Hello all,
The 2022 Berkshires to Beaches Expedition just finished up a fun few days fishing on the Deerfield River in the Berkshires. The last time you heard from us we had just finished setting up camp on the Deerfield. The following morning, we got to fishing.
On our first morning at camp, we started off with some delicious and filling breakfast burritos prepared by our kid-run cook crew before we began with fly fishing instruction. After going over some casting and rigging basics with the kids, we packed lunch and split into two groups to test our new skills out on the water. One group went fishing the Deerfield river itself, and the other headed off to check out some smaller freestone tributaries of the Deerfield. Both groups had some success the first day, but the real good fishing wouldn’t come until that night. While some of the group stayed behind to set up a campfire and have a relaxing evening around camp, a small scouting party went out in search of rising fish and an evening hatch. They were rewarded with the sight of readily rising brown and rainbow trout in the pools right below the parking area. They quickly rigged up and brought a few nice fish to the net before it got dark and was time to head back to camp.
The next day the group woke up early to get on the water fast, but the fishing proved to be difficult due to a variety of flows, temperature, and time of day, so the group pivoted and decided to explore a few swimming holes during the hot afternoon while we waited for another evening hatch. After a quick dinner, the group returned to fishing on the Deerfield and their persistence and patience were rewarded with nearly every kid catching a fish on a dry fly.
This morning we slept in a bit and packed up camp. We are now on our way to the next campground on the Housatonic River and we made a stop for lunch and ice cream on the way. On the Housatonic, we will learn to fly fish from canoes and chase after aggressive smallmouth bass and trophy northern pike. Everyone is super excited for these next few days of fishing and camping. Next time you hear from us we will be on our way out to Cape Cod to wade the flats for striped bass.
Tight lines,
Will, Jack, and William
