A funny thing happened on the way to the trickle the other night. First we must agree that not all trout are created equal. Can assume that we agree on the fact that trout born and raised in the concrete jungle of the hatchery are not equal in strength, wariness, or stature to ones who have been dodging herons, hawks and the toothy critters of the stream since a wee alevin. OK, let’s assume that there is no arguement there. Or maybe there is, I met a gentleman the other day who, as I walked fishless up the bank from a named pool on a named river, proclaimed that they must not have stocked yet…to me, that was a good thing, to him, he sounded a bit dissapointed. OK, so I can get a bit elitist when it comes to wild trout, which brings me to the other night. With a bit of urging from the better half to go fishing, an event that can’t be taken lightly and must be obeyed, I was starting out a bit late. The only stream close enough to get in a good amount of time on in before dark was the local hatchery. Something the big K in Saratoga County has become known to me as. When I first moved to the area 10 years ago,I made it a point to put a boot print along every inch I could crawl myself into on that stream. There certainly are some pretty stretches and some tight fits that you can get away from all the other folks with a bit of effort. I chose one of those areas that night one with a glassy challenging stretch, defined by the need for careful wading and accurate casting. There is also a nice path along the river here so you can sneak along the bank looking for risers. There happened to be risers and a nice spinner fall. The bugs hit the water and the fish ate them. The trout refused the first 3 flies I showed them but once I found the right combo, they ate without hesitation. They were 2 year old browns from a recent planting but they sure did act alot like trout and they had some spunk to them, one jumping 2 times before coming to hand. The spinner fall lasted about an hour and I had to change flies once or twice to convince some of the more “educated” fish. I caught one fish with another fly in it’s mouth so if this stretch sounds familiar and somebody can describe the fly, I can get it back to you. I like that stretch too by the way.

As I headed back to the truck, I was thinking to myself, “Dude, that was almost like trout fishing.”  I thought it was like going to see a cover band in the local bar. If you take it for what it is, familiar music played by somebody else, it can be a great time. This was definately familiar music and a good time.