Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Recreation for Blog”
Avid trout anglers learn not only about the fish but the working of the watershed. Yes, we want to be completely in touch with our rivers. And one aspect of that desire is to study aquatic macro invertebrates. Tucked under rocks, buried in the mud, encased in gravel and sand, they abide on the riverbed, an essential part of the trout’s food chain.
Inspired by artists and writers such as Thomas Cole and Timothy Dwight, many tourists during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries came to the Connecticut River valley to visit the region’s mountain houses atop peaks such as Mount Tom, Mount Holyoke, and Mount Sugarloaf. Visitors enjoyed the panoramic views and amenities such as restaurants, observatories, theaters, concerts, and inclined railroads.
Some folks go on an annual religious pilgrimage. My annual journey is to see mountain laurel which blooms from late May to early June.
In March 1835 Amherst College professor Edward Hitchcock received a letter about a mysterious discovery in Greenfield, Massachusetts. The writer, a doctor named James Deane, described bird-like tracks embedded in a slab of sandstone rock.
On an Autumn evening last year, I got a text message from guide Chris Jackson offering me a half-day float on the Deerfield River. His offer, however, came with a warning. Drought conditions, coupled with unseasonably warm weather plaguing the entire Northeast at that time, had caused river conditions that were low and warm, resulting in difficult fishing.
I’m going to introduce you to an effective fly that I doubt you have ever heard of, nor are you apt to find it in any fly-tying book, fly-fishing catalog, or in any fly shop. It’s called the Eighty-Eight.
Visiting scenic orchards of western Massachusetts while enjoying fall foliage, a quintessential New England combination, is a favorite autumn tradition of mine. It’s a great opportunity to support local family-owned farms, which are becoming increasingly rare.
In the previous issue (Summer 2024) we looked at the fabulous dry fly fishing found in the “year-round” Trout Management Area (TMA) on the upper West Branch of the Farmington River in Connecticut. In this issue, we broaden our view, taking in the two other TMAs on the upper Farmington.
Fly anglers are dyed-in-the-wool optimists, forever believing the next cast or the next bend in the river holds the fish of a lifetime. It is a creed we live by, and in no place does it spring more eternal than on a blue-ribbon trout stream such as Connecticut’s Farmington River.
ç Last summer—after water levels finally subsided after prolonged rain—I embarked on an interpretive cruise aboard the Heritage, a tour boat operated by FirstLight’s Northfield Mountain Environmental Education and Recreation Center.
Few things in nature exemplify spring more than a roaring waterfall or stream in a freshly leafed out forest.
Frequently hidden from view, the Eightmile River and its East Branch ramble through the pristine woodlands of Lyme, East Haddam, and Salem, Connecticut.
With all the decorum of a college fraternity on house party weekend, the annual Connecticut River Raft Race will celebrate its 50th anniversary on July 20, 2024.
Set on a historic railroad line in the scenic Berkshire foothill towns of Middlefield and Chester, Massachusetts, the Keystone Arches Trail offers a fine sampling of the Westfield River watershed’s rich natural resources and history.
South of Marlborough, Connecticut, south and west, a river runs. It is not a large river, yet it holds a large place in many an angler’s heart. They know these bright waters, and wade its riffles and runs, dreaming of trout dancing on a fly line.
Some of the finest fly-fishing in all of New England takes place in the headwaters of the Connecticut River, in Pittsburg, New Hampshire.
Last fall I set out once again to witness the magnificent foliage of Mount Sugarloaf in the late afternoon light.
In the Fall issue of Estuary, Ed Mitchel will begin a regular column on the fine art of fly-fishing throughout the Connecticut River watershed. The column, entitled “Casting About,” will feature stories from Ed’s long association with the fly-fishing world, including the best environs for fish, equipment, attire, and skills required, as well as the best places to go for the best results.
From the observation room at the top of Heublein Tower on Talcott Mountain, you stand almost 1,000 feet above the Farmington River. The magnificent castle was a summer retreat promised by Gilbert Heublein to his wife, Louise, and opened to the public in 1974. Today, it stands just off the New England National Scenic Trail and has one of the best views in southern New England.
Octogenarians to tykes unite and pedal the pavement and trails for a good cause.