Remembering that “It isn’t just about the fly fishing…” I offer this brief trip report mostly about impressions of FATC’s new rental accommodations virtually at Montauk’s back door.
The quarter mile gravel road from Hwy 19 to the place was recently graded and in good shape despite heavy rains in the area. A gate made of cattle fencing was propped open wide. Twin ancient Catawba trees had just lost their white buds which covered the freshly cut lawn, a Mulberry bush in the front yard was heavy with berries and a rose bush at the gate served as a nice greeting. A two-person swing that would be probably best support only one large FATC member at a time and a couple of plastic upright chairs rested on a small porch. These things stood out on the exterior of the cabin/farmhouse as FATC members Steve Baker and I, Al Harper, arrived 6/1/22 for an overnight. It’s a scant 2.25 miles from this structure to Montauk Spring. That’s close enough to dart back for a lunch or quick siesta if one is desired.
Quaint, functional and cozy is how I describe the interior. Others might think it’s the place that time forgot. One can easily visualize a grizzled ancestor sitting at the Formica kitchen table gripping a mug of coffee and mulling over which parcel of his farm to plow into the next day. Actually I know nothing of the provenance of the place but it’s fun to fantasize a history based on the surroundings. For instance, an old trophy deer head and a rack mount provide evidence that a hunter was around at some point. And nice photos of the trout park on a bedroom wall establish a sportsman’s theme. There’s a working TV and a few other contrivances to break the spell of nostalgia that permeates the place but solitude and tranquility rein supreme and that is as it should be. You, fellow FATC member, might live in a docile urban neighborhood or perhaps a sleepy small town (as I do) but this place sets the standard for peace and quiet, particularly after sundown. After a nice evening’s sleep, I awoke to some excited gobbling and eased out the front door to see two wild Tom turkeys and a hen almost within shotgun range. Watching the larger Tom fan his tail and strut around was a nice way to start the day.
To elaborate on the coziness of this place, I’d say that if five FATC guys stay there overnight or two for an excursion then careful choreography will be needed to maneuver through the kitchen. Some of those overnighters might want to dine on a back porch picnic table for more elbow room. However at the end of their trip they will return with more change in their pocket and no doubt better stories to tell than if they had sprung for the more expensive (and even smaller) Montauk Lodge rooms. But the place was comfortable enough and a two mile commute after hours of fishing sure beats the 150 mile drive back to St. Louis. Getting back on the water in a leisurely fashion the morning after is a nice change. The owner of the place even left some delicious home-made muffins for us along with perfectly reasonable instructions about keeping the garbage out of reach of critters and leaving soiled towels in the laundry room.
Ok, so I will share a little about the fishing too: We did pretty well the first day with about 8 fish each. Drifting an olive Wooly Bugger under an indicator paid off for Steve up in the far reaches of the Spring while I caught a few on a streamer pulled back against the current. Steve also had some luck with a black Pat’s Rubber Legs while I managed to catch about four on a brown dry fly that impersonated a Caddis. The next morning, while the weather and the venue were beautiful, we found it more difficult to land fish. We headed back to civilization after a nice half day of fishing on a particularly lovely and low humidity day. Hope you have a pleasant overnight at this venue soon. Good luck on the low humidity.
