Small Streams

[BambooMatt]

The heat has shut down the trout fishing on the Housatonic until late August or September, so I've been having a blast finding places where native brook trout are still holding on in southern New England.
The good news is there are quite a few of those places left if you know where to look and are willing to brave hoardes of mosquitoes and deerflies.
I sometimes find edible wild mushrooms in my travels, and this is a banner year for them with the hot and wet conditions. Nothing tastes better to me than a pair of brookies dusted in flour and fried in bacon grease with some chanterelles or cepe mushrooms. I try to do this once or twice a year and I only kill a couple of fish from a stream or beaver pond that I know can withstand the loss.
The good thing about brookies is that when conditions merit, they'll reproduce and thrive. My little brookie streams still have lots of fish.
While there are a few very good little streams in the Berkshires that hold natives, (including the stream that runs near my house in Pittsfield) my favorite place to explore is southern Vermont. In Vermont, it seems every little trickle is cold and clean enough for brook trout.
If you're willing to hike, you are in for some excellent fishing, including brookies up to 12 inches. I use the book "Vermont Trout Streams" as a guide to find the most likely streams. The maps included are fantastic.

[bscanman]

I'm with you BambooMatt-love the small streams. My local haunts have been getting awfully thin as of late though. Hope we get some regular precipitation soon to keep things cool. I'll have to check out Amazon and pick up a copy of "Vermont Trout Streams", sounds like a good reference.

[BambooMatt]

bscanman,
I just saw the latest version of that book at "Taddinger's" Fly Shop on Rt. 100 in Wilmington, VT. You may find it on Amazon. It's great because it includes all the small streams and tributaries and next to each stream on the map there is a little "brook, brown, or rainbow" symbol to let you know what is likely to be in that section of the brook. I haven't even scratched the surface of what I want to explore up there!

[Uplander]

No offence Matt, but I think “guidebooks” like that are an abomination, with magazine articles targeting specific streams even worse. They lead the hordes to places that cannot sustain the fishing pressure.

It’s a danger on Internet bulletin boards as well….

[BambooMatt]

"Hordes"? In over 25 seasons of persistently fishing small streams, I can recall having met less than five other guys. I can't recall any of them that were keeping fish, either. Don't forget, even with a pinpoint map you still have to hike long distances, deal with mosquitoes, posted property, lack of parking and the risk of being unsuccessful in order to find the good fishing. Most fish hogs are just not willing to go through all that for a few 6" brook trout. They'll clean out the brooks near bridges or easy access points, but not where I go.
I share your concerns, but I just don't see a major problem here. My favorite spots still have lots of fish and some (not all) even fish better now than in previous years.
I think over-development with the inevitable loss of habitat, well-drilling that sucks up ground water and most importantly, ski areas draining water from creeks are far more threatening than fishermen.