Dan & Tom Harrison

Years Fishing?

25+

Who introduced you to fly fishing?

Our uncle, cousin and older brother

Can you tell us a little about your home waters and the fish you pursue there?

Western MA has a number of great tailwaters and freestones.  The Deerfield and the Hoosic tend to produce the bigger wild fish that we catch locally so they get most of our time and effort.  The Deerfield is a large power generating river that can be fished with big attractor patterns of all kinds and has both wild browns and bows.  The Hoosic is mostly wild browns that are some of the healthiest trout that I've caught anywhere. We also have amazing Pike fisheries which are really opening up a new opportunity for Anglers in New England.

What's the height of the season for you? What time of year is your personal favorite?

The busiest time of the year for us is mid-April through late June but we are lucky to have pretty consistent fishing all 12 months.  I do most of my fishing in the winter months which is a great time to target the bigger wild trout in the area. 

What are your favorite travel destinations? What's on the bucket list?

We spent some time guiding down in Chile and out in the Bob Marshall on the flathead in MT.  It's hard not to love both of these locations. We have a lot of bucket list fish Dorado, tarpon, roosters, and Gts. If it swims it’s on the list.

What do you like most about Thomas & Thomas Rods? Which rods do you fish?

We have Avantts, Exocetts, Contacts and Exocett Predators in the arsenal currently and all perform exceptionally.  The 5 and 6 wt. Avantts handle all of our trout fishing needs and are very well balanced rods that are awesome to fish.  They can take a beating and fish the same after a season as they do right out of the factory!  The Contacts have added a new dimension to our guide service.  Allowing our clients to run tight line nymph rigs out of the boats effortlessly. Usually, we change the way rods are made. The new TnT rods are the first that has actually changed what we are capable of doing with clients! 

What's your current go-to fly?

This season a majority of the fish we caught were on variations of the Frenchie! But it changes daily! 

Other than fly tackle, what piece of gear do you find indispensable?

Aire Super Pumas. The rafts we run make it happen in this area. They get us over fish that otherwise we wouldn’t have access too. 

My favorite thing about guiding is:

Putting people on the biggest trout that they have ever landed.  There's nothing like seeing an angler bring the largest trout of their life to the net. And usually they are people that travel all over the world and they end up getting that fish in their backyard. 

From the angler’s point of view, what do you see as the main value of going on a guided trip?

I think one of the main benefits from a guided trip is the ability for the guide to share insights from his time on the water.  There's a million ways to catch a trout, the more of these tricks you learn and can apply the more success you will have.  Guiding is a balance between putting people on fish and teaching them a few of these tricks that they can try the next time they are out on the water. The relationships we developed with our clients really are the best thing about our work.

What can a new fisherman expect to get out of a guided trip? My favorite thing to teach a client is?

We have taught a lot of people how to fly fish over the years.  What I like to do is get people in the boat on fish as soon as possible and then all the terms and techniques tend to make a little more sense to people picking up a fly rod for the first time....especially kids, action is a must! We also like teaching people that there are still secrets and giant fish that have yet to be found even close to home.

What's your ideal lunch when on the water? What do you actually pack?

Hager's farm market in Shelburne Falls has been serving us homemade lunches for years and there’s nothing like it!!!

What fly fishing blogs/magazines do you read regularly?

We spend so much time on the water not a lot of time for reading about it. When I'm not fishing you'll find me:

What fly fishing blogs/magazines do you read regularly?

Spending time with my wife and 3 year old daughter!  Mckenzie had caught(with a little help)  brookies and bows on the fly before her 3rd birthday!  Sunday is the family fun day.  I also like to Golf in the spring/summer and hunt in the fall/winter! When Dans not fishing you’ll probably find him fishing.