I'm afraid this is it, the end of the season for the Millers. It's been the same ending for the last 20+ seasons. The rains come, the river rises and the great Fall dry fly action sadly comes to an end. Notice that I said "dry fly action". You can still go out and brave the 600 cfs current and toss weighted buggers with 6wts (I might still do that) but the rising fish will be very far and few between. There will be the yearly Fall draw down of Tully Lake which should keep the river up through this month. I can only recall one year, 1994, where the water was low enough to fish successfully in late November. Overall, we have been plagued by high water events from July till now which will label this year as "so-so". I'm still greatful for the good days of this past Summer/Fall and can only hope that next year will be better.
The Westfield and the Swift - Maybe I should change the name of this forum since I've spent so much time on these rivers. The Westfield is new to me and my exploring of this river the last few months has made me fall in love with it. Great water, great scenery and lots of rainbows which do very well here. No crowds either!! The C&R section at Chesterfield Gorge is a true gem!! My last trip there was on 11/5 and although I was only there for an hour I took 3 'bows on a small pheasant tail.
The Swift- This will be home for the next 4 months. Fishing for selective trout with tiny drys in the dead of winter is something that has to be experienced. I've taken a few dozen (that's one in the above photo) over the last few weeks on the lower C&R on everything from small SJW's and scuds to #24 midges. We are lucky to have this river.
The season, except for the Millers, never ends.
Ken
The Westfield and the Swift - Maybe I should change the name of this forum since I've spent so much time on these rivers. The Westfield is new to me and my exploring of this river the last few months has made me fall in love with it. Great water, great scenery and lots of rainbows which do very well here. No crowds either!! The C&R section at Chesterfield Gorge is a true gem!! My last trip there was on 11/5 and although I was only there for an hour I took 3 'bows on a small pheasant tail.
The Swift- This will be home for the next 4 months. Fishing for selective trout with tiny drys in the dead of winter is something that has to be experienced. I've taken a few dozen (that's one in the above photo) over the last few weeks on the lower C&R on everything from small SJW's and scuds to #24 midges. We are lucky to have this river.
The season, except for the Millers, never ends.
Ken
5 comments:
Ken,
I posted a link to your Blog from mine http://flyfishnewengland.blogspot.com/
Care to give a return link?
We should get together on the water some time. In the spring and summer I fish NH waters mostly, but from mid-October to May I fish more in MASS.
tight lines,
Gerry
Gerry - Your link is up! Let me know if you want to hit the Swift this winter. I live 20 minutes away and can fish it with short notice.
Ken
Ken..thanks so much for keeping up this blog. It would be terrific to get reports on the Westfieled too, would love to try that river next season.
Maybe see you on the Swift one of these day!
Jan Puibello
Ken,
Thanks for pulling together such a great site, I learned of your site from a link on Gerry's site "http://flyfishnewengland.blogspot.com/". It is dfficult to find credible sites with experienced flyfishermen that are willing to share good info. I live in northeastern, MA and most of my trips to the western part of the state bring me to the Swift (guess I enjoy the self-torture). The Westfield sounds like a great river, any recommendations for areas I should target next Spring (towns with road name and access points would be helpful). I've only been flyfishing for a few years now and I'm constantly looking for new waters. If you ever come east I would be more than happy to share some recommendations on the Sqaunacook, although Gerry has probably forgotten more good spots to fish on this river than I currently know. Charlie Shadan of the Evening Sun Fly Shop in Pepperell, MA is a great source of info as well if you ever decide to try some northeastern, MA waters.
Todd,
Thanks for the nice words. I'm planning a post on the Westfield River which will focus on the Chesterfield Gorge section which may be the prettiest (and productive) water that I've fished in Ma. Stay tuned.
I caught my first trout on a dry fly on the Squannacook years ago. I used to fish that river over it's length a lot but I could use a refresher course. Any time that you want to go just let me know.
Ken
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