Category Archives: Reminiscing

You meet the most interesting people while fly fishing in the Catskills

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This time of year is a good time to replenish trout flies that were lost last year.  Like others, I have been wrapping furs and feathers onto hooks, concentrating primarily on flies to be used on our trip to the Catskills again this year.   The Catskill rivers are famed as being the Birthplace of American Fly-Fishing and are home to some of the best fly fishing waters in the Northeast, visited by avid anglers from around the world.  In my September, 2023 article chronicling a 4-day flyfishing trip to the Catskills that Paul Knauth (Hinsdale) and I made last September. In addition to writing about how a big trout cleaned my clock, I mentioned that we met several interesting people on that trip and that I would be mentioning them in a future column. Here it is:

When we checked into the Roscoe Motel in Roscoe, NY, we discovered that the annual Catskill Rod Makers’ Gathering  (meeting of bamboo rod makers)  had just wrapped up its gathering the day before our arrival.  Incidentally, it is important that they be called rod makers and not rod builders. Rod makers make the blanks that they turn into rods. Rod builders start with the blanks and finish out the rods.  Anyways, around 100 craftsmen attended, and after it was over some stayed a couple of extra days at the Roscoe Motel to do some flyfishing.

Rod makers are a patient breed.  Can you imagine the work involved in: obtaining a section of bamboo cane or culm (the cylindrical, hollow stem) from the Tonkin Bay area, splitting it, planing it down, gluing the sections, separating it into two or three pieces, attaching the ferrules, guides and tip, varnishing it, heating it, building and attaching the cork handle, adding the reel seat and rings, and ultimately turning it into a beautiful, well balanced bamboo rod? Some say that around 400 separate operations go into building a bamboo rod.

Because Paul and I both own and frequently fish with cane rods, we made acquaintances with those cane makers who stayed at the motel. (Forgive me for some name dropping here.)

Several of them were interesting folks, for example Kim and Robert “Willis” Reid from Sharon, MA. They have been attending the Rod Makers Gatherings for many years but covid and other troubles had kept them away for a few years. Years ago, they spent their honeymoon staying at the Roscoe Motel and return every year at the same time.  Kim has been the recipient of the A.P. Bellinger Award which is given annually to a person “for recognition of the recipient’s contribution to the bamboo rod makers’ craft and demonstrating that quality and integrity never go out of style.” She has been an illustrator for several books related to fly fishing.

Willis and I had a couple of nice conversations and one day he gave me one of his excellently tied flies named the Miller River Special.  It was named after the Miller River in Massachusetts, not too far from where they live. Because Robert is a fly tyer of some renown, I don’t intend to fish with that fly but rather encase and display it.

Miller River Special fly

There we met Dwight Adkinson of Virginia who happened to be fishing there that weekend. He is retired and seems to fish whenever and wherever he wants, places like the Balkans, Iceland, Scotland and Ireland.

One morning, while having breakfast, Paul, Dwight and I met renowned Catskill fly tyer Tom Mason and equally renowned cane rod maker Mike Canazon at the Kasos Greek Restaurant in Roscoe.  Tom and Mike are volunteers at the Catskills Fly Fishing Center & Museum (CFFCM). Both carry the torch of the famed, classic Catskill tiers. We had a nice chat and before our conversations were over, Tom gave each of us two of his handsomely tied flies.  My flies will also be encased.

Tom is a founding member and past president of the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild and has been instrumental in organizing numerous fly tying events including the Fly Tyers Rendezvous, Fly Fest, and the Fly Tyers Roundtable. Tom even ties his flies using hooks and materials from the golden era of flyfishing in the Catskills (1800’s).  While he is generally acknowledged as being one of the finest tyers in the traditional Catskill style, he has taken the art to a new level with lightly hackled, almost ethereal flies.

Tom Mason

Tom is a fixture on the Catskill rivers and around campfires telling fish tales that stretched the bounds of credulity. In addition to an amazing collection of books, bamboo rods, and reels, Tom also has an extensive collection of rare tying materials that enable him to reproduce flies tied by the old masters. Additionally, he helps lead the “Dream Team” of volunteer archivists that have spent several years preparing an online database showcasing all the items that the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum (CFFCM) has acquired for its permanent collection over the past several decades.

Mike Canazon, of Livingston Manor, NY, was a well-known Catskill fly fisherman and master bamboo rod maker.  He was very active in the CFFCM) and has taught bamboo rod making classes there. He also did a lot of the organizing for the Catskill Rod Makers Gatherings. He was inducted as a CFFCM Catskill Legend in 2022 and received the 2023 Gold Micrometer Award. He also received the A.P. Bellinger Award and was featured in the acclaimed movie,  Land of Little Rivers”, a quintessential film of the places and famous anglers, that once more put the Catskills in the limelight as a fly fishing destination. I highly recommend this film.

Mike Canazon

 

Sadly, he passed away this past December at the age of 72.  “There’s something about standing in the river, just being part of the world around you.  You’re one small piece of that. Catching fish put me in the water, but now the water’s in me.” Mike once said.

 

Paul and I met Brian Greer, a respected bamboo rod maker from Missouri who attends the Rod Maker’s Gathering every year.  He was born in the Ozarks and grew up fishing those spring creeks. He learned to make rods from a man named Harry Boyd from Louisiana and who is famous in the rod making community and who has written the book on making a bamboo rod blank.  Now, Brian makes traditional, six-sided rods by hand and uses an old block plane to make his rod strips.

One time at the Gathering, the challenge contest rod for that year was to make a one-piece, 7’, 4wt rod.  Brian let Dwight try out that rod and he really liked it.  Dwight contacted him later that year and asked him to make him one.  No surprise there.  Paul and I got to cast a couple of Brian’s custom-made fly rods on the lawn of the Roscoe Motel and they were beautifully made and cast wonderfully.  Truly works of art.

We met Noel Hudson, a friend of Brian’s who he first met just outside of the Smoky Mountains at a bamboo rod gathering there. Noel travels far and wide in his van, fishing along the way.

One night Paul and I returned to the motel after I missed a large brown trout due to an improper fishing line/backing connection. Before I knew it, Noel, Brian and Dwight took matters into their own hands and did some splicing, knot tying and stuff to my line and backing to correct the problem.  So nice of them for they barely knew me.  Folks are like that down there in the Catskills.

 

And are they knowledgeable.  One night I showed them a cane flyrod that I had brought along on the trip.  It had no maker’s name on the rod and I often wondered who made it. When these guys put their heads together for a minute or two, they determined that it was made by Partridge of Redditch (English).

 

For a couple of older flyfishermen like Paul and me, who enjoy the traditions of bamboo rods, the hallowed waters of the Catskills and their legendary anglers, fly tyers and rod makers, this trip was most satisfying.  The folks there made us feel right at home, and God willing, we plan to link up with them again this summer.

 

Interesting events sponsored by BEAT

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The Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) invites you to join them at their Berkshire Green Drinks gathering with geologist Mark Brandriss to read the stories written in the rocks and landscapes of western Massachusetts. You will be taking a quick trip through a billion years of geologic events that shaped the Berkshires as we see them today, what created the mountains, ridges, and valleys of the Berkshires.

The in-person gathering takes place on Wednesday, July 12 beginning at 5:15 pm with the presentation and Zoom meeting starting at 6:00 pm.

It will take place at The Barn at Williams Inn, 103 Spring St, Williamstown.  If the weather permits, the presentation will take place outdoors.

You must pre-register if you’d like to virtually attend this event: tinyurl.com/Berks-Green-Drinks-July2023.  RSVP for the in-person gathering: Berks-Green-Drinks-July2023.eventbrite.com.

Brandriss is a geologist who recently retired after teaching at Smith College for 22 years. His specialty is the study of magmas and igneous rocks in the Earth’s crust, based on fieldwork in Greenland, Scotland, Alaska, and South Africa. But like any geologist, he’s also interested in the geology of wherever he happens to be — in this case, Williamstown, where he has lived for 27 years with his wife, Rónadh Cox, Professor of Geosciences at Williams College.

Berkshire Green Drinks is an informal gathering on the second Wednesday of the month. A guest speaker talks for about 30 minutes beginning at 6 pm, and the presentation is followed by a discussion and Q&A. These nights are free and open to everyone with any environmental interest. The drinks aren’t green but the conversations are. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join and bring along questions.

Can’t make that gathering?  Well on Saturday, July 15, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, you are invited to join BEAT for a guided naturalist walk in one of Pittsfield’s urban forests and conservation areas. You’ll observe some of the wonderful things you can find in nature during summer and talk about the area’s plants, animals, and natural history.

The guided walk will take place at Brattle Brook Park in Pittsfield. This conservation area exhibits a grassland-forest ecotone that provides quality habitat for wildlife. Walking conditions will be easy to moderate. The terrain will include forests with possible tree roots in the pathway and grassy meadows with some uneven terrain. Some areas might be a little soggy.

The number of participants is limited, so if you want to join them, email chelsey@thebeatnews.org. to RSVP.  She will answer any questions you may have about the walk.

 

Angling news from Connecticut

Quite a few local anglers fish in Connecticut, especially our flyfishing community.   Many like to flyfish the Housatonic River near Cornwall Bridge.  During the summer months when many of our local rivers get too warm to flyfish without stressing the trout, flyfishermen fish the Farmington River near Riverton, CT.  There the waters are much cooler thanks to the upstream bottom water releases of cold water from the dams of Colebrook Reservoir and Hogback Dam.  Every now and then, I like to take a peek at what’s going on, fishing wise in Connecticut. These are some of the items mentioned in the July 2023 CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) publication CT Fishin’ Tips.

“Rock Snot”, a descriptive name for a diatom (single cell algae) that makes a long stalk (billions combined make thick mats) is blooming (growing like crazy) in the West Branch of the  Farmington River in Riverton, CT.  Anglers fishing between Route 20 and the natural gas pipeline crossing are urged to clean and disinfect their waders after fishing in this section. Good methods are to completely dry for several days, freeze waders overnight, use a 10% bleach solution and then dry, or a highly concentrated salt solution and then dry. We don’t want anglers bringing this stuff into Massachusetts.

 

Other news from CT:

 

On May 27 of this year a Common Carp was caught which set a new CT state record.  Robert Jagiello caught one weighing 45 lbs 1 oz, 32 5/8 inches long with a girth of 26 1/4 inches out of Lake Lillinonah. (Lake Lillinonah is a manmade lake located in

picture provided by CT DEEP

Fairfield, Litchfield and New Haven counties of Western Connecticut.) This fish takes down the 2012 record held by Mike Hudak, which was 43 pounds 12 ounces taken from the Connecticut River.

Picture provided by CT DEEP

There was a new Bowfin Catch & Release CT state record set also.  Benjamin Florian caught and released a 28.25-inch Bowfin from Crow Point Cove in Wethersfield, CT. This fish takes down the 2022 record held by Adam Chrzanowski, which was 28.25 inches from Pecausett Pond, Portland., CT.

And out of salt water came a new state record Fluke caught by Bill Proulx. It weighed in at 15.3 pounds, 32 5/8 inches long with a girth of 26 1/4 inches. It surpasses the previous record caught by Michael Maffucci of 14lb 13.76 oz and 31.5 inches back in 2019.

Housatonic River film produced by local students

The Housatonic River Association (HVA) is thrilled to share a short film by students from Reid Middle School in Pittsfield, MA.  Entitled “The place beyond the mountains,” it highlights the history of the river, its uses, wildlife, and more. Students spent hours working on the film in an after-school program. HVA’s Alison Dixon, Berkshire Watershed Conservation Manager, also worked with students on the project.

Funded by The 21st Century Program, this lesson will be available for other schools across the country to use as a model for their own after-school programs.

 

Click onto the HVA website to see the film.

Silver haired local fly fishers have a high regard for Thom Smith

 

Say, did you read about Berkshire Eagle’s NatureWatch columnist Thom Smith’s recent retirement?  (Berkshire Eagle Weekender issue of Saturday & Sunday, July 1-2, 2023 “An eye for nature”).   After nearly 45 years of writing a column for the Eagle, he certainly has earned his retirement.  The question is, are we ready for his retirement?  After enjoying his weekly column all those years, it won’t be the same without it. I don’t know about you, but I have learned an awful lot about our local wildlife from his column.

 

I first met Thom in 1984 when he was Curator of the Berkshire Museum.  He was instrumental in establishing an exhibit at the Berkshire Museum entitled Fly Tying, Fly Fishing, the gentle sport.  Running from April 6 to May 13, 1984 it promoted flyfishing and conservation.  Some 96 amateur fly tyers submitted flies for the exhibit and Kathryn Beebe arranged and mounted them. Some 17 of the tyers were members of the Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited, led by the then Chapter President Jerry Zink.  Not everyone can boast having one of their flies exhibited in a museum.

 

Augmenting the flies was an exhibit promoting fly fishing and conservation. There were flyfishing films, presentations by famous flyfishing authors such as the late internationally known Helen Shaw who wrote two fly tying books (Fly-Tying: Materials, Tools, and Techniques and Flies for Fish and Fisherman: Wet Flies.  She was named “the First Lady of Fly Tying”)  her husband Hermann Kessler (writer and Art Director for Field & Stream magazine) and other notables such as Leon Chandler (VP of Cortland Line Co, past Trout Unlimited President, and Freshwater Hall of Fame recipient).

 

In the introduction to the exhibit, Kessler wrote, “Fly tying engrosses the mind, and involves the dexterity of fishing enthusiasts from all walks of life.  Gathering in clubs and classes to exchange information, fly tyers bridge economic and social boundaries to develop fanciful deceivers and aquatic insect likeness. The Berkshire Museum has brought together the work of women, men, and children, to prove the point that amateur fly tyers are all working toward their concept of ultimate perfections.  Their flies are presented here for your study, admiration, and enticement to go and do likewise.”

 

On behalf of the local fly tyers who are still around, many thanks to Thom, for establishing this “gentle sport” exhibit and bringing it to the attention of the public.  That exhibit has not been forgotten after all these years.

Memories of fishing the Deerfield River

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As noted in last week’s column, good friend Marc Hoechstetter, an excellent fly fisherman from Cummington, agreed to cover for me while I am out of commission for a week or so by sharing one of his fishing episodes on the Deerfield River.  By way of clarification:  The surges to which he refers are the periodic water releases from Fife Brook dam in Florida.  Al Les was a well-known fly fisherman from North County who fought hard and long to get a “catch & release” section in the Deerfield River.   He was dubbed “The father of Catch & Release in Massachusetts” and received the first Silvio O. Conte Sportsman of the Year Award in 1985.

 

The Hideaway pool

 

By Marc Hoechstetter

 

The Hideaway Pool is the largest pool in the lower Catch and Release area on the Deerfield River and the first above the junction where the Cold River meets the main stem. Often bypassed for the upper reaches of the river, it is a prime fishing spot with its own quirks. This account is of my own involvement with this favorite spot and the characters: human, piscatorial and avian encountered.

 

I first started traveling to the Deerfield to explore its fishery in the late 1980’s. Like most young guys my constraints were time between my work as a builder and a young family. It is no wonder I explored the Hideaway pool as it is at least 20 minutes closer than the Diamond Drill Pool from my home.  Back then the river flows were a lot more predictable. The ISO NE in Holyoke which controls all power generation was being built but not yet in full operation. The computers had not quite taken over everything.

 

One parks at a rail bed access, without blocking the access, and walks along the railroad track a short distance and down to the pool. At first it is rather daunting; a large rectangle 400 feet long by over 100 feet wide, both sides framed by massive oaks.

 

When I first got there in a late afternoon the flow was low and the only riffle into the pool was drifting bubbles by an enormous rock on the far side. In that feeding lane there were sporadic but consistent sipping rises with an occasional tail splash. I eagerly rigged up and looked the pool over. I could see very large trout lazily moving in the pool but not in any organized way all facing in different directions. It would be like fishing in a still pond.

 

So why not fish the riffle? Well, there was an older fellow there fishing and catching fish, not fast but deliberately and very relaxed. When he had success, he would chat with his companion on the bank who sat in a folding chair with a cigar box at his feet. I introduced myself and was warmly welcomed and chatted a while. At one point the fellow in the river reeled up, while the one in the chair promptly rose, picked up his rod and waded right in. They met half way to the rock and that was that. The one coming out gave me a warm greeting and sat in the chair. His name was Al Les.

 

I do not discourage easily so I went upstream and fished the bank against the tracks and discovered some very nice browns trout but it was a trek on the rocks and wading had to be judicious. I could keep an eye on the pool if the old guys bailed. But no such luck. Fisherfolks must be patient, so I kept at it.

 

One day they did leave and I hightailed it down to the pool, eagerly taking my spot above the big rock to put puddle casts into the feeding lane. I noticed there was more activity and quickly caught a few fish, nice plump rainbows mid-sized maybe as long as 15 inches but not those big ones I had spied before. There was also less rock out of the water and more push against my waders. I headed back to shore in a hurry. Luckily by the time the surge of water gets this far down ts not a wave just a steady rise.

 

On another occasion on getting there when Al Les and companion were folding their chairs

and packing their cigars, I noticed the water was already filling quickly. I also noticed on the far bank by a white birch partially in the river, some big splashes.

 

Then I saw it! A five-pound fish came out and it seemed to be in the air an eternity. I decided to figure out how to get there. I walked to the end of the pool where the water splits in two. The first is a long riffle straight to the Junction Pool where a rope hangs from an oak. The second is a wider one that only fills at high water. I powered myself through the first above my knees and then the second one nearly to my hips but made it and worked myself in rather calm water to the white birch. When about twenty feet away, I paused to scan the water.

 

I noticed some fish were on the surface with their dorsal fins folded over. The largest fish was at the head and really the only one to which I could toss a fly.  I sent the Ausable Wulff fly with a little left hook and watched what seemed to be an eternity as the fly drifted on the nose of the big Rainbow.

 

Then it simply turned its head and inhaled the fly! I set the hook with my left hand and arced the rod to the right, level to the water to set the hook and get the fish going to the right in the pool. Down he went, but soon came up ready to jump. Then I thought a branch from the giant oak tree fell in the water right on the fish in a huge splash. I was stunned but saw no branch; instead, a huge osprey came out of the water with my fish in its talons! I watched her struggle and gradually come up and fly up the river.

 

My fly line was following the bird like a peach ribbon in the sky until I broke it off. As I stood there in disbelief, I noticed the osprey make a wide turn and with labored strokes fly back towards me and flared right above me to land in her nest. I could see white fluffy necks reach out towards her.

 

So much with fishing in the osprey’s larder.

 

Yes, I got water in my waders on my return to shore but made it home safely. Sadly, there have not been ospreys on that pool for years, the nest gradually fell apart, victim to the winds of time and neglect. The bald eagles, fish thieves that they are, have displaced them and now rule the sky above the pool.

 

Conte Memorial Dinner

Don’t forget about the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen’s (BCLS) Silvio O. Conte Memorial Banquet which will take place at the Cheshire Rod & Gun Club, 310 Curran Road, Cheshire, on Saturday evening, April 22.

This year’s award winners are:   Sportsman of the Year – Stephen Sears, Lifetime Achievement Award – Fred Moran (posthumous), John Zuber Award – Eric Dupont and Sportsmen’s Appreciation Award – Joel Miraglia.

There will be great raffles and silent auctions. The social hour begins at 4:30 with dinner at 6:00 pm. Tickets, which cost $40, can be obtained from any BCLS delegate.      Don’t wait, they expect a large turnout.

Be safe on the water

 

Personal flotation devices (life jackets) are required to be worn by: (1) youth under 12 years of age, (2) personal watercraft users, (3) Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) users, (4) water-skiers, and (5) canoeists/kayakers from September 15 – May 15.  The water can be mighty cold this time of year and hypothermia can set in quickly.

Shotgun deer, bear seasons open Monday

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Shotgun deer hunting season starts on Monday and it runs until December 10, (excluding Sundays).  Two bucks can be harvested and if hunters are fortunate to have valid antlerless deer permits (doe permits) they can also take a doe.  Remember, the buck antlers must be at least 3 inches long.

picture provided by MassWildliife

According to the Massachusetts hunting abstracts, deer hunters may take and possess up to two deer in a day before reporting/checking them in.  Once those deer are reported, the hunter may resume deer hunting on the same day.

All hunters must wear 500 square inches of blaze orange on the chest, back and head.  If using a blind during the season or on a Wildlife Management Area with blaze orange requirements, all deer hunters must wear the required amount of orange while in the blind.  MassWildlife recommends that blaze orange be visible on the outside of the blind, too.

 MassWildlife will be working biological deer check stations during the first week of the Shotgun Season. All deer harvested during that week must be taken to a physical check station so biologists can collect data used in the deer management program. After that week, deer can be checked on-line. A map of Check Stations can be found at:  https://www.mass.gov/info details/massachusetts-check-station-map.

The following Western District stations will open during the first week of shotgun:

Ernie’s Auto Sales – Mon-Sat 10-6

MassWildlife HQ – Mon-Fri 8-6, Sat 10-6

Lee Sportsman’s Club – Mon-Sat 10-6

Mill River General Store – Mon-Sat 10-6

Papa’s Healthy Food and Fuel – Mon-Sat 10-6

B&D Variety – Mon-Sat 10-6

Goshen General Store – Mon-Sat 10-6

 

Well, here comes another sleepless Sunday night in anticipation of opening day.  If you are like me, memories of past opening days will be relived as we toss and turn all night. One such memory I will never forget occurred sometime in the 1980’s or 1990’s. It was the first year that regulations were implemented addressing the transport of our hunting guns while traveling.  They had to be unloaded and in an enclosed case.    I believe the case had to be locked.

 

Opening day arrived and I was up at 4:00 am and arrived at a parking area on Beartown Mountain around 5:00 am.  Good!  No one was there ahead of me and I could hike up the mountain to get to my favorite hunting stand.  There I could wait for the other hunters to start hiking the mountain and perhaps scare a deer or two which hopefully would run in my direction.

 

After getting into my hunting coat and backpack, the only thing remaining was my shotgun.  Then a terrible event occurred.  That was when I learned that I had forgotten the key to my locked gun case!

 

Back home I went to find the key.  As you may suspect, I was not a happy camper.    I cursed the new regulation and the people who implemented it.

 

Once home, I still could not find the gun case key and after rummaging around the house, I had to take a different shotgun in a different case.

 

By the time I arrived back at the parking space, it was around 7:30 am and there were several cars and trucks parked there. On the way up the mountain, I could see the tracks of other hunters who had already gone up and I could hear gunshots coming from the area in which I had hoped to be.

 

I didn’t get a deer that day or the following days.  I was grumpy all week. Perhaps I couldn’t see any deer because I was still seeing red.

 

Bear Season: The Second Hunting Season for Black Bear ends this weekend.  However; the Shotgun Black Bear hunting season starts on Monday and it also runs until December 10.  Shotguns may be used, none larger than 10 gauge. Only slugs are allowed and the use of buckshot is prohibited.  Archery as well as muzzleloader implements may be used. Hunters must wear blaze orange during this season, too.

picture provided by MassWildlife

 

Good luck!  Here’s hoping you have a happy and safe hunting season.

 

Nearly $500,000 in grants to support habitat management across the Commonwealth

 

The Baker-Polito Administration announced recently it had awarded $483,922 in state grant funds to thirteen organizations and municipalities to improve wildlife habitat on 514 acres of land within the Commonwealth. Now in its ninth year, the MassWildlife Habitat Management Grant Program (MHMGP), which is overseen by the Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW), provides financial assistance to private and municipal landowners of conserved lands to improve and manage habitat for wildlife.

 

“The MHMGP is critical to the success of ongoing habitat management projects on state-managed lands and ensures a multipronged strategy to improve a variety of Massachusetts’ habitats,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Beth Card. “Public and private investment in habitat management is critical for promoting ecological resiliency and diversity, and we are thrilled to work with this year’s grant recipients as they commit to improving wildlife habitat.”

While MassWildlife and other conservation organizations have made unprecedented investments in land acquisition within Massachusetts, land protection alone is not enough to guarantee the persistence of the Commonwealth’s diverse wildlife. Investment in habitat restoration and management is needed on public and private lands across the state. To address this need, the Baker-Polito Administration has substantially increased investment in habitat management on state wildlife lands and is committed to working with partners to promote these efforts on other conserved lands across the state. The MHMGP program encourages landowners to engage in active habitat management on their properties to benefit wildlife.

“Most forests and other wildlife habitats in Massachusetts are not state-owned, and we rely on conservation organizations, cities and towns, private landowners, and other partners to help us manage habitat to benefit all wildlife,” said Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Ron Amidon. “This program provides us with the opportunity to expand our habitat management footprint, directly benefiting wildlife, the sporting community, and other people who enjoy outdoor recreation.”

“MassWildlife restores and manages habitats to help conserve the great diversity of wildlife and plants found in the Commonwealth,” said Mark Tisa, MassWildlife Director. “In addition to MassWildlife’s habitat management activities, these funded projects will improve declining habitats that provide homes for our most vulnerable wildlife, while also enhancing everyone’s ability to connect with nature.”

Of the thirteen projects, two local organizations will receive MHM grants.  They are:

  • Great Barrington – The Berkshire Natural Resources Council has been awarded $33,875 to control invasive species in the Housatonic River watershed.
  • Stockbridge – Stockbridge Bowl Association has been awarded $11,885 to conduct hardy kiwi invasive species control at Bullard’s Woods.

“Our natural resources are one of the most prized possessions we have here in the Berkshires,” said State Representative Smitty Pignatelli. “I am grateful to the Baker-Polito administration’s continued investment in our outdoor spaces, and I look forward to seeing the great work that the Berkshire Natural Resources Council and Stockbridge Bowl Association do with this round of MHMGP funding.”

For more information regarding MassWildlife Habitat Management Grants, visit the program’s webpage.

Gun safety course

Pete’s Gun Shop is holding an NRA & Massachusetts State Police Certified LTC Safety Course on December 4. This will be a one day all inclusive, live fire class at the Cheshire Rod & Gun Club starting at 9 AM.

A non- refundable deposit is required to reserve your seat at the time of registration. They do accept credit cards in person at the gun shop or by phone.

This is a class where they spend time at the range and you get to shoot. You are also given an NRA Basic Pistol Safety textbook which is included in the class cost.

This qualifies MA residents and non-residents alike for the MA License To Carry or FID Card.  They also give you a $10 gift certificate to Pete’s Gun Shop in appreciation for taking the course. The cost is $100 and covers use of our range firearms, ammo, safety gear, class materials, certificates, and the NRA Safety Textbook. They ask that interested parties pre-register by calling or stopping in at Pete’s Gun Shop at 413-743-0780, as space is limited. This live fire course fills up very quickly so call or stop in early to pre-register.

Is the drought finally over?

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Well, maybe.  This summer’s drought was so bad that it was compared with the one that occurred in the Berkshires in 1955. For a while this year, there was concern that the State would perhaps temporarily close down the woods to hunting. They sometimes do that.

I remember that bad drought of 1955 when my dear life-long friend, Jerry Zink and I were only 12 years old.  We used to fish all of the little brooks in and around Lenox with great success.  Heck, all the brooks in those days contained wild brook trout, commonly referred to as “speckled trout”.

But that year, most of the brooks dried up or nearly so, and we were forced to fish the lakes instead.  One day that summer, we decided to fish Laurel Lake in Lee/Lenox.  What we saw there when we arrived was unbelievable.  It seemed like one third of the lake was dry.  From the shore of the south west side of the lake near the old “White Bridge” there was no water.  The channel which crossed under the bridge was there, but it contained no water.

We were able to walk across parts of the lake from the Highlawn Farm side to a point on the west shore, now known as Edith Wharton Park, and then across the dry cove to where Sargent Brook entered from the northeast.  Only a couple of large puddles or pools which contained a few trapped sunfish were there.

We then walked along the water east toward the dam outlet near Rte. 20.  For sure, there was water in the middle of the lake, for it normally is over 50 feet deep there, but it was considerably smaller.  When we got to a point which is now close to the boat ramp on Rte. 20, we were able to walk across to a point of land on the other side, not too far from Lee Beach.  The outlet channel was there, but there was little if any water in it.  The dry lake bottom actually went uphill to reach the dam.

We surmised that the drought along with the withdrawal of water from the lake by a paper making mill in Lee caused the excessive condition.

It was an eerie sight and every time there has been a drought around here in the Berkshires, my thoughts immediately return to that time, that place

I wonder if any other old timers (er…seniors) remember that sight.

Fall trout stocking

MassWildlife reports that over 63,000 trout will be stocked across Massachusetts starting around mid-September. Summer may be winding down, but the fishing opportunities are still going strong and fall is a great time to fish.

Trout stocking will begin when water temperatures start to cool down, around the middle of September. When stocking begins, locations will be updated daily on the MassWildlife trout stocking map page. You can click any point on the map for more information.

The breakdown of the 63,000 trout is as follows:

  • about 33,000 rainbow trout over 12 inches
  • about 26,100 rainbow trout over 14 inches
  • about 4,000 brown trout over 9 inches

The Western District will probably receive 20% of them.

Local waters typically stocked in the fall include:  Ashfield Pond, Deerfield River, Littleville Dam, East Branch of the Westfield River, Upper Highland Lake, Pontoosuc Lake, Laurel Lake, Lake Buel, Windsor Lake, Windsor Pond, Goose Pond, Otis Reservoir, Onota Lake and Stockbridge Bowl.

 

Incidentally, with the drought hopefully over and our streams coming back to normal fall levels, the native brook trout will start their migrations upstream to conduct their fall spawning.

Watch for them and expect them to be in their full fall colors.

Grandmas/grandpas like to fish, too!

Gloria Zink holding nice bass. Picture provided by Zink family

As readers are aware, I often feature pictures of young boys, girls, moms and dads who have had great days out fishing, including pictures of their big fish.  But, for some reason I rarely, if ever, have shown or written about grandmas or grandpas, especially fishing together.

Well, this past week I received correspondence from my buddy Jerry Zink now residing in Berlin, NY (yes, the same Jerry previously mentioned) telling of the great days he and his wife Gloria have been having fishing Ashmere Lake in Hinsdale this summer. They oftentimes fish with grandsons Kyle and Kaleb who catch whoppers, too.

Jerry Zink holding a nice pickerel. Picture provided by Zink family.

They always let the bass and pickerel go but now and then keep a few perch, panfish and crappie for fish fries.

The picture of Gloria holding that 4 lbs. bass was taken a few years ago, but rest assured she has often caught similar bass this year.  She also recently caught a 24 inch, 4lbs pickerel just last week.

Live on the Lake

Too bad Jerry and Gloria weren’t fishing up there last Sunday evening, because for a while the air was filled with fireworks and later with lovely music. The 3rd Annual Live on the Lake was taking place.  Around 6:15 pm, after the fireworks had subsided, local musicians Melissa Brinton and her violinist set up their loud speaker on a cottage dock across the cove from us and began to play music and sing.

The soft music drifted across the cove during twilight so that boaters and other nearby cottage owners could sit on their decks, docks and lawns and hear the lovely music.  With a voice similar to Joan Collins, Melissa started off by singing a couple of old Irish favorites (Oh Danny Boy and Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond.)   I have to admit what little Irish DNA remaining in this old heart still reacts to those songs.

It was a wonderful way to spend part of the Labor Day weekend.

Bass Fishing Derby

On the first Sunday in October, the Cheshire Fire Department will be holding its Bill Lewis Memorial Bass Fishing Derby.  It will run from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm with registration costing $20.00.

Following that, there will be an award ceremony and picnic on the Causeway at 1:30 pm to benefit the Bill Lewis Scholarship Fund.

Just think, bass fishing on that beautiful lake surrounded by mountains displaying their lovely fall colors.  It doesn’t get any better.   Who knows, this may be your last bass fishing outing of the year, so you might want to participate.

Many thanks BNRC

 

In the latest Berkshire Natural Resources Council Landscaper News, there was this nice article regarding hunting seasons and conservation.

 

“All Berkshire Natural Resources Council reserves, except for Parsons Marsh (in Lenox) and Roosevelt Trail (in Washington), are open to hunting subject to Massachusetts state regulations. Sunday hunting is prohibited in Massachusetts.

 

During hunting seasons BNRC recommends (to its non- hunter users):

  • Wear blaze orange outerwear
  • Stay on existing trails
  • Keep dogs under your immediate control (consider blaze orange outerwear for your dog)

In 2021, Massachusetts anglers, hunters, and others contributed over $7.5 million to land conservation, land stewardship, wildlife management and research, outdoor skills programs, and education via the sale of fishing, hunting, and related licenses and fees.

 

BNRC wishes all hunters a safe, enjoyable, and fruitful hunt this autumn.”

 

Nice article, ey?  BNRC has always been a friend to area sportsmen, so if you or your club happen to have a couple extra bucks, you might want to send them their way.

Massachusetts shotgun deer hunting season opens Monday

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photo provided by MssWildlife

Shotgun deer hunting season opens on November 29 and runs through Saturday, December 11.  Hunters are allowed to take two bucks, and if they were awarded an antlerless deer permit, they can take one of them too.  Shotgun, archery, and muzzleloader implements are allowed. Be sure you are familiar with all of the deer hunting regulations listed on pages 26 through 29 of the abstracts.

Also, the shotgun (third) season for bear hunting opens on November 29 and also runs through December 11. Regulations governing that season are listed on pages 30 through 31 of the abstracts.

All rabbit, hare, squirrel and furbearer hunting seasons are closed during shotgun deer hunting season except for coyotes. The pheasant, grouse and wild turkey seasons are closed for the year as are the migratory goose and woodcock seasons.  The duck hunting season closes during the first week of shotgun deer season but in the Berkshire Zone reopens on December 6 through year end.

Hunters who are coming out of the woods after hunting hours, (1/2 hour after sunset) must unload everything, bullets, arrows, bolts, etc., because they are considered hunting after hours, which is illegal. The sunset time during the shotgun deer hunting season is around 4:15 pm.

 

No hunting allowed on Sunday.

Mandatory Deer checking

Don’t forget, during the first week of the shotgun deer season (November 29–December 4), all harvested deer must be brought to a physical check station within 48 hours so MassWildlife biologists can collect biological data. Online harvest reporting is NOT available during this time.  Hunters may recall that last year physical checking was not mandatory, due to Covid.

Western District Check Stations open Monday-Saturday:

Ernie’s Auto Sales – North Adams

Papa’s Healthy food and Fuel – Otis

Mill River General Store – Mill River

Lee Sportsmen’s club – Lee

B&D Variety – Huntington

Western District Office – Dalton

Hunter Harassment Law

Mass General Law, Part I, Title XIX, Chapter 131, Section 5C states “No person shall obstruct, interfere with or otherwise prevent the lawful taking of fish or wildlife by another at the locale where such activity is taking place”. It then lists 7 specific types of violations. “Environmental protection officers and other law enforcement officers with arrest powers shall be authorized to enforce the provisions of this section.”

Real cases of hunter harassment (meaning those that actually target specific hunters or their equipment and prevent, interfere or obstruct them from hunting) should be reported to Massachusetts Environmental Police statewide dispatch at 1-800-632-8075.

Precious Memories

Well, here we go again, another sleepless night thinking about opening day of shotgun deer hunting on Monday morning.  Sleep will be out of the question and I’ll probably do the same thing I do every year……. toss and turn all night waiting for the 4:00 am alarm to go off.  Thoughts of previous opening days will undoubtedly cross my mind, one after another.  I’ll remember the rainy, foggy, snowy cold days. I’ll remember each time I erred and allowed a big buck to get away.  Yes, and remember a few nice deer that didn’t get away.

In my early deer hunting days, (beginning in 1957), deer hunting season opened the first Monday of December and ran only one week ending on that Saturday.  There were no archery of primitive hunting seasons back then extending the season from mid-October through the last day of December (like it is today).  As usual, I’ll remember the people with whom I hunted over those years.  Sadly, many of them have since passed away. I’ll remember the gun that I used on my first deer hunt, an Ithaca 12-gauge side by side shotgun.  It was a smooth bore gun which shot slugs or buckshot.  It wasn’t until years later that the Ithaca Deerslayer shotguns (with rifled barrels) were allowed.

Our deer hunting clothes consisted mainly of black and red checkered wool coats (preferably Woolrich, if you could afford it).  Later on, as I recall, solid red hunting pants and coats came into vogue.  There was no such thing as fluorescent red color, (but they were experimenting with bright colors when I went into the service).  My oldest and now deceased brother Joe bought me a hunting outfit when I was a teenager and, get this, its color was bright yellow/bright red.  It was reversable.  When I returned home from the service in 1967, the State had settled on the fluorescent red color (or blaze orange, if you prefer) and deer hunters were required to wear 500 inches of it on your chest, back and head (still required).

I remember well at the end of the days during deer week Joe driving us around the neighborhoods of other deer hunters checking to see if they had a field dressed deer hanging from a tree in their yards or open garages.  That was common back then and they would sometimes hang them out there for a week, The theory being that by hanging them that long, the muscles would break down, and the aging was supposed to make the meat more tender and taste better. The winters seemed colder back then and the likeliness of the meat spoiling was less than today.  I suspect some of the hunters hung them out there just to show them off.  You can’t do that now.  What with the bears and coyotes around these days, you would be lucky to find the hooves remaining the next morning after hanging them up.  And you didn’t have to worry about neighbors complaining about the sight of a dead deer hanging from a tree, it was common practice.

To keep our hands warm while hunting, many of us used Joni hand warmers.  We smelled like walking Zippo cigarette lighters in the woods as they were fueled by lighter fluid. If you got them to work properly, you could stick them in your pocket and they would stay warm all day.  They had a little hole in the side of them so that you could light up a cigarette if you so desired.  Now, of course, there are throw-away hand warmers, heated by chemical reaction and not by smelly fuel.

I was always cold deer hunting in those days, especially my feet because they would inevitably get wet from sweat or leaky boots.  It wasn’t until the Sorel boots came out with their felt linings that I could finally feel my toes while hunting.

Of course, there was no such thing as GPS or cell phones.  We had to rely on our compasses.  Many a time that old compass saved the day for me. No one used backpacks like today.  You carried your food, thermos, drag rope, ammo, knife, etc., in your pockets, coat pouch or attached to your belt.

As I recall, there was only one deer checking station and that was at the DFW headquarters in Pittsfield. It wasn’t until later that various checking stations were established.

Your license had to be displayed, usually inside a clear plastic pouch, pinned to your coat.

Deer hunters came to the Berkshires by the droves from all over and traffic lined up coming off of the turnpike.  Diners opened up early in the mornings.  Motels were filled as were our local watering holes at the end of the day. Campers were parked in various places in our state forests. Visiting hunters brought millions of dollars to the Berkshire economy.

There was much more hunting land available for locals and for the non-residents to get lost in

Most older teens took opening day off from school.  It was pretty much expected and usually the school officials simply looked the other way.

Oh, and there was another thing.  Every deer hunting season, starting with the Tuesday issue of the Berkshire Evening Eagle newspaper and running until the end of the season, editor/columnist Ted Giddings listed the daily deer kills, giving the hunter’s name, whether it was a doe or buck, its weight, number of points and the town where it was shot.

Aah, the memories.

Lying sleepless in bed, it’s at times like these when I understand the lyrics of that old gospel song written by J. B. F. Wright: “Precious memories” as the song goes, “how they linger.  How they ever flood my soul. In the stillness, of the midnight, precious sacred scenes unfold.”