Popcorn Madness

June 27, 2022 I ventured out to the Farmington river on a Monday night because the weekenders were gone and the weather was overcast and threatening to rain. I've heard guides and fly shop owners say again and again that fishing is better in such conditions vs. a bright and sunny day. Time to test that theory. I arrived around 5:00 PM at the Rt 44 bridge in Canton. No one on the river save for various acquatic fowl and their babies. The Canada geese kiddos are now the size of a mallard duck; the mallard ducklets about the size of a softball; the mergansers, a lacross ball. The latter sometimes climb up on mom's back for a free ride whilst their siblings, often a ten or more, frantically keep up. There were some nice rises in a moderately deep section steadily sipping, ripples indicative of some heft. I turned on the GoPro in hopes that I might capture a take. Nuttin. As soon as I started casting, the rises stopped and for the next 2 hours, only one strike, no rises, no bugs. I tried hopper-dropper (Zebra midge size 18) in fast water, slow, and slow/deep but still nuttin. The magic hour when the sun just dips below the horizon arrived. I'd moved up to a pool that had been occupied in my previous visits but was now empty. Languid, lazy rises were just out of casting range so I moved a little closer. More rises but again, just out of range so I moved up. Grrr, they just kept their distance each time so I decided to stay put and not cast at all for a bit. Now, a few bugs (sulpurs and some caddis) were showing up and rises were becoming more frequent. The few turned into the many and a full-blown sulphur hatch was underway. It was popcorn time and trout gorged themselves on an endless supply of sulphurs. They seemed to be snarfing down anything that came their way...except my fly. I frantically changed one fly for another trying to match the approximate size and color. Splashy rises, slow rises, rises right next to my fly again and again. Nuttin. It recalled days from when I first started fishing the Farmington when fish were everywhere but I couldn't catch any of them. It was a lesson in humility and yet, exciting, I know I'll be back to try it again.