Hi Folks. Harry here. It's been a strange year for the Brattleboro stretch of the Connecticut river so far so grab a cup of coffee or whatever beverage you care to enjoy and listen to this fish story. The river temperatures for May and June were a lot warmer than they usually are for New Hampshire, and towards the end of June the river temperatures were approaching 80 degrees or higher, with little to no rain. Then, it seems that it rained just about every other day in July, and included the remnants of a hurricane. It was the wettest month on record for New Hampshire, and I watched the river temperature make step changes downward from 80 to 70 to 60 degrees, and the river turbidity went from around 1 up to around 400 at 1 point. I thin 400 is approaching chocolate milk. So far this month, the river has finally cleared back up and the temperature is back up in the mid 70's. I went out fishing a couple of times in May and June and caught a few fish but it was nothing to be proud of so I haven't posted anything to you guys so far. And as I was sitting here writing you this post, I kinda realized that I kinda got a weird feeling while fishing on the river in May and June; kinda like it wasn't happy. Yeah, I know, this may sound like a bunch of Woogida-Woogida, Zenish, and all that mystic stuff, but in looking back at it, it just wasn't like it was in past years for me anyway. Matter of fact, if you get down to it, the past year and a half has not been normal. So anyway, I finally got caught up with all the "Honey Do's" around here so I had the chance to go fishing with a clear conscience yesterday.
Not to be overly mouthy, but please indulge me just for another moment and tell you a little more history about me and fishing. My story so far involves me finding a USGS site about two years ago. This site monitors the Connecticut river water conditions, and is located in Northfield Mass, which is just downstream of the stretch of the river that I fish on, and provides me with the water conditions that I mentioned above. Also, somewhere along the way this year, I found an on-line Bassmaster fish activity estimator which (I think) is based on the solar and moon phases, and basically comes up with a fishing estimation from "Don't even try" to "They'll jump into your boat just for the ride today". Yes, this is even more Woogida-Woogida stuff and I tried it out, tested it, and came to the conclusion that it's a bunch of crap, and the only good thing about it was that it was free.
So, yesterday, even though the Bassmaster fishing estimator said I was wasting my time, I finally got back out on the Connecticut and it was beautiful, as smooth as glass. I started fishing and was getting all sorts of weak strikes, mostly Pickerell - it was kinda like they didn't know how to take the lure (a yellow and black H&H). Then I caught a Yellow Perch, a good size Largemouth Bass - maybe 2 pounds, and a collection of Bream (Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, and Chinquapin). I also caught a lot of other fish yesterday and threw most of them back. I did keep the larger fish, and the few beam an perch that swallowed my hook for Marilyn and I to eat. So, I came back home a happy guy, and just wanted to share this with you folks that kinda understand the serenity of fishing.
Peace my friends
Harry
HarryNH wrote:
Hi Folks. Harry here. It's been a strange year for the Brattleboro stretch of the Connecticut river so far so grab a cup of coffee or whatever beverage you care to enjoy and listen to this fish story. The river temperatures for May and June were a lot warmer than they usually are for New Hampshire, and towards the end of June the river temperatures were approaching 80 degrees or higher, with little to no rain. Then, it seems that it rained just about every other day in July, and included the remnants of a hurricane. It was the wettest month on record for New Hampshire, and I watched the river temperature make step changes downward from 80 to 70 to 60 degrees, and the river turbidity went from around 1 up to around 400 at 1 point. I thin 400 is approaching chocolate milk. So far this month, the river has finally cleared back up and the temperature is back up in the mid 70's. I went out fishing a couple of times in May and June and caught a few fish but it was nothing to be proud of so I haven't posted anything to you guys so far. And as I was sitting here writing you this post, I kinda realized that I kinda got a weird feeling while fishing on the river in May and June; kinda like it wasn't happy. Yeah, I know, this may sound like a bunch of Woogida-Woogida, Zenish, and all that mystic stuff, but in looking back at it, it just wasn't like it was in past years for me anyway. Matter of fact, if you get down to it, the past year and a half has not been normal. So anyway, I finally got caught up with all the "Honey Do's" around here so I had the chance to go fishing with a clear conscience yesterday.
Not to be overly mouthy, but please indulge me just for another moment and tell you a little more history about me and fishing. My story so far involves me finding a USGS site about two years ago. This site monitors the Connecticut river water conditions, and is located in Northfield Mass, which is just downstream of the stretch of the river that I fish on, and provides me with the water conditions that I mentioned above. Also, somewhere along the way this year, I found an on-line Bassmaster fish activity estimator which (I think) is based on the solar and moon phases, and basically comes up with a fishing estimation from "Don't even try" to "They'll jump into your boat just for the ride today". Yes, this is even more Woogida-Woogida stuff and I tried it out, tested it, and came to the conclusion that it's a bunch of crap, and the only good thing about it was that it was free.
So, yesterday, even though the Bassmaster fishing estimator said I was wasting my time, I finally got back out on the Connecticut and it was beautiful, as smooth as glass. I started fishing and was getting all sorts of weak strikes, mostly Pickerell - it was kinda like they didn't know how to take the lure (a yellow and black H&H). Then I caught a Yellow Perch, a good size Largemouth Bass - maybe 2 pounds, and a collection of Bream (Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, and Chinquapin). I also caught a lot of other fish yesterday and threw most of them back. I did keep the larger fish, and the few beam an perch that swallowed my hook for Marilyn and I to eat. So, I came back home a happy guy, and just wanted to share this with you folks that kinda understand the serenity of fishing.
Peace my friends
Harry
Hi Folks. Harry here. It's been a strange year for... (
show quote)
Great looking fish and thank you for sharing the pics.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Gario
HarryNH wrote:
Hi Folks. Harry here. It's been a strange year for the Brattleboro stretch of the Connecticut river so far so grab a cup of coffee or whatever beverage you care to enjoy and listen to this fish story. The river temperatures for May and June were a lot warmer than they usually are for New Hampshire, and towards the end of June the river temperatures were approaching 80 degrees or higher, with little to no rain. Then, it seems that it rained just about every other day in July, and included the remnants of a hurricane. It was the wettest month on record for New Hampshire, and I watched the river temperature make step changes downward from 80 to 70 to 60 degrees, and the river turbidity went from around 1 up to around 400 at 1 point. I thin 400 is approaching chocolate milk. So far this month, the river has finally cleared back up and the temperature is back up in the mid 70's. I went out fishing a couple of times in May and June and caught a few fish but it was nothing to be proud of so I haven't posted anything to you guys so far. And as I was sitting here writing you this post, I kinda realized that I kinda got a weird feeling while fishing on the river in May and June; kinda like it wasn't happy. Yeah, I know, this may sound like a bunch of Woogida-Woogida, Zenish, and all that mystic stuff, but in looking back at it, it just wasn't like it was in past years for me anyway. Matter of fact, if you get down to it, the past year and a half has not been normal. So anyway, I finally got caught up with all the "Honey Do's" around here so I had the chance to go fishing with a clear conscience yesterday.
Not to be overly mouthy, but please indulge me just for another moment and tell you a little more history about me and fishing. My story so far involves me finding a USGS site about two years ago. This site monitors the Connecticut river water conditions, and is located in Northfield Mass, which is just downstream of the stretch of the river that I fish on, and provides me with the water conditions that I mentioned above. Also, somewhere along the way this year, I found an on-line Bassmaster fish activity estimator which (I think) is based on the solar and moon phases, and basically comes up with a fishing estimation from "Don't even try" to "They'll jump into your boat just for the ride today". Yes, this is even more Woogida-Woogida stuff and I tried it out, tested it, and came to the conclusion that it's a bunch of crap, and the only good thing about it was that it was free.
So, yesterday, even though the Bassmaster fishing estimator said I was wasting my time, I finally got back out on the Connecticut and it was beautiful, as smooth as glass. I started fishing and was getting all sorts of weak strikes, mostly Pickerell - it was kinda like they didn't know how to take the lure (a yellow and black H&H). Then I caught a Yellow Perch, a good size Largemouth Bass - maybe 2 pounds, and a collection of Bream (Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, and Chinquapin). I also caught a lot of other fish yesterday and threw most of them back. I did keep the larger fish, and the few beam an perch that swallowed my hook for Marilyn and I to eat. So, I came back home a happy guy, and just wanted to share this with you folks that kinda understand the serenity of fishing.
Peace my friends
Harry
Hi Folks. Harry here. It's been a strange year for... (
show quote)
Nice catch Harry. The river's not the only place that's been wierd this season. Thanks for the story and picture.
dbed
Loc: POMME DE TERRE LAKE MISSOURI
I'd like one day like that only fish I see are in pictures Thank you
Sounds like a lot of places have a screwed up new normal.
Now that’s what I’m talkin about !!!
Nice catch and thanks for putting your hand in the pic for scale
Gordon
Loc: Charleston South Carolina
Nice fish Harry. Enjoyed the story and pics. Thanks
bric
Loc: Helena, MT
That’s a really nice batch of fish and a great story! Thanks for sharing and peace to you.
Harry, glad you got back into your happy place and had a really nice day. You even caught a nice collection of fish as a bonus. Enjoy your dinner with your wife.
HarryNH wrote:
Hi Folks. Harry here. It's been a strange year for the Brattleboro stretch of the Connecticut river so far so grab a cup of coffee or whatever beverage you care to enjoy and listen to this fish story. The river temperatures for May and June were a lot warmer than they usually are for New Hampshire, and towards the end of June the river temperatures were approaching 80 degrees or higher, with little to no rain. Then, it seems that it rained just about every other day in July, and included the remnants of a hurricane. It was the wettest month on record for New Hampshire, and I watched the river temperature make step changes downward from 80 to 70 to 60 degrees, and the river turbidity went from around 1 up to around 400 at 1 point. I thin 400 is approaching chocolate milk. So far this month, the river has finally cleared back up and the temperature is back up in the mid 70's. I went out fishing a couple of times in May and June and caught a few fish but it was nothing to be proud of so I haven't posted anything to you guys so far. And as I was sitting here writing you this post, I kinda realized that I kinda got a weird feeling while fishing on the river in May and June; kinda like it wasn't happy. Yeah, I know, this may sound like a bunch of Woogida-Woogida, Zenish, and all that mystic stuff, but in looking back at it, it just wasn't like it was in past years for me anyway. Matter of fact, if you get down to it, the past year and a half has not been normal. So anyway, I finally got caught up with all the "Honey Do's" around here so I had the chance to go fishing with a clear conscience yesterday.
Not to be overly mouthy, but please indulge me just for another moment and tell you a little more history about me and fishing. My story so far involves me finding a USGS site about two years ago. This site monitors the Connecticut river water conditions, and is located in Northfield Mass, which is just downstream of the stretch of the river that I fish on, and provides me with the water conditions that I mentioned above. Also, somewhere along the way this year, I found an on-line Bassmaster fish activity estimator which (I think) is based on the solar and moon phases, and basically comes up with a fishing estimation from "Don't even try" to "They'll jump into your boat just for the ride today". Yes, this is even more Woogida-Woogida stuff and I tried it out, tested it, and came to the conclusion that it's a bunch of crap, and the only good thing about it was that it was free.
So, yesterday, even though the Bassmaster fishing estimator said I was wasting my time, I finally got back out on the Connecticut and it was beautiful, as smooth as glass. I started fishing and was getting all sorts of weak strikes, mostly Pickerell - it was kinda like they didn't know how to take the lure (a yellow and black H&H). Then I caught a Yellow Perch, a good size Largemouth Bass - maybe 2 pounds, and a collection of Bream (Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, and Chinquapin). I also caught a lot of other fish yesterday and threw most of them back. I did keep the larger fish, and the few beam an perch that swallowed my hook for Marilyn and I to eat. So, I came back home a happy guy, and just wanted to share this with you folks that kinda understand the serenity of fishing.
Peace my friends
Harry
Hi Folks. Harry here. It's been a strange year for... (
show quote)
Some very nice gills, pumpkin seeds and perch, you’ll be eating quite well.
HarryNH wrote:
Hi Folks. Harry here. It's been a strange year for the Brattleboro stretch of the Connecticut river so far so grab a cup of coffee or whatever beverage you care to enjoy and listen to this fish story. The river temperatures for May and June were a lot warmer than they usually are for New Hampshire, and towards the end of June the river temperatures were approaching 80 degrees or higher, with little to no rain. Then, it seems that it rained just about every other day in July, and included the remnants of a hurricane. It was the wettest month on record for New Hampshire, and I watched the river temperature make step changes downward from 80 to 70 to 60 degrees, and the river turbidity went from around 1 up to around 400 at 1 point. I thin 400 is approaching chocolate milk. So far this month, the river has finally cleared back up and the temperature is back up in the mid 70's. I went out fishing a couple of times in May and June and caught a few fish but it was nothing to be proud of so I haven't posted anything to you guys so far. And as I was sitting here writing you this post, I kinda realized that I kinda got a weird feeling while fishing on the river in May and June; kinda like it wasn't happy. Yeah, I know, this may sound like a bunch of Woogida-Woogida, Zenish, and all that mystic stuff, but in looking back at it, it just wasn't like it was in past years for me anyway. Matter of fact, if you get down to it, the past year and a half has not been normal. So anyway, I finally got caught up with all the "Honey Do's" around here so I had the chance to go fishing with a clear conscience yesterday.
Not to be overly mouthy, but please indulge me just for another moment and tell you a little more history about me and fishing. My story so far involves me finding a USGS site about two years ago. This site monitors the Connecticut river water conditions, and is located in Northfield Mass, which is just downstream of the stretch of the river that I fish on, and provides me with the water conditions that I mentioned above. Also, somewhere along the way this year, I found an on-line Bassmaster fish activity estimator which (I think) is based on the solar and moon phases, and basically comes up with a fishing estimation from "Don't even try" to "They'll jump into your boat just for the ride today". Yes, this is even more Woogida-Woogida stuff and I tried it out, tested it, and came to the conclusion that it's a bunch of crap, and the only good thing about it was that it was free.
So, yesterday, even though the Bassmaster fishing estimator said I was wasting my time, I finally got back out on the Connecticut and it was beautiful, as smooth as glass. I started fishing and was getting all sorts of weak strikes, mostly Pickerell - it was kinda like they didn't know how to take the lure (a yellow and black H&H). Then I caught a Yellow Perch, a good size Largemouth Bass - maybe 2 pounds, and a collection of Bream (Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, and Chinquapin). I also caught a lot of other fish yesterday and threw most of them back. I did keep the larger fish, and the few beam an perch that swallowed my hook for Marilyn and I to eat. So, I came back home a happy guy, and just wanted to share this with you folks that kinda understand the serenity of fishing.
Peace my friends
Harry
Hi Folks. Harry here. It's been a strange year for... (
show quote)
Nice catch, Harry! Those look like some nice bluegill, pumpkinseed, and even one red ear (looks like).
Good eatin’ ! Thanks for sharing.
saw1
Loc: nor cal Windsor
The Bassmaster fishin estimator said you would be wastin your time, I don't even know why you even went.
Good thing you don't put much faith in that.
You know, I have been known to say, " The best time to go fishin is... ever chance you get."
I went yesterday and I'm leavin in just a little bit for another day in the same spot with Old Jim. Congrats on your day.
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