cape cod brookie streams

[keithJ]

Anyone here ever fly fish the quashnet or mashpee rivers? I understand there's a decent wild brookie population in both systems. I'm going crazy right now with cabin fever and I need to wet a line. i'm thinking I could poke around one of these streams later in the month or in early april.

Thanks in advance.

[captmike]

I have no idea it sounds like fun though

[BobG]

I've never done it myself. But, I know someone who does from time to time.
The action is far from fast and furious, but he claims it to be a very rewarding way to spend a morning. However, I'm told both streams are chocked with brush and trees, so casting may be tough.

[Bob Parsons]

whether you catch anything or not, it's always fun to poke around new territory. As mentioned, casting can be a challenge, but I can visualize drifting a nymph into overhangs and cut banks.

[keithJ]

Thanks fellas. I know trout unlimited has been working on clearing brush from the quashnet. I read online they estimate roughly 360 wild fish per 300 yards of creek. That isn't so bad I guess, especially if you're focusing on pools. Can't hurt to give it a try.
http://www.capecodtu.org/webcons.htm

[BobG]

Thanks fellas. I know trout unlimited has been working on clearing brush from the quashnet. I read online they estimate roughly 360 wild fish per 300 yards of creek. That isn't so bad I guess, especially if you're focusing on pools. Can't hurt to give it a try.
http://www.capecodtu.org/webcons.htm

That's a lot of fish, esp when you consider the fact that these are native.:brow

Just thank you lucky stars the Cape doesn't have beavers, like the rest of the state does. There are many streams, too many to mention, in the central, and west central Ma district which had brook trout fisheies that were equally as strong. Sadly, when Ma voters decided to elect the beaver to be it's state's rodent, those once beautiful streams have long since been decimated.
I've alwasy wondered why the central Ma TU has been so silent on this matter?:confused:

[keithJ]

Hmmm. Not dissagreeing, but wouldn't you have to say that brookies and beavers coexisted in this state well before people were trapping? Makes it hard to understand how they're destroying so much trout water.

That's a lot of fish, esp when you consider the fact that these are native.:brow

Just thank you lucky stars the Cape doesn't have beavers, like the rest of the state does. There are many streams, too many to mention, in the central, and west central Ma district which had brook trout fisheies that were equally as strong. Sadly, when Ma voters decided to elect the beaver to be it's state's rodent, those once beautiful streams have long since been decimated.
I've alwasy wondered why the central Ma TU has been so silent on this matter?:confused:

[ShaneY]

I would have to say Kieth makes a good point, though it does appear that they have ruined trout brook in dover, though it was almost impossible to access anyway.

As far as the quashnet goes, I went down there a few weeks ago for the first time when we had that real warm day, I didn't see much but I would say it is almost impossible to sneak up on the fish in the lower section. They have stacked old christmas trees to make the bank fishable but it makes a lot of noise. I would try further up from the park area to somewhere below John's pond. I will definitely be going back to try again.

As far as the Mashpee is concerned access is very difficult and there is little to no casting room until you get below 28 and then it looks a lot less trouty, though there are very likely some salters in there.

These are just my observations on very limited time and I 'm sure others have more experience but I will definitely be trying again.

[seatrout]

There are fish in both streams, and they are both difficult to fish ... successfully! I've always done best working downstream very, very slowly and manage a fish or two. It's not easy, but if you're serious take a light 7 foot or shorter rod and small streamers. At the worst, you'll be fishing.

[rckcapefish]

diddo what seatrout said, watch out for the mud also ive been up to my knees before. Not a good way to start the morning!

[keithJ]

Sweet. Thanks for the tip. Have you ever fished it early in the season?


There are fish in both streams, and they are both difficult to fish ... successfully! I've always done best working downstream very, very slowly and manage a fish or two. It's not easy, but if you're serious take a light 7 foot or shorter rod and small streamers. At the worst, you'll be fishing.

[BobG]

Hmmm. Not dissagreeing, but wouldn't you have to say that brookies and beavers coexisted in this state well before people were trapping? Makes it hard to understand how they're destroying so much trout water.

As soon as trapping ended in Ma, all the lovely trout steams which had strong populations of native brookies became standing swamps. More suitable as mosquito factories.:( Some are so bad, water barely moves through them these days.

[seatrout]

I have fished those streams every month of the year, and find the fish a bit more sluggish in a cold winter ... but they do what carries them through the summer ...move to the springs, where the temperatures are more constant. You just have to find them! That is "the rest of the story".

[sasatur]

The mature fish have moved out of the streams for the winter, and usually don't return until late April. I fish the Quashnet regularly and have had good success all summer into the fall, they are a lot of fun. I use a short 6' 3wt and mostly use streamers, but on occasion dry flies are very successful. As stated in previous posts there are some areas that don't leave much room for casting and you have to improvise getting you fly into their feeding lanes. Be prepared for a long wade there are only a few places to get into and out of the river. The mud along the banks is deep and you'll sink past your knees if you aren't careful. The stream bed is stable and provides excellent wading.

[Bob Parsons]

Long before trapping the beaver and the trout coexisted and lived in harmony........along with the wolf and mountain lion, and bobcats.

[BobG]

Long before trapping the beaver and the trout coexisted and lived in harmony........along with the wolf and mountain lion, and bobcats.

Thank you Bob. ;)

As it presently stands, the beavers have no natural enemies in Ma these days. That's why their population has exploded from ~10,000 in 1995 to over 75,000 and climbing today.:eek:

[keithJ]

Great post seatrout. I'm pretty excited to give this a try. Hopefully i can make due with a 7 foot rod. Will any streamer patterns get the job done? I know they aren't all that picky in Vermont streams that I've fished in the past.

Bob, don't coyotes and fishercats eat beavers? I'm pretty sure our coyote population is through the roof right now.

[keithJ]

Boston globe article from this month attributing the success of the coyote in the northeast to be due largely to the availability of beavers, a major prey item. According to the article, if there were wolves in the area still, there would be far fewer coyotes and far more beavers!

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2009/02/01/coyotes_not_wolves_are_natural_predators_of_beaver/

[BobG]

Boston globe article from this month attributing the success of the coyote in the northeast to be due largely to the availability of beavers, a major prey item. According to the article, if there were wolves in the area still, there would be far fewer coyotes and far more beavers!

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2009/02/01/coyotes_not_wolves_are_natural_predators_of_beaver/

The Boston Globe was a major proponent of the 1997 bill to ban leg hold traps. So I'd say their sincerity could be in question here. After than, the beaver population exploded.
If coyotes are eating beavers in Ma, they're buying them at the supermarket b/c they're certainly not killing many in the wild.(#$119)

[boden]

Bob, how much is coyote a pound at the local Market Basket?