A THRILL ON THE STILL September 20, 2008 - In the words of one famous New England head coach "it is what it is." And so it is with the Still River in Sterling. Unless you plan your outing to coincide with the MassWildlife stocking truck, it is in essence the quintessential put-and-take trout fishery. The state puts them in and the conventional anglers yank them out, end of story. I really never developed any sort of affection for this resource until the month of October. It is during this month that the landlocked salmon, heading their instinctive disposition, begin to filter into the watershed from that vast impoundment, the Wachusett Reservoir. Long departed are the worm dunkers and marshmallow flickers of early spring. Those that remain to pursue these creatures are passionate zealots seeking to prolong their season with the possibility of a real trophy to supplement their achievements. As the middle of October approaches it is imperative that you time your arrival to the river to correspond with an increase in water volume attributed to precipitation. Without question you will experience the best results prior to the crest of the river, during the rise of the water level. Being a watershed of diminutive proportion with few feeder streams aiding the cause, this will unquestionably happen either during the rainfall event itself, or immediately after (within a day or so). This will encourage salmo salar to follow their natural instincts and enter the system in their attempt to spawn. Since seeking nutrition is definitely not a priority, more glamorous fly patterns seem to provide most of the success. The white marabou muddler #8 (either waked on the surface dead drift, or fished deep when condition warrant) is probably responsible for enticing more landlocks than any other pattern. You may also consider the Miller River Special #8, the Cardinelle (#8), the Colonel Bates Streamer #8, the Mickey Finn #8 and the Black Ghost #8. Since most of these transients generally fall into the 16-22 inch range, your 9'0"-5 weight trout rod is sufficient under most conditions. I would also contemplate toting along a sink-tip line to coincide with your floater. This will come in handy for deeper, slower moving water. Your lines will require 9'-4X leaders with corresponding tippet for this type of fishing. Perseverance seems to be the key to success. Anglers that are willing to brave unpleasant weather with determination and resolve are often rewarded with what could be the fish of the season. Good fishing and safe
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