I love this river!!! Living only 15 minutes from it's tumbling currents probably adds to that but having a lot of eager, RISING TROUT certainly helps. This is where I've been flexing the bamboo over the last week except for a non fishing trip (yup, that happens) to the White Mountains over last weekend. Where do I begin? There are miles of great holding water but I limited myself to two stretches. I'll call the first the "Bliss Pool". One trip down the dirt road from the top of the gorge and you will find it. You will know when you are there by one telltale sign. (remember the word:Bliss). This long piece of holding water has been the home of rising trout early in the evening. Remember, the East Branch is a freestone river and in the depths of summer the action is in the early morning and in the evening. BWO's and any tan mayfly dry will bring them up. If you're there early then tempt them up with a large stonefly dry. It works!!
Last night I decided to give that stretch a rest and worked a tempting run a 1/4 mile above it. It was a relief!! No large, slippery boulders to negociate, just lots of fine gravel, nice water and rising trout. I took four 'bows and a brown and lost others from that stretch. There was a concentrated spinner fall of some large mayfly at the fast water at the head of the pool. At first I thought that they might be isonychia but there where no telltale nymph shucks on the shoreline rocks. My guess was that they were Grey Drake spinners. My offering was refused but I made up for that with the sipping trout at the tail of the pool. They loved that olive emerger!!
As darkness fell I began to think of the Millers. It cracked the 500cfs barrier and will continue to drop. It looked like I would have to visit the wilds of NYC this weekend but the flyfishing gods have smiled on me. That trip is out and the Millers looks like a sure bet right now.
The Millers or the Westfield?????
Ken
13 comments:
what is a safe cfm on the millers
I forgot to sign my cfm question. digger10r
digger - Anything below 600cfs is good for an adequate wader on the Millers. Take a wading staff regardless of the flow and watch out for deep holes and such.
Ken
thanks for the great report. Did you hit a 1/4 mile above the C&R? I need to invest more time in exploring that river. I love the bliss pool! I went out there on sunday and walked further down than ever before, although i unfortunately caught no fish. Not much activity.. no hatches. I was there in the middle of the day though. Finally the millers is fishable. I was wondering if you would be willing to share your olive emerger recipe?
thanks
Thanks for the great report.I have been out there often over the past few weeks and generally do well (by my lower standards). For the first time, I hiked about a mile and a half from the barrier last night and fished my way back. There is some very interesting water down there.
JJ
Jackson - Here's my olive emerger:
Hook - standard dry fly hook
No tail
Body - rear 2/3 is of a medium olive fine dubbing tied slender. The thorax is dark olive using a buggy material like hare's ear or australian possum. Two natural CDC feathers are tied in as a post slanting forward at a 45 degree angle to the hook shank. I tie in the cdc before the thorax.
Ken
Hi all...
FYI, I spent all Weds. afternoon on the Millers Bears Den, in S.Royalston.
Perfect conditions and the water (cfs) was easily manageable.
Trout were showing and jumping intermittently all afternoon, but no takes.
Fished from the RR bridge to down below the red house, from both sides. Tried everything in the fly box, but no success. Skunked!
That's fish'n.
Rick
RI
Hey Rick - were you able to wade across the river or did you cross over on the RR bridge?
Al
Rick - The pool behind the "red house" is called Rezendes Pool. It's best fished from the opposite shore and you can get there by walking up around the bend to cross the riffles below the trestle.
The fast water below Rezendes Pool is my favorite water in the Bears Den
Ken
I hit the Millers (Bears Den) last night .. tried various locations, but no surface activity. Eventually took a brown on a prince nymph. Water temps were good with the previous rains. Hope to try again next week if water levels remain same and temps don't go crazy.
Al: No problem crossing, up about half way between the house and the RR bridge.
David: I tried a Prince on and off all afternoon Weds.,
but no takers. Glad to hear it finally worked later.
Ken: Thanks for the tip about below Rezendes Pool.
I'm now zero for two at the Bear's.
(But for the record I had a great night Monday on the Housy).
Hello Depot...!
Rick
I fished the Westfield for a few hours this evening. I wish I could tell you what the trout keyed in on, but I know as soon as they did, I stopped catching them. Just prior to this storm, it was like someone flipped a switch. They were rising all around me, but I had nothing they wanted.
The only insect I saw in the water looked like a midge - that couldn't be it. Any ideas?
Joseph - I saw a small (#18) light olive mayfly when I was there Tuesday evening. Maybe that was it.
The Millers River - It's an early morning/evening river right now until Labor Day. You might do well on a cool, overcast day if you fish during mid-day.
Ken
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