Chasing Salmon in Vain

Well, I've been fly fishing so much, that I've injured my elbow. So I switched to primarily doing spinning, with the other hand. So far so good.

Last week I caught a largemouth bass that way, after work and before dinner:




Here's a video of it:

A couple weeks ago, Connecticut stocked a little more than 200 "excess broodstock" atlantic salmon to the Shetucket River. Because of a quirk in my schedule, I had a chance to stop there on the way home early today.

Salmon!

Last year, we were unsuccessful.

So far, same thing.

But it is beautiful and I caught two other fish in quick succession.

The first one was a heavy bluegill. It was super greedy and went after a "rapala" floating balsa swimming lure.
Video of the bluegill encounter:

I actually snagged it under the chin with a trailing hook. This is especially ironic because the unusual tackle arrangement is designated by the state, to make snagging salmon more difficult. If not a fly, you are limited to a single *swinging* hook and no added weights (but the lure can be heavy and sinking--no weight up the line--so no bobber either.)

Then I switched to a longer heavier similar lure in a different color, but with the swinging hook under the belly. I'm pretty sure this is also kosher but will follow up. I caught a young largemouth bass this way:

 

Unfortunately I threw it back, but caught nothing else for the next hour and a half, even after switching to flies and casting with my other hand. There were rises but nobody wanted my offerings.

The bass was the right size to eat. Darn.

The lure fishing was not easy to do well. I can cast further with my fly line by far!  I don't think I have the match between rod and lure down and I also don't have the right motion methinks. Or I am trying too hard. Sometimes it goes really far when I don't try.