Carolyn Craft’s first trip out on the Housatonic River left an impression.
When she got on the river that morning, with her guide, Harry Desmond, owner of Berkshire Rivers Fly Fishing, Craft was taken by the natural beauty of the river near Lee — and how few people were sharing it with them. Just one other fly-fisher was wading near the banks when they embarked.
Compared to the Dallas native’s usual fly-fishing haunts, including the San Juan River in New Mexico, it was picture perfect.
“We didn’t see another soul out there,” Craft said. “We had that river completely to ourselves and it was just magical.”
The magic came in the form of six hours floating down the river on a late spring day, enjoying peace and quiet occasionally broken by birdsong and ripples in the water. But as Craft noted, the sport requires you to be “relaxed and on point at the same time.”
“The signs you get from the water can be so subtle you have to be laser-focused the whole time,” she said. “If you wait too long, you’ll miss your opportunity.”
Fly-fishing is often a delicate balance. Essentially, anglers use bait that resembles a bug to try to entice fish to bite. This involves many moving parts, including what kind of lure to use and where to place it. But if you know what you’re doing, it can be easy to convince the fish to go for it.
“It’s kind of like a bowl of Cheetos,” she said of the right fly’s appeal to fish. “If they’re sitting right next to you, you’re going to stick your hand in there.”
Craft is one of thousands of people Desmond has taken out onto the river. Though she began fly-fishing nearly 15 years ago, this was Craft’s first time fishing in the Berkshires. For many, a ride along with Desmond will be the first time they pick up the rod and reel.
That includes a burgeoning number of women interested in the sport. Desmond said women are one of the fastest growing groups in the sport and account for about 60 percent of the money coming into the sport. Desmond said the sport is easier to access now, thanks to women-focused groups and more information and equipment being available.
When a brown trout began to put up enough of a fight on the line to potentially be injured, Berkshire Rivers Fly Fishing owner Harry Desmond jumped out of his boat to catch the fish with his net in order to remove the lure from its mouth. Throughout the day on a recent guided tour with Desmond, he emphasized the importance of the keeping the welfare of the fish at the forefront. “When we’re on the river, that’s we’re teaching,” Desmond said. “The health of the fish is the number one thing.” Plus, Desmond added with a chuckle, “they’re my coworkers.”
Desmond offers guidance to anyone who goes with him on the river regarding what lures to use, where to cast and how to handle fish without harming them when they make it to the boat. Educating fly-fishers at any level demands a respect for the ecosystem, and education to ensure anglers are as non-intrusive as possible.
This includes releasing every fish caught to ensure the environment isn’t disturbed. He’s able to break it down easily.
“These are our business partners,” Desmond said. “They’re half of the deal, too.”
Craft caught and released 33 fish that day — and took a picture of each of them to prove it. She said she never fished in a river where so many trout and bass could be found alongside each other, and she enjoyed the unpredictability of what she was going to pull up. It was like a “grab bag.”
Desmond gives Craft a celebratory high-five for her “catch of the day,” a large brown trout.
Education on the ecosystem is only part of Desmond’s work. Throughout any trip on the water, he’s watching for a moment where people leave everyday worries behind and connect with the task at hand.
“I’ll look at people when we’re out there and I’ll say, ‘Hey, what have you been thinking about for the last hour?’” he said. “They’ll look back and say ‘Nothing.’ I tell them that’s the whole point.”
It’s also a way to make memories.
“The main point of it all is families being together, enjoying their time together,” Desmond said. “It helps them bond with nature and bond with each other.”
For Craft, the sport gave her a chance to connect with other women with similar stories, too. In 2014, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Years later, she’d join Casting for Recovery, a fly-fishing retreat for women who are in treatment or post-treatment for breast cancer.
The retreat helped to foster support among the women, she said. She was one of the only women there with experience as an angler.
It’ll likely be a few years before Craft returns to the Berkshires, but she’s looking forward to it.
“It was wonderful,” Craft said. “I can’t wait to come back.”
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