Free as a Bird!

After spending the entire first half of my week preparing for the three exams I had yesterday, I found it quite suitable to blast Freebird on my way to the fishing hole this afternoon.  Once I got to Robartwood Pond in Campton, I couldn't really hear much but that didn't deter my excitement to fish.  I'm pretty lucky to have a pond that's open year round only ten minutes away from campus.  Robartwood doesn't look like your typical trout pond.  It can't be much more than ten feet deep at it's deepest point and is almost completely covered in vegetation.  I had major doubts about its ability to hold trout year round until one day last spring before they stocked it.  That day I caught multiple rainbows over 15 inches and lost brookie right at my kayak that was well over two pounds!  It's amazing how trout can find ways to survive in areas where conditions are least in there favor.

When I got there this afternoon there were thousands of tiny insects flying around the water.  Much smaller than any fly pattern out there.  They inspired me to throw on one of my smallest patters which was a size 22 baetis zinger.  There was a lot of small surface activity, most like bait fish feeding on these tiny insects.  I had a few very small fish hit the zinger but didn't hook anything. The bait fish activity gave me the idea to give a streamer a shot.  So I tied on a size 6 white marabou muddler.  After a lot of casting and line stripping the water exploded behind my fly!  It was a great feeling to finally feel a fish on the other end.  It wasn't much of a fight but I couldn't have been happier.  It was your average sized stocked brookie but it's beautiful fall spawning colors made up for its size.

For anyone who doesn't know, this is the marabou muddler:

I apologize for the poor quality photo. I accidentally left my camera in my room and my phone takes horrible photos. Here's one of the rainbows I caught there last spring.  I wish I landed that brookie that day, it was a real beauty!!!

Get out there Nation!  You can catch trout year round if you put the time and effort into it!  Nothing feels more rewarding than catching a trout when all odds are against you.  

Tight lines!!!!!!!!!!!