Autumn On The EB

Autumn On The EB

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Late Summer - An Evening On The Swift


It's late August, that time of year again. Small dries that were tied on after 8:30pm in June, under full evening sun (sorry Charlie), are now a bit of a chore as dusk approaches long before 8. The weather and the temperatures will be sublime for the next two months BUT the light, which makes evening fishing possible, is on the wane. The season is changing but the fishing continues.

The EB has maintained its flow and the trout are still there but only in certain spots that provide cool sanctuary. The heat of Summer is over and those browns (and some bows) will begin to fill in the spots. I've done well there this Summer. No double digit evenings. That happens in late May and into June but enough dry fly action to keep bringing me back.

Went to the Swift after a 2+ week hiatus this evening. I was the only one there at the PIPE section for the 2.5 hours that I fished. Trout were rising at the tree pool and I had a devil of a time trying to figure it out. It wasn't that "dorsal/tail" rise that means something is emmerging but a full, gentle rise to a surface insect. I couldn't find that insect but a black bodied CDC dry, size 24, brought 5 up with 4 to the net. An ant??? I didn't see any. In fact, the bows would push my fly out of the way to get what they wanted. Frustrating but a lot of fun.

The seasons are changing. We will still have some hot days but they are on the way out. Autumn is approaching with it's early sunsets and darker mornings. Just two months ago I fished the Y Pool at 5:30am under full sunlight. Those days are gone until next year.

Last November I fished in mid day on the Swift in 60 degree weather. We still have a few months left to do what we do under good conditions before the neoprene comes out!

Ken

5 comments:

Tony said...

Any word/updates on the Millers? Kempfield section particularly. From bridges to Erving Flats. I'm thinking of swinging a few streamers through, and maybe some hoppers I've played with on the vise within the next couple of weeks.

Many thanks! Love the blog and updates!

Millers River Flyfisher said...

I'll be writing very soon about that section. The flows are perfect and the late afternoons and evenings should fish very well from now through September. Stay tuned.

Ken

Anonymous said...

Fished the lower Millers last Saturday PM with my buddy. Water temp was 73°. No sign of a trout. Small bass, chubs, and a couple of bluegills; yes. We spoke to another flyfisher who appeared quite knowledgeable. His report was the same.
We fished the EB Aug 3 PM with water temps about 68°. Trout were present, appeared healthy, and were willing to eat. I hope the Millers day was just one of those days.

Ernie

Unknown said...

Don't give up on the Millers. Good caddis hatch in the early A.M. and after that try a Damsel Fly pattern
and hold on. Trout are there. One is sporting my damsel fly. Water temps at 7 A.M. on Sunday were 66-67*
Willis

Kozman said...

I've always found the missionary fly to be particularly successful on the Millers (and nowhere else) during the hot days in August. I tend to use brown instead of red for the tail...but its always been a good fly for me. It looks similar to Ken's Moby Dick he has up on this website.