To the Mentors

Sea-run brook trout caught in the Quashnet River on Cape Cod.

This was the week that I learned to catch Cape Cod’s native sea-run brook trout. I started the pursuit of these unique and beautiful fish about a year ago, regularly fishing both the Mashpee and Quashnet rivers on the Upper Cape. Until this week every outing has been met with frustration and failure. Dozens of outings, countless hours - not a single fish, barely a nibble. That was until a chance meeting with a river angel this past Tuesday. We bumped into each other in the parking lot at the trail head, negotiated our fishing locations on the river, and then he gave me a fly and said “Fish this.” And that has made all the difference.

The author, fly fishing the Mashpee River.

I’m not sure it was the fly, or just knowing that I was fishing a proven fly- either way, the holes,  overhangs, and pools that once stymied me, now produce fish. My confidence as a fishermen has been restored. In this past week I’ve netted eight brook trout between two river systems - more trout than I’ve caught in my life up until this week. It has been decades since I reliably caught fish on a fly rod and I’m beginning to feel like a fisherman again - not just a fraud traipsing around in waders. All because of one small act of kindness from a stranger. To all the mentors out there kindly sharing your fishing knowledge and love of the sport - Thank you!