Is it me or is there just something inherently wrong with this?

I went to Talbot WMA today to fish.  When I got out of my truck I saw a pile of something in the woods, literally 50 or so feet from the sign.  I walked over to see what it was and was surprised to find that someone had dressed a deer at the parking area and left the carcass in the woods.  Not a pretty site.  Is it really acceptable (or legal) to clean a deer right at the parking area of a wildlife management area in this state?  For the record, I am not opposed to hunting.  I am, however, disgusted by the amount of garbage thrown into the woods (including this carcass) in some very beautiful rural areas in CT.  What is wrong with people?

While the fishing was not very exciting, it wasn't as ugly as the beginning of the trip.  I did catch one nice brown on a Gartside Sparrow nymph.

Fall colors

Roadside brook

Since I have become preoccupied with finding wild trout in unfrequented streams, I am compelled to stop and take a few casts whenever I see something with potential.  While driving to a stream that flows into the Salmon River I passed this small brook right along the road.  The brook flows over a series of waterfalls, down through a small ravine and then into a flatter section emptying into the Salmon.  While I did not find it to be crawling with fish, I did catch one small brookie and lost two others.  The stream has some nice pools that I would have thought contained fish, but I've had no luck in them.  Maybe next time.

First attempt at blue lining

After reading about the practice of blue lining, I sat down with a computer and searched for potential small streams to fish within a reasonable distance of my house in southeastern CT.  I chose this stream because of its location in a designated "open space" and the fact that it flowed into a well known river.  My guess paid off.  While it is quite small, there are many small native brookies in it.  I was also fortunate to trick one larger fish (bottom photo) with a picket pin after it swiped at but missed a muddler minnow (my comfort fly from my fly fishing beginnings).

California in September

I was in CA visiting my mother and sister last September and decided to bring a fly rod.  I went up into the mountains with a friend that works at Orvis Pasadena and fished the West Fork San Gabriel River.  It is a crystal clear stream with wild rainbow trout, not that far from downtown LA.  It took a while but I finally started to get the hang of dry fly fishing again.  In this section the fish were small but well fed and feisty.

Another saltwater success

A few years ago school bluefin tuna were being caught around Newport and Fishers Island.  My friend and I headed to Newport (launching at Pt. Judith, RI) with the hope of catching one on the fly.  After we caught a few bonito my friend hooked and landed a bluefin.  Just when we were about to head back I got lucky and did the same.  While only 15 pounds, it still is a fly-caught bluefin tuna.

One of my most rewarding salt water fly fishing moments

On Bermuda two summers ago I went out with a guide to target bonefish (or other inshore fish like hogfish).  I had the great pleasure of catching two, this one being over 11 pounds and the largest one caught to date with this guide.  He was just as ecstatic as I was.  I highly recommend hiring him if you're on Bermuda (Jump dem Bones).

Return to fly fishing for trout

After taking ~17 years off from fly fishing for trout, concentrating on fly fishing in the salt, I've returned to one of my original fishing passions.  Getting laid off after 25 years of work has enabled me to spend a considerable amount of time this fall roaming the countryside in CT searching for small streams with native populations of trout.  I have also been given great advice (and inspiration) by BRK TRT (smallstreamreflections.blogspot.com).  It has been a blast.