I moseyed down to Housatonic Meadows State Park late Saturday morning on Aug. 16 for a Trout Unlimited smallmouth bass event put on by the Mianus chapter.
“Wait a sec,” you say. “If it’s Trout Unlimited, why are they fishing for smallmouth bass?”
The answer is two-fold.
First, the Housatonic River in summer is primarily a smallmouth fishery. The water is too warm for trout but it doesn’t bother the bass much.The trout are hiding out in the thermal refuge areas and are off-limits until mid-September.
Second, the word “unlimited” suggests wiggle room.
When I rolled in there was a small pop-up tent with the words “Trout Unlimited” on it set up by the upper parking lot. Being a trained observer, I spotted this vital clue almost immediately.
There was a folding table under the tent. It was empty, but it seemed likely there would be food on it at some point.
Trained observers are also patient. I tabled the food question and motored down to the lower parking area, where I beheld half a dozen men with fly rods casting into the low, slow river with varying degrees of proficiency and enthusiasm.
The nearest to me turned out to be Eddie Curtis, who hails from southern New Jersey. “About 15 minutes from Philly,” he said.
Curtis was a fortuitous choice of subject. Chatty and easy-going, he embarked on an angling monologue that included adventures on salt and fresh water and an incisive critique of fish and game practices in his home state.
All the while he chucked lazy downstream casts. On about every tenth one, he hooked a smallish smallmouth bass.
I asked him what fly he was using. The answer -- a black Wooly Bugger -- wasn’t surprising. That’s a standard pattern for this kind of fishing. Almost a cliche.
Curtis was using a black Wooly Bugger with an unusual feature — a little propeller or spinner.Patrick L. Sullivan
But this was different in that it had a little propeller attached just below the hook eye.
I last saw something like this in the mid-1990s in New Mexico, where a rustic saloon I just happened to be in had a small display case of standard trout flies with the same kind of propellers attached. The brand name was “Pistol Pete.”
Curtis said they work almost too well. He jerked his thumb behind him and said “He ties them for me.”
I resolved to catch up with “he” when everybody took a break.
I ambled back to the car and exchanged camera and notebook for rod and vest.
I tried four different flies, two surface and two subsurface, and failed to move anything.
Not anxious to perform the Walk of Shame, I tried a black Wooly Bugger, no propeller.
That did the trick.
Back up at the tent my finely honed instincts proved correct.Food had materialized, in the form of two giant submarine sandwiches, a couple of jumbo bags of potato chips, and sodas.
Gerald Berrafati was in charge of this. He is the chapter coordinator for the Mianus Trout Unlimited chapter, and he was talking a mile a minute about various dam removal and stream reclamation projects in his bailiwick.
Since the state of Connecticut east of New Hartford and south of Torrington is a complete mystery to me, I had only a vague idea where these places were.
But it sounded good.
Antoine Bissieux, who does business as “The French Fly Fisherman,” made a cameo appearance. Some years back he was with a couple of sports on the Hous in similar circs — warm, low, late summer -- and I swapped him a handful of mop flies for a sampler of his perdigon nymphs. If he remembered this he didn’t let on.
The six or eight of us at the tent did a number on the chow and talked some guff between bites. The sandwiches were good. So was the guff.
Warren Nesteruk of Southbury (I think) said his wife was giving him a hard time about having so many fly rods.
I asked how many he had.
“Fifteen,” he replied.
When I informed him I had something like 80 rods, he grew thoughtful, as if my awful example might buy him some space.
Then it struck him.
“You’re not married, are you.”
One loose end remained. I hate loose ends, and I wanted to find the fellow who added propellers to his flies.
But they had left.
So if you read this, Eddie Curtis of south Jersey, drop me a line. I’d like to find out if they really do work almost too well.
Kate Farrar at Foxtrot Farm
Flowers are the hallmark of the business, with a rotating rainbow of colors each season. You can find species like lisianthus and heirloom chrysanthemums — Farrar’s current favorite — and a range of in-season foliage like vines and fennel fronds that are used to accent bouquets.
“It can change the entire vibe of a bouquet,” she said. In addition to flowers, Farrar grows select fruits and vegetables, like raspberries and kale. Each year, she adds more native plants to support her regenerative, pesticide-free farming model. Because she doesn’t use chemicals, Farrar relies on the robust ecosystem of insects, birds, and native predators attracted by those plantings.
While soil health is the foundation of her regenerative model, she said creating a diverse ecosystem is just as important. “I think regenerative farming is not only amending the soil for your crops, but improving the quality of the soil,” Farrar said. “And beyond that, it’s about creating an ecosystem where things can thrive.”
Each season, Foxtrot offers its products through several business models. Flowers are available wholesale to florists and other businesses, arrangements are available for weddings and special events, and a pick-your-own membership is available for local residents.
Farrar also offers a community-supported agriculture program — commonly known as a CSA — for customers seeking a steady supply of locally grown blooms. Participants can pay through a seasonal lump sum, in installments, or on a sliding scale.
Farrar spent a decade farming for other people throughout the Hudson Valley before she decided to take the next step in her career. She didn’t want to do it without land security, so when an opportunity arose to purchase land in Stanfordville with a friend, she felt that the timing was right.
The 2021 season focused on cover-cropping and infrastructure, while 2022 marked her first production year.
A science and art
Farrar said she initially focused on flowers because they offered the highest return per square foot, but she stayed with them because she loves them.
While the farm is her livelihood, she views Foxtrot as not just a business and a science, but an art. “I get to be playful with the work, and it’s a straightforward way to tie art into agriculture,” Farrar said, reflecting on her dual English and photography major at a liberal arts college.
Her senior thesis involved photographing people in agriculture. “I hadn’t gotten my hands dirty yet, but I was already drawn to it,” Farrar said.
By Aly Morrissey
From grief to growth
Farrar’s mother died when she was a senior in college, and she found herself navigating intense grief at a pivotal moment in her young adult life.
A friend brought her to a farm to get her connected with the land and, for Farrar, it was a light-bulb moment. “It reminded me that there was a spaciousness beyond deadlines and tests,” she said. Farrar described that experience as cathartic. “That was the moment I realized I didn’t just want to observe the land through photography, I wanted to work with it.”
Today, as Foxtrot enters a new growing season, Farrar is excited to be expanding. After operating largely as a one-woman farm with some part-time seasonal help, she is looking forward to hiring a full-time employee for the fifth growing season.
Winter craft event on Jan. 18
Foxtrot Farm will host a winter craft event on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Vitsky Bakery in Wassaic. Farrar said she chose to host the crafting event as a way to stay relevant and connected with the community during the winter months. “Collaging is a low-pressure activity, and it gets you out of ‘productivity brain’ and into something more meditative,” she said. Attendees will be able to enjoy conversation and add some color to the cold, winter months through the floral dreamscape collaging event. Farrar will also share more information about Foxtrot’s CSA. The event is free and open to the public.
Millerton Fire Company crews directing traffic as they waited for a tow truck large enough to haul the wrecked box truck away from a crash site on Route 44 just south of the entrance to the Millerton Gun Club on Friday, Jan. 9.
Details of the incident were limited as emergency crews worked at the scene. Roger said a box truck and a passenger car were the two vehicles involved, but additional information was not immediately available.
A box truck involved in a crash with a passenger vehicle blocking a lane of traffic on Route 44 outside the Village of Millerton on Friday, Jan. 9. Millerton Fire Company crews directed traffic around the truck until just before 2 p.m. when a tow truck arrived from East Fishkill.Photo by Nathan Miller
The passenger car was towed from the scene by about 1:45 p.m. A heavy-duty tow truck from East Fishkill arrived shortly thereafter to remove the box truck.
The disabled box truck blocked a lane of traffic on Route 44 just outside of the village, causing significant delays for motorists and prompting many to take a detour on Mill Road to avoid the congestion.
"It takes a minute," Roger said. "We don't have any large vehicle tow companies nearby."
