CORNWALL BRIDGE — Harold McMillan says this has been the best spring for fishing that he’s seen in 20 years. He should know. The owner of Housatonic River Outfitters, it’s his business to study conditions in area waterways, especially the Housatonic River , where his guides take clients out on drift boats and on foot (in waders) in search of trout, pike and small-mouth bass.
Overall, 2009 is starting out as a very good year for the outdoor outfitter. Sure, the economy is less than thriving, and clients are spending less money on purchases of lures, rods and other gear. But, he noted, people are making more visits to the store.
“We have a lot of traffic even if they’re not making large purchases,†he said. “They’re still buying the smaller-ticket items.â€
Fishermen might have more time on their hands as well, if they were downsized, he added. “The unemployed still fish.â€
And many part-time residents are choosing to spend the summer at their country home, instead of traveling abroad. “Instead of going to Europe or South America or whatever, they’re staying at their country home.â€
In addition to fishing and outdoor gear, the outfitter offers expeditions out on the water.
“We have guided trips in drift boats and wading trips for full and half days,†he said. “We do groups and individuals, one person to 45 people. The larger trips are usually wade-only, and are usually for corporate entities or a family reunion or a wedding.â€
About half of his business comes from local residents and half from out of towners. Everyone gets access to the best fishing spots.
“We tell everyone where the good spots are,†he said. “Our business model is based on access to information.â€
Drift boat fishers get a better crack at the river’s inhabitants, though.
“You get more fishing opportunities in a boat than you do wading,†he explained, “because of private property, river flows or the depth of the water.â€
Of course, in the end it’s all up to the skill with which the fishing line and lure are handled.
“There’s fishing and there’s catching,†McMillan said. “We only guarantee good fishing.â€
And this year the pickings are particularly fine. Interestingly, more rain isn’t necessarily good for fishing, even though it adds more water to the river.
“It’s not the height of the river that affects our business,†he said. “It’s the clarity of the water. When it’s muddy, that slows the traffic of the fishermen to the river.â€
This month’s rains were not a boon for business. The water has been dangerously high and fast. But the cool weather that has accompanied those rains has been good for anglers.
“It’s not the heat that matters to the fish, it’s the oxygen content of the water,†he clarified. “There’s more oxygen in cooler water. The fish come under stress in the heat but it’s not from the temperature, it’s from the lack of oxygen.â€
So far this year, McMillan said, “It’s been cooler than normal; we’ve only had four or five really hot days and we’ve had a multitude of cooler evenings. It’s 6 or 10 degrees below normal.â€
There also seem to be bigger fish in the water this year, in part because the state Department of Environmental Protection put larger trout in the water this spring when it stocked the water. McMillan also has a private group, the Friends of the Housatonic, that stocks the river with fish (and provides gear and training to children, through organizations such as the Boy Scouts and No Child Left Inside).
To learn more about why conditions on the river are so fine (or to take a guided tour of the Housatonic and see for yourself), call Housatonic River Outfitters at 860-672-1010. The shop is in Cornwall Bridge , across from Baird’s general store. Or go to dryflies.com.
When the government lacks moral authority
James Speyer
A government that lacks moral authority breeds cynicism, disillusion and distrust. It ruptures the bonds that tie us together, and destroys any sense that government exists for the benefit of its citizens and can be counted on to act in good faith.
Donald Trump’s administration is devoid of moral authority. It engages in morally indefensible conduct on virtually a daily basis. This is not a liberal talking point; it is indisputable fact. Here are some illustrations, which barely scratch the surface of the vast trove of wretched behavior this administration has amassed since January 2025:
It is morally indefensible to pardon the January 6 insurrectionists who ransacked the Capitol and viciously beat Capitol police officers in an effort to stop the peaceful transfer of power.
It is morally indefensible to use taxpayer dollars to reward those treasonous criminals.
It is morally indefensible to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development and thereby consign hundreds of thousands of children around the world to their deaths (according to the respected medical journal The Lancet).
It is morally indefensible for the masked thugs of ICE to murder protesters in broad daylight and face zero accountability.
It is morally indefensible to seek to imprison an innocent man on fake charges of damaging the Reflecting Pool simply to spare Trump the embarrassment of admitting that his handpicked contractor’s incompetence caused the damage.
It is morally indefensible to kill scores of defenseless people on the high seas for alleged but unproven drug running without the slightest semblance of due process.
It is morally indefensible for Trump to flee Air Force One because the Secret Service determined that remaining on board constitutes an unacceptable risk and not inform those still on the plane of that risk.
It is morally indefensible to not only pardon convicted con men and fraudsters who have collectively fleeced the public out of billions of dollars, but allow them to keep the money they stole from their victims.
It is morally indefensible to convert the Justice Department into a tool for retribution against Trump’s enemies on the basis of bogus charges (such as the ridiculous prosecution of James Comey for posting a photo of seashells in an “8647” pattern).
It is morally indefensible to favor murderous dictators like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un over our freedom-loving allies Ukraine and South Korea.
Through this ceaseless barrage of vile acts, the Trump administration has not just squandered whatever moral authority it might have had, it appears to have gleefully abandoned any shred of that authority.
That abandonment has dire consequences for our society.
A government that consistently favors perpetrators over victims sends the message that might makes right and playing by the rules is for suckers.
A government that creates a two-tier system of justice (one for supporters of and financial contributors to Trump and another for everyone else) shatters the bedrock principle of equal justice for all and destabilizes our society.
Perhaps most tragically, a government that regularly engages in malicious, immoral conduct teaches our young people that it’s okay to behave that way.
The moral rot that lies at the heart of the Trump administration profoundly corrodes our democracy and the rule of law that sustains it. Recovering from it – if we do recover – will be a long and difficult project. That the party in power (and its tens of millions of supporters) is either fully on board with this volcanic flow of debased conduct, or cannot bring itself to muster any meaningful objection, will prove to be an indelible and monstrously shameful stain on our country.
James Speyer is a lawyer and a volunteer for Lawyers Defending American Democracy. He lives in Sharon.