I’m moving to Western MA next month and I’m just now realizing how little I know about river/stream fishing.

I’d like to think I have a feel for fast moving water, eddies, deeper holes, and how fish should set up, but most of my trout fishing has been confined to local kettle ponds.

I’ll be throwing my regular assortment of jerk baits and rooster tails, but I really want to expand beyond that. My intention is to eventually ditch the spinning rod for the long wand …

Given how I’m a staunch, anti-social media curmudgeon, I’m sticking by my stubborn stance and I’m wondering if anyone could recommend any books or writers to search for. Any books pertaining to this fishery (or any fly fishing/trout fishing river systems) would be greatly appreciated. I do realize I need to learn hatches and all the other nuances that come with it.

Thanks in advance.

Rob

Side note: excited to join the Pioneer Valley Surf and Boat Club. Hoping to add to rizzo’s legacy, but that’ll be a tough task.

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Hey Rob I know zilch about that type of fishing but enjoy your move.
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Deerfield is usually considered the best area, and have done OK there. Never had much luck with the Westfield. Hoosic has huge trout due to contamination. Good luck!
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Hey Rob I know zilch about that type of fishing but enjoy your move.
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Hey thanks, Paul. I appreciate that. Feels weird heading even further inland, away from the water. But could be much worse! My sister who’s a teacher saw a bobcat outside of her school yesterday. I’ll have to watch my back fishing the pristine waters of the Q at night!
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Deerfield is usually considered the best area, and have done OK there. Never had much luck with the Westfield. Hoosic has huge trout due to contamination. Good luck!
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Thanks for the helpful and insightful reply. I appreciate it. I’m looking forward to poking around the Deerfield
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Fish the Deerfield south of the Monroe Bridge dam to Rowe. Very large Brown Trout hold through that section. Below Rowe and below is busy with rafts in warmer weather. Good luck!

And, drive like hell south on Rte 91 through Hartford down Rte 2 to get to striperville in Weekapaug :)

And, see if you can find a Bomba out there in Western Mass too!!

And, drive like hell south on Rte 91 through Hartford down Rte 2 to get to striperville in Weekapaug :)

Ha! Already did the math. It’s actually close to the same distance as to where I currently am, so that should be a smooth transition. Not my normal year-round stomping grounds, but I won’t complain (except for bubble weed)

The Cape, however, a different story. Although Rappin’Mikey does do one nighters 3 hrs each way. I gotta give him give him credit for that…

But thank you so much for the generous info. I’ll shoot you a note if I find some fish in the boulders

Still open to book suggestions ie, stream fishing, beginners fly fishing etc, TIA!
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Good luck with the move ! Can’t help on trout tips…
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Just go for it .....there were no books when we FLy Fished m or internet , or cell .. pretty nothing much to messup a good thing .

If I remember I,ll take a photo of a couple of S/W ones that we use both ways .:fishin:

Hey Rob, I’d start out with going to an Orvis in your area and learning the basics. They do great classes for all ages, with casting, rigging, hatches, and such on local waters. Great intro to fly fishing, I used to help every now and again at my local Orvis with the tying classes.

Tom Rosenbaur has some great media for essentially all your basics and needs. When it comes to reading water, there is none better than the European competitive nymphers. Worth a little research.

For fly’s, I’d start out fishing streamers as that is most likely what your most used to. You’ll probably be able to pull some nice browns doing that, then slowly gravitate to indicator nymphing, and some dry fly fishing if the hatch is good.
I’d never dare fish a spinning rod again for trout, but that is my personal opinion.

Good luck
Tommy

I have a ton of books. I'll PM you.

All good points. Tommy is on to something tho get some streamers I’d start with an olive whooley bugger and just explore. I grew up 10 min from the chesterfield gorge some of best trout fishing in wmass. Start at the top and just walk down stream there’s fish all the way down to knightville damn and further. The Westfield is divided by several branches and most of its feeder streams are amazing native brook trout fishing. The Housatonic River from Lee down has some great brown trout but gets to warm for other trout to survive in. Deerfield is a great river but understanding the dam releases can get tricky there’s also that busy river that comes from the Q but the place can be super busy and look like the canal on a moon tide if it’s a warm day. Good luck feel free to PM me I can point you in some spots. Enjoy the area
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Wow, thank you everyone for all the replies!

Eben: Thank you. I appreciate the kind sentiments.

Mike: thanks for the reply. I hear you on just getting out there and keeping it simple. I read a ton of books about striper fishing when i was younger and that type of timeless info seems to stick with me, but I’ll still have to get my feet eventually.

Paul, thanks so much for the offer. That’s really kind and generous of you. I’ll PM you later.,

Tommy and Higgie: Can’t thank you both enough for the all the helpful insight and info. Tommy, that’s a great suggestion about Orvis, especially since I have a pair of waders I need repaired. That never even crossed my mind. Thank you both for all the info, I really appreciate it.

Tight lines…
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Good luck Rob.
Reach out to RoyL, he lives out there now.
Obviously Mike is out there, maybe you can sleep while he drives to the cape. Let me know if you are coming this way in the spring.

Side note: excited to join the Pioneer Valley Surf and Boat Club. Hoping to add to rizzo’s legacy, but that’ll be a tough task.

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I grew up in WMass and Pioneer Valley was the first surf fishing club I joined, back around 1985 or 1986. Got into the club, along with my dad, as we fished with Pete Kernicki quite a bit in SoCo. Good luck in your move, what town are you moving to?

As to trouting, I got heavily into it the past 2-3 years. I used to do it here and there with mostly stockies in the spring, but I started messing with the fly and found it to be a great diversion from the salt. I pay little attention to hatches or being technical and still do quite well as there is always something a trout will eat. As for resources, Steve Culton's Currentseams is a great website with an extensive archive, as is anything from Tom Rosenbauer. If you venture into fly tying you need to watch anything and everything from Tim Flagler on YouTube!

As for books, I have been building a solid library with, much like in the surf, a preference for the older stuff so books like Trout by Bergman, Trout Tactics by Humphreys, Trout Fishing by Brooks are all good oldies. Tactics on Trout by Ovington is absolutely amazing as far as breaking down water scenarios and I don't think it is popular enough. For modern stuff, anything by George Daniels is excellent but his stuff is sort of a next level approach IMO. One more that really helped me as far as modern books is What a trout Sees by Mueller. That one was really helpful.

Anyway, enjoy the move and new pursuits!

My sister lived up there in Shelburne Falls and fly fished the Deerfield all the time for trout and smallmouth bass. I'm sure the Pioneer members can also help you out. And depending on where you're living, you're only three hours or so from the best trophy trout fishing in the northeast around Pulaski NY.
Best of luck.

bart,

One thing I like about western mass is the amount of water to explore and the presence of native brook trout. For me the trophy is in the color each individual has and those natives can be stunning.

If you are looking to do something different and are looking to keep things simple, you can also go the fixed line/tenkara route. Tenkara is a form a flyfishing that I have been doing for the last seven years. In all that time, I have never considered a fly rod and reel for trout fishing. There is something unique about the style and aligned to focusing on presentation and technique over what equipment or artificial should I have at the end of my line. I have 3 flies I use and pretty much have stuck with the same rod for the whole 7 years. A rod will run you under 300 and some of the best ones are around 150. The line costs about 20 bucks and I fish a small box of flies on the water. You do not have to look like a pack mule to be a successful fly fisherman.

A lot of folk will discount tenkara and put it down. I can tell you for a fact that it made me more productive faster than if I picked up a flyrod and reel. If you are interested, pm me and I can get into the specifics. If you observe the below footage, the angler's presence is greatly minimized as they are not slapping down heavy lines on the water or casting shadows with their flylines when they are in the air. Wild fish can spook easily. These lines are really thin and practically invisible.


https://vimeo.com/54385784

In my opinion, if you find yourself gravitating to the blue lines deep in the woods to fish, tenkara is hands down the best tool for the job. It is also really effective in wider streams like the one in the video. When fishing pocket water, there is something in the style where you start developing skill and casting accuracy to present a fly into a 6" circle even in tight cover. Much of it has to do with how the line is fixed in length so it starts becoming an extension of yourself. With the same casting stroke one can do slight adjustments of posture and position to place the fly precisely.

Here is an old post with some early thoughts on tenkara, since I wrote this my perspective on it has matured and so has my skill. Like any discipline, the rabbit hole will take you far if you want it to.

www.striped-bass.com/Stripertalk/showthread.php?t=93393&

I would consider this applicable to stalking trout no matter the method but it was written for tenkara anglers by Eddie (Eiji) Yamakawa. I usually will give it a read every season. Good reminders and so wonderly drafted. To me, if you master these principals you will be successful.

http://www.tenkaraprim.ru/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Basics-of-Tenkara1.pdf

Stream trout are a different animal than pond trout, but like any fish, they depend on a food source and shelter for survival..
Spinners like panther martin ( black and yellow) copper blade , mepps and roster tail work well , the rooster tail in fast water ahead and behind eddies, bottom bump the panther martin along the undercuts, it doesn't take a lot of current to make that blade turn... .. mepps are a medium current lure, and can be worked sub surface or bottom bumped...small stick baits work well on brookies, and larger browns, especially at night... perch pattern and orange with black spots have always done me a solid,,
My breaks over, when I have some time , i'll get into the fly aspect of it... it can be addicting and at times, better than live bait!

And, see if you can find a Bomba out there in Western Mass too!!

I'll be here, there, everywhere. A new dude to carpool with!!!!! Where you moving to??

Rob, check your PM.

Wow! Thank you all so very much. I’m humbled by all these informative and thoughtful replies.

Bryan: thanks for chiming in, and yes, it would be good to catch up when I’m down your way. I might have to sneak my way onto your boat.

Toby: That’s cool you were a member of that Club. I didn’t realize you grew up in MA. I’ve seen pics of some beautiful fish that you’ve caught on the fly out your way. Seems like you picked that right up.

Rockfish: Thank you for the suggestions and insight as to what spinners you like, how you like to fish them. When I was younger, my father and I would fish for stocked rainbows and we only used the Mepps. Love that little lure.

Puppet: Man, thank you so much for posting. Tons of solid info. I had never even heard of tenkara until you mentioned it here. Looking forward to really diving into all of this. Again, thank you for all insight and suggestions. And to your point about there being so much water to explore - I agree. It’s somewhat intimidating!

Dennis: Thank you. Targeting smallmouth is something I REALLY want to do. I caught a couple on pinz minnows poking around Great Barrington two years ago. Pulaski is on the bucket list for sure.

Mikey: I’m moving to Amherst. Would be great to carpool. It feels odd moving further away from where I ultimately want to be, but I’ll jump at any opportunity to enjoy some time out there. We’ll have to destroy some Bomba Shads.

Once again, thank you all for the replies. I really appreciate them. This move can’t come soon enough, for many reasons, one of the biggest being that I’ve essentially been a caregiver for the last two years. With my sister living only 2 minutes from my folks’ new build, I now get to now relinquish some of those duties. Can’t wait for the day when I can get out without having to worry about bringing home the virus. My hair has literally gone gray from the stress of having to constantly worry. ( even being double vaxxed and boosted, obviously.) That will be such a relief in and of itself.

Tight lines, everyone.
Rob
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Pick up a copy of the Trout Unlimited Guide to Massachusetts Trout fishing.

Look up the Deerfield Fly Shop.A great source of information on who,what & where.They hold classes for tying,rigging,casting,etc. etc. You'll meet plenty of folks.Plus supporting a local buisness.Did almost the same thing back in 2012.Was going to move off the Cape to the Colrain,Charlemont,Ashfield area.But ended up in Rangeley Me.The queen hated it after 3 years.Moved back to the Cape[her family].It was a great experience learning to river and stream fish for trout,salmon,&smallies.Got involved with the local folks and they were great people overall.Met many helpfull folks out of the local flyshop and Molly. T.U.Enjoy your new challenge.It's going to be alot of fun.

My apologies for just getting back to this thread.

Thank you both for the advice/suggestions and kind sentiments!

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bart ......... if I could walk .I,d give you a f #^&#^&#^&#^&#^& lesson :musc: