/c my catch rate appears to have precipitously dropped from 16.667 per hour to 10.333 per hour."

Whatever they've gotta do the enjoy their time on the water, I guess.

:-D