Farmington on Wednesday

[Magnet]

The temps are still good from Riverton through the Tma. The temp in Riverton was 52 at 4 pm. I noticed I have been getting more small wild browns this year. This is the first time I have actually taken a picture of them. Neil (DEP biologist will be happy.)



One bad note is the Merganzer population is getting out of hand.


Here are a few more from the day



This is what happens with the Tatsu floro. Do not use this stuff.

[Clema74]

nice wild!!! I'm happy to see there is a lot on this river.

Farmington, Farmington, I'm coming!

[sipper]

Are you guys sure thats not a little salmon? they stock little salmon from the salmon hatchery upstream. The best way to tell is the tail. Forked tail = fingerling salmon. Square tail =trout. Otherwise they are impossible to tell apart.I have been fooled by this a few times. if you caught more than one its probably a salmon. The salmon program is kinda silly, I think they should have started a brookie hatchery instead. Does anyone know anymore about the salmon program? How long has it been around? Have any returned to the farmy yet?

[Brookie]

That's a brown. The parr have appreciably forked tails and really flip out when you try to release them. I'm pretty sure Magnet knows the difference.
I do think the salmon recovery program is a farce. Of course hindsight is 20/20, but to think of the money that's been spent on such little return. A noble effort, don't get me wrong, but after the 25 or so years they've been trying to restore salmon to the CT river and it's tribs and to have as little success as they've had, well it makes you scratch your head a bit.
I don't know for sure how long the effort has been going on, but it's been a long time. How many adults returned last year or in the past 5 years? Anyone have figures?

[Magnet]

Yea SIP, you Pa guys think you should have a lock on the wild brown action don't ya! Brookie will tell you too we get alot of those salmon part every time out. The program started in 1967 and has been eating up tax dollars nonstop ever since. In the 1800's industry built dams along our waterways and one of the nations p most prolific salmon fisheries was snuffed out. I believe they introduced two strains in hopes of developing a genetic drive to return. I think they get some return but nothing like the 4000 annually they had hoped for. As Brookie knows, from the fishermens vantage point, these little guys make tasty morsels for a large brown. It's kind of a federally subsidized trout feeding program. We even have streamers that imitate the parr.