One of the things on my East Bucket List was to catch wild brook trout on Cape Cod. Both the Quashnet and Mashpee Rivers have wild sea-run brookies. These fish have access to the ocean since both rivers empty into Waquoit Bay. I have wanted to fish for these wild trout since I first learned about them. I went to a seminar at one of the fishing shows many years ago about these trout. The speaker was a guy named Ronald Lasko. He wrote a book called "A Tale of Two Rivers". I bought the book devoured it.
This summer I got a chance to go down to Mashpee/ Falmouth and fish for them. I had never seen either of these rivers so I considered it a scouting mission. I really wanted to catch one but if I didn't I figured I'd still learn a lot for a future adventure. I accepted I would probably get skunked, but really was playing for one. One would mean I could check off this experience off of my bucket list. Catching one would mean I wouldn't have to take the ninety minute drive again if I didn't want to. But it also meant I would be really excited which meant more to me than the check mark.
I started my adventure on the Mashpee. I stopped at the Mashpee Conserve first. It is where my GPS took me. I walked down a path that parallels the river but even though parallels it, the river wasn't even in view of the path. So I went further north and tried another spot. There was a path straight to the river but the access was muddy. I decided to try the Quashnet. If I didn't find access I still had many hours to explore the Mashpee.
I found a parking area along the lower Quashnet and decided to really explore the river. I put on my waders and walked down the path until I found a fisherman's path toward the water. I was hoping to bring my little six foot/ two weight fly rod, however I didn't have the right size fly line for it. So I had to use my nine foot/ five weight. The problem with the long rod was it was jungle fishing. Most of the river is covered with trees and limbs right over the water. Multiple times I had to duck under branches to move up river. There were multiple runs where I couldn't even cast because there wasn't room. Even if I had my six foot rod, there wouldn't have been room to lift it.
So
I made due with my nine footer. I think it worked out okay. Using my fly rod I'd hold it straight up and cast my leader in front of me. At no point in six hours of fishing did I have more than two feet of fly line out. There just wasn't room. The good thing about the long rod was I'd flip the leader upstream with a fly attached. So each "cast" was about eighteen feet. If I had my six foot rod, and flipped the fly in front of me, my "cast" would have only been twelve feet.
The Quashnet is only about fifteen feet wide in the widest places and under eight feet in others. As I was walking upstream I started to build confidence that I might actually catch a trout. I worked my way up river casting at any place I had daylight above me and tree limbs.
After only fifteen minutes I had a hit on my ant fly. Very happily, I hooked the trout and actually landed it. It was a beautiful wild brook trout in spawning colors. I took a few photos and let it go. A quick note- these two rivers are catch and release and artificial lures only. Meaning, you can't keep any trout and you can't use bait of any kind. I didn't even bring a spinning rod. It was catch them on a fly or bust.
I was ecstatic that I caught one of these little wild treasures. Obviously I didn't stop fishing. I hooked a little tiny brookie a minute or two later. Still, it was beautiful. Long story short, I hooked and caught a few more. I hooked about a dozen more fish and landed about six. Most of the fish were in the eight inch range. They are not big fish. I foot long trout would be a trophy. You don't fish for them for size. They are beautiful and wild non-hatchery raised trout are a rare treat in Massachusetts.
