Well, all of this rain and snow has finally had it's effect on the Swift River. A month ago we were fishing in a 40cfs current and as of Christmas week we passed 250 and have settled (hopefully) in the mid 260's. There is, no doubt, plenty of overflow from the Quabbin dam and once this condition starts it usually lasts for weeks or even months. Check out the video clip above and then backcast to the clip on my 11/22/08 post. It's the same section with 5 times the current. I find that 300cfs is about where I call it off as far as fishing goes down at the pipe. I then begin to look above Rt 9 or fish by the gauge station from the west bank. The wading is much safer.
Just before I left one of the hatchery workers asked if I had any smelt patterns. He said the intake screens were full of them. That may have caused that massive, slashing rise I saw a half hour before. It certainly wasn't a rainbow chasing an insect.
Time to tie up some Joe's Smelts.
Ken
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