Woods Wanderer

The other day I felt a powerful urge to get into the mountains and walk a beautiful brook. After giving the matter some thought, I remembered Ranch Brook in Stowe. Hadn’t been there in many years, though, so I could only vaguely recall how to get there. I headed out anyway.

Remarkably enough, I recognized the dirt road off Rt. 108 when I saw it. Not far down that road, I pulled my car over to the side and parked it. I walked the unimproved road past a washed-out section to a small parking lot. There a footbridge on my left went over the brook onto Trapp Family Conservation Land. I continued up the road, coming to a closed gate and a sign indicating that I was now entering Mansfield State Forest. I kept a leisurely pace as I walked the wide track following the brook.

The Ranch Brook ran steady and clear – one large pool after another. This is exactly the kind of trout stream I like to fish, so wished I had brought my fly rod with me. I passed three smiling fishermen a short while later, convincing me that the stream hadn’t been fished out. No matter. I had a rucksack on my back, a hiking stick in hand, and was in the mood to stretch my legs.

As the track branched into several trails, I took the one following the brook until I reached a point where few people tread. Then I bushwhacked along the brook until I found a nice spot to sit along the water’s edge. There I lounged in the rocks, eating lunch while listening to the brook sing its never-ending song. With temps in the low 60s on a partly cloudy day, I was quite comfortable. I eased into daydreams while grooving on the endless green all around me. Eventually felt the urge to get moving again. I took my sweet time hiking out.

By the time I reached the car, I had resolved to come back to the brook with my fly rod soon, real soon. Those big pools are calling my name. I’m thinking the crack of dawn would be the best time to fish them.

Tags: early summer, Green Mountains, mountain brook, trout stream, walking

Yesterday morning, while I was trying to get some work done, I got an email message from Vermont Fish and Wildlife: SLOW DOWN – GO FISHING. That sounded like a good idea. So I purchased a fishing license, put my dog Matika in the car, and drove to a favorite trout stream.

The brook was running fast and high because of rain the day before, but I didn’t care. Any excuse to head for the hills is a good one. I took my time running line through the ferrules of my fly rod and put on a dry fly. I was happy enough just listening to the stream and grooving on the wild beauty all around me.

The first hour was a lot of practice casting and stream walking. My old dog was having a hard time negotiating the boulders, steep banks and downed trees, so we did more walking through the woods than I would have liked and missed a few choice holes. But when I stumbled into a patch of foam flower in full bloom, that hardly mattered. The woods are magnificent this time of year.

When finally I approached a deep hole with a relatively slow current in it, I crawled into position and carefully dropped my fly on the water. Still no rise, despite the fact that mayflies were hatching. Then I heard the voice of my ol’ buddy Walt Franklin, who does a lot more fishing than I do. “Go deep,” I heard him say. Then I exchanged my dry fly for one of the Bead Head Hare’s Ear nymphs in my box that I had tied several years ago.

First cast, nuthin’. Second cast, bam! I had a big one on the line and was not ready for it. I danced along the gravelly edge of the stream trying to figure out how to land it. Matika saw the fish once I drew it closer, then started dancing with me. I landed it long enough to snap a photo. Then back into the water it went. Matika wanted to go after it but the big brown trout moved so fast that she didn’t stand a chance. I laughed.

That was it. I walked the stream another hour, trying all kinds of flies, but not one more rise. It was a warm, sunny afternoon on the stream all the same. I went home quite satisfied.

Tags: fly fishing, small stream fishing, trout, trout stream, Vermont