A Day at the Chiltonville Fly-Fishing Club

In early summer, the On the Water TV truck hit the road in search of big trout on the fly. We traveled our way through back roads, thick forests, and past countless ponds. The setting seemed more like the backwoods of Maine than Plymouth, Massachusetts. As the truck slowly navigated the bumpy dirt road, thick forest opened up to a vibrant green valley at the entrance to Chiltonville Fly Fishing Club.

With the temperature approaching 80 degrees, we quickly unloaded our gear and were greeted by Darlene Nickerson, the owner and operator of the Chiltonville Fly Fishing Club and Gilbert Trout Hatchery, one of the oldest continuously operated trout hatcheries in the country. As we walked through the thick pine forests and past bustling trout pools, Darlene explained that the Hatchery has been owned and operated by the Nickerson family for 101 years but its history extends back to 1869 when it was founded in the early days of trout farming. With over 100 acres of pristine forests and natural spring-fed streams, Darlene founded the Chiltonville Fly Fishing Club as a means to protect and preserve as much land as possible while helping to highlight the importance and history of the hatchery.

Despite the heat, the water was a cool 56 degrees as Chris Megan and Jimmy Fee approached “Murphy’s Hole.” Right away Megan and Fee spotted fish on the surface. Given the deep, murky water, they opted to fish weighted streamers to get their offerings down to the fish. The first few casts immediately got the interest of some big rainbow trout. Jimmy and Chris spent the rest of the morning casting streamers to fat rainbows until sweltering mid-day heat sent both the fish, and the fishermen, looking for someplace cooler to hunker down.

After lunch, Darlene explained that the Nickerson family has been raising brook, rainbow, and brown trout for the last 101 years. The hatchery used to encompass the entire stream on which the property sits, but as trout farming became less prevalent and profitable, the trout hatchery downgraded to a more manageable piece of the stream. The rest of the waterway has been reclaimed by nature, allowing trout to flourish here.

The stream itself is a tributary of the Eel River, an important watershed emptying into Plymouth Harbor. The headwaters of the Eel River are located just north of the property but the natural springs feed directly into these tributaries. The natural spring water maintains a consistent temperature and prevents ice from forming, which allows for fly-fishing year round.

Darlene told us that the most difficult part about raising trout is the predators that enjoy feasting on the trout. Coyotes, foxes, raccoons, blue herons, swans, mink, otters, and many others feed on the trout. Due to the abundance of these predators, Darlene does small but frequent stockings of the streams in order to guarantee great fishing for the club.

After we cooled down in the clubhouse located at the center of the property, Chris and Jimmy headed back out to see if the fish would begin to bite again in the afternoon before calling it a day. Check out the rest of the trip when it airs in season 11 of On the Water TV.