Fly Fishing Benefactors SNAKE I Fly Reel

The SNAKE I reel from Fly Fishing Benefactors is a great reel at at great price.  Lightweight, smooth with a nice responsive sealed drag system, it accommodates a Cortland 4.5 weight line on a Sage 4 wt. XP just perfectly.  Cortland has discontinued the half-weight lines, but the new AVID line from RIO is very similar in design.  Everett  of TEAM7x is very impressed with this new offering from RIO.  The inexpensive spare SNAKE I spool carries a 4 wt. Cortland Sylk for a 3 wt. custom 9 footer or an Orvis Superfine 4 wt.  The thin, supple Sylk line seems to perform better a weight over; i.e. a 4 weight line on a 3 weight rod especially with a faster rod like the Sage XP.

I'm very impressed with the SNAKE I.  It is nicely machined, a great color and competes with the Lamson Litespeed weight-wise.  Although spec'd for a 3 or 4 weight line, I see no reason why it would not carry a 5 weight line with perhaps a bit of trimming on the running line end.  Best of all, FFB donates a portion of it's profits to several great causes!  Check out their other offerings or give Carl a call at FFB, he'll be glad to assist you with any questions.

 Note the porting on the spool which helps to remove weight.  The spool knob  (above) will NOT fall off in your hand when changing spools.  FFB has a great video on their site that highlights the features of the SNAKE I.  They also offer some good deals on lines/leaders and accessories.  

Natchaug River...back to normal!

Following the weekend rain and cooler temps, the Natchaug has regained normal flows.  We expect the conditions to hold for this week, hopefully into next week and the start of summer!  Monday showed tea stained water but much better levels. Current water levels. (Good wading and flows at these levels.)  Emergers continue to take trout.  Our guests a week ago took several nice fish on a combination of emergers and soft hackles fished just under the surface  as evening approached. Today at the 6:00 o'clock hour, caddis, sulphur spinners and BWO's provided a compound hatch.  This was the most prolific sulphur spinner activity we've seen so far, but they were in egg laying mode and did not fall as of 8:20 PM. As has been the case most of the season, rising trout were few and far between; the off color water no doubt the issue.  We expect the next few days to be good; the larger runs and pools are still holding very nice fish and the increased flow has certainly extended what was looking like an early end to spring fishing.


"Evenings on the Natchaug" look good for the next week and hopefully beyond...TEAM 7x has dates available...AND space is available for the June 18 fly fishing intro at Charlie Brown Campground. Email us at Team_7x@yahoo.com. This is an opportunity to try all brand new models of SAGE rods provided by The Lower Forty Outfitters of Worcester, our TEAM 7x supplier.  Stop in and visit Jim Bender at The Lower Forty...directions by clicking on the link to the right below.

Evenings on the Natchaug...leaders

The current flows on the Natchaug, like many freestone streams can be tricky; back eddies, boulders, natural obstructions cause conflicting current and can create instant drag when fishing dry flies.  The majority of our guests and fly fishermen we encounter (although rarely on the sections we fish!) are improperly set up with their fly line/leader system.  Most use loop to loop which can create "hinging" during the cast and present another area to hang up the fly in windy situations.  Many are fishing with a leader too short or with too short or no tippet section.  If loop to loop works for you, fine but we suggest giving the following a try...TEAM7x believes it will improve your transition from fly line to leader and turn your fly over easily while extending your drag free drift.


We use a 5 turn nail knot with a 3 foot piece of 20 lb. test mono to the fly line tip. Maxima Chameleon is a good choice since it is a stiff, hard mono. This creates a solid butt section.

Once the nail knot is complete, cut the butt section to 24 to 30 inches and tie your leader in with a 3 turn blood knot. To a 9' leader add 24 to 36 " of tippet.  We use a 5x or 6x leader and add 5, 6, or 7x as the situation requires. If a new leader is necessary, you've still got plenty of butt section.  Use Knot Sense on the nail and blood knots if you like.  The butt section transitions the fly line to leader much better than loop to loop...IN OUR OPINION...try it and see if it doesn't result in better turn over!  A 13 to 14 foot leader system will result in better drag free drifts and in the clear and currently lower water of the Natchaug,  reduce the chance of spooking that big trout! I tie and prefer the traditional knotted up leaders from Umpqua material with Varivas flouro tippet.

Try the "fixed butt section" described above...it works for us!

Natchaug River, Eastern CT's finest

Yesterday afternoon and evening our guest took several nice rainbows on emergers and on top to a variety of patterns.  Water levels are good at this point but a shot of rain would be a big help. The clear water and slower flows now require 11-12 feet of leader when targeting rising trout; and be on 7x, of course!  Frequently we see too short leaders, short or NO tippet, or an unbalanced system which presents a problem in turning the fly over and in controlling drag.  The Natchaug presents lots of back eddies and subtle current, and can be a challenge to controlling drag on many sections.  More about how we set up our leader system later.


At dusk a blizzard of caddis, spinners, sulphurs and BWO's had trout rising in good numbers.  As usual, TEAM7x and guest were the only ones enjoying some great fishing in the areas we frequent on the Natchaug.  Our guest, a resident of Cape Cod made an interesting point; the Natchaug is the nearest trophy trout stream to the Cape...think about it; he's right!  "TEAM 7x and the Natchaug, a revelation," in a follow up email...thanks Steve!


We're hoping the great conditions hold thru the next weeks.  We'll be conducting our 2nd fly fishing intro session at Charlie Brown Campground on June 14 on the banks of the river.  If you're interested let us know as space is available on a limited basis.  We feature all new Sage rods and reels and it's a great chance to try all the Sage trout series fly rods courtesy of Sage and The Lower Forty outfitters our TEAM7x supplier.


COMING SOON!  A review of Cutthroat furled leaders and the "Snake 1" fly reel from Fly Fishing Benefactors, a great reel at a great price point!


ALSO:  The NATCHAUG dozen, 12 proven patterns we use repeatedly on the river.

Spinners Galore!

Tuesday evening Team 7x witnessed a massive flight of spinners with the falling light of day.  March Browns, smaller quills, mahogany duns  and Gray Drakes blanketed the sky in the diminishing light.  Many of the drakes were coupled as the mating rituals took place above the river .  Water levels were fine as we witnessed some  of the heaviest spinner activity we've seen in recent years of many evenings on the Natchaug.  As darkness deepened, the spinners vanished to the trees and vegetation to incubate and molt.  Unfortunately for us they did not drop to the water; however they HAD to drop likely in the early morning hours.  It was some spectacle and a beautiful sight!


The fishing was spotty; the recent rise and fall of water levels with the rain clearly have the trout off  routine surface feeding activity.  In one classic situation, a fly change to an actively rising bank feeder resulted in a nice brown brought to hand. After a miss, he continued to rise; an immediate change up to a floating soft hackle was ignored; another change, as he continued to rise along the bank in a perfect feeding lane, to a Griffiths Gnat and bang!  Brown on!  Patience ruled the day...after a miss, pause to determine if you continue to have an active feeder, and CHANGE UP.  These are the classic scenarios we dedicated dry fly/emerger guys take so much satisfaction in playing out as we spend our Natchaug evenings!  As the water levels stabilize, barring any significant rain,  look for some great opportunities in the weeks ahead.


Drag free!

Tough but not impossible on the Natchaug

As we left the river this evening, the gage was at 4.38 and the flow at 364.  This is about the limit for successful wading.  There were sporadic hatches of March Browns, Sulphurs and a decent hatch of Black Caddis at dusk along with BWO's throughout the afternoon and evening.  Some areas of the river showed no insect activity at all.  TEAM 7x and guests were successful in marginal conditions locating active feeders with CDC emergers and soft hackles fished on and just under the surface to actively feeding trout.  While the rises were few, the black caddis at dusk did provide some nice targets.  We like to fish soft hackles greased up on the surface film when the caddis are emerging. They can be ducked under  and fished as an emerger at the end of the drift.  Several nice browns and a rainbow came to hand during twilight using this method.  Black CDC emergers also took fish with this method. Sulphurs are just beginning to show but attracted little interest. The heavy flow and river height kept most away; the clarity was fine and we saw no other fly fishermen in several of the areas we frequent.  Knowing the Natchaug river system, its wadeable active pools and runs during high water conditions can make for a successful evening when many tend not to venture out.  May is nearly over and many "Evenings on the Natchaug" have been less than ideal condition wise with this crazy spell of rain, wind, low temps and all.  But we're there...and we'll manage to find the active fish.  Think about joining us...more info at bottom of the blog.  Drag free!


TEAM 7x will be fishing the EB and WB of the Delaware, Willowemoc and Beaverkill over the Memorial Day Weekend.  ALL of these wonderful rivers are currently blown out!
Fingers crossed for NO significant rain in the coming week!! Spring? Sun? Anyone remember what that's all about?? :):)

Fly Fishing Intro at Charlie Brown Campground

Saturday, May 14, TEAM 7x conducted a no-charge fly fishing intro lesson for campers at Charlie Brown Campground in Eastford, CT on the banks of the Natchaug River.  All new SAGE rods, reels and lines were supplied compliments of  The Lower Forty Fly Shop in Worcester, MA, a TEAM 7x associate member.

After casting lessons, campers attending the session regrouped at the river for on stream insect ID and a lesson in reading the water.  It was an enthusiastic group, and several campers brought their own fly rods, reels and gear for help in proper setup.  TEAM 7x will be offering another session in early June at the Natchaug River's finest on stream campground, Charlie Brown Campground!
 
Our TEAM 7x folks took trout this week on emergers fished on top and in the film and small quills and spinners.  We're between hatches for the most part with a week of rain predicted.

The week of May 16 looks like unsettled weather AGAIN and rain, which will add needed water to the Eastern CT system.  We're waiting for a strong caddis emergence along with the sulphurs next in line.  Fish are rising sporadically throughout the river and TEAM 7x knows the locations for the best dry fly opportunites; join us for an "Evening on the Natchaug."  Info below.