First Day of Fishing
The beauty of the West Branch of the Farmington River as it cuts through the northern Connecticut town of Riverton is enough to bring any angler to its banks–but something deeper than trout and sport entices hundreds of men (and some women) and excited children to the water in the still darkness before dawn on […]
The beauty of the West Branch of the Farmington River as it cuts through the northern Connecticut town of Riverton is enough to bring any angler to its banks–but something deeper than trout and sport entices hundreds of men (and some women) and excited children to the water in the still darkness before dawn on the third Saturday in April.
A fishing derby, now in its 64th year, celebrates the opening day of the season with a tradition that links generations to memories of a cold river and the camaraderie that fishermen have known since birth, it seems. It begins with coffee and pancakes in the firehouse before dawn. Then, when the fire whistle blasts through town at 6 a.m., the game is on and the riverbank springs to life.
There are fish in there for sure, and prizes are won, but what most of those who try their luck remember is sleep dissolving in the daylight, the shining eyes of children, and knowing that on this day a little riverside town welcomes anybody to share its history and the atmosphere of its neat general store, with its good sandwiches, hot coffee, and chatter running like a steady current. The people of Riverton are saying, “Come see what you catch, see what goes home with you, see what will bring you back.”
Mel Allen
Mel Allen is the fifth editor of Yankee Magazine since its beginning in 1935. His first byline in Yankee appeared in 1977 and he joined the staff in 1979 as a senior editor. Eventually he became executive editor and in the summer of 2006 became editor. During his career he has edited and written for every section of the magazine, including home, food, and travel, while his pursuit of long form story telling has always been vital to his mission as well. He has raced a sled dog team, crawled into the dens of black bears, fished with the legendary Ted Williams, profiled astronaut Alan Shephard, and stood beneath a battleship before it was launched. He also once helped author Stephen King round up his pigs for market, but that story is for another day. Mel taught fourth grade in Maine for three years and believes that his education as a writer began when he had to hold the attention of 29 children through months of Maine winters. He learned you had to grab their attention and hold it. After 12 years teaching magazine writing at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, he now teaches in the MFA creative nonfiction program at Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Like all editors, his greatest joy is finding new talent and bringing their work to light.
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