It's surprising what can be done in an hour which is all of the time that I could muster late Thursday afternoon. My destination again was the "gauge station" section of the Swift. There were enough cars in the parking lot to tell me that the "pipe" would be busy. I didn't mind at all simply because the gauge section is LOADED with trout. I took eight and lost another five or so in the 1 1/2 hours that Iwas there. The fly was a micro egg in sizes 18 and 20. They smashed that fly and left the larger ones alone.
This piece of water is best fished on the west side of the river with a very short line. One could make a long morning or afternoon starting up by the crib dam and working downstream plying every likely spot. You'll probably be the only one there.
Ken
21 comments:
"you'll probably be the only one there"...not after that report.
Pardon me but this is really not necessary. Why al the information? Are specific patterns, sizes, specific location and even pool pictures really necessary? Why not just let people know you fished the stretch from the hatchery pipe up to the dam and did real well. Other than where to stand, you didn't leave much out to an angler as far as trying to figure out the puzzle.
This is not a report, it is a private diary on a public web.
To viewers, if you do not know the gauge pool its size relegates itself to one fly fisherman. So get there early, after this report, you'll need a ticket to stand in line...
Good fishing and yes a crowd at times on the Swift. I actually appreciate the blog and the content within because it keeps me sane when I can't fish. Yes the areas are specific regarding where, when, and what kind of flies but then again it is a "public blog". I understand your view but if you don't like what you see then you don't have to read it. Aside from that I was thinking of hitting the Swift but I really want to fish the Westfield tommorow inclement weather or not and enjoy it for the reasons that one it is fall, and secondly it is my favorite stream in MA. Tight lines everyone, and a safe weekend.
Adrian
Browntrout,
You're right!! This IS A PRIVATE DIARY on a public web. Its says so on my main page!! If you take the time to read my past entries over the last two years you will see that I name rivers and exact locations all of the time and I have NEVER been crowded off any of these locations. I wrote about this EXACT location last week and have written about it in the past, with photos, and have seen no real increase in traffic. I fished it alone Thursday while the crew was at the "pipe".
"if you do not know the gauge pool it's size relegates itself to one fly fisherman". Are we talking about the same place? My post mentioned fishing from the crib dam down to the pipe. There's lots of room there, certainly much more than the "pipe" or the "Y Pool".
It may be safe to say that a thousand pairs of waders walk right past this spot in the course of a year to stack up at the pipe. Maybe they may spread out a little - maybe.
Adrians & Ken,
Adrians- I fished the Westfield yesterday with a buddy and had a very good day albeit overcast, cold conditions with blustery wind. Rainbows and browns were the call of the day with some into the 17+" range. Don't feel you have to hang on the East Branch either as we found holdovers in the main stem as well, some nice ones too. I don't kiss and tell though...
Ken-I've fished the Swift for over 15 years in all seasons, so yes I know the gauge pool all too well. I think your idea for the blog is great, but just a bit too informative for my taste I guess.
How small is a micro egg?
Anonymous,
My micro egg is smaller than a pea. It's a glow bug with just a tuft of yarn on #18 and/or #20 hook. The smaller the better.
Browntrout,
We will always find solitude AND trout on the Swift. Good luck!!
Ken
browntrout, that is very encouraging to hear. My friend and I are looking forward to a full day there dialing in the location, patterns, and techniques, thanks for the heads up! So excited. Anyways, no hard feelings after all you are a brother long wander. Ken, thank's again for the reports and especially the photos, I cant tell you how much good it does for me and a few other trout bums who live in the city and do not have the luxury of hitting a quality stream(s) on a whim. Again tight lines and a safe weekend all!
Adrian
Ken,
I hope I am using proper etiquette in letting fellow fly bloggers in on my new site. Simply stated, it's for anyone that enjoys writing or reading short stories or experiences by fellow New England fly fishermen.
Please, feel free to write away as we all enjoy a good fish story now and then.
http://fishtalesnewengland.blogspot.com/2009/10/tug-is-drug.html
Enjoy!
Browntrout
Browntrout,
Good luck with your blog!!
Ken
Ken : You've said it before, and I'll say it for you again.... You Guide. Either on the water or on Your blog, you guide. Right on!
Its a pleasure to read, and quite sociable of you to share these tips.
Keep 'em coming.
Many thanks,
Rick
RI
HI,
If brown trout are spawning now, will rainbows and brookies be the ones eating the eggs, or will browns eat thier own eggs? Thanks-Cliff
Rick from RI,
Thanks for the nice words!
Anonymous,
Browns AND brookies are spawning in the Fall. All three species will eat eggs regardless of the source.
Ken
Ken-
a few questions. Do you believe that there are any trout species that are reproducing in the swift river besides the obvious, brook trout? Are there wild browns?
Also, are any of these rainbows reproducing in the fall? I've read that hatchery bread rainbows' spawning periods are changed by altering the photo-period, tricking the fish to spawn in the fall. Ive also read this trait is retained once they leave the hatchery. what are your thoughts on this?
see ya
Cluster,
I would guess that there is successful spawning of browns in the Swift since the Ma. fisheries people claim that browns are spawning to some degree in very major watershed in this state.
Rainbows - I'd like to talk to a Ma. fisheries person before I say anything. I've heard the rumors. Spring spawning rainbows exist in Popple Camp Brook and in some other western Ma stream. Fall spawning - a simple call to the Ma fisheries would answer that.
Hey all, I had a good and bad day on the Westfield. It turned out to be a nice day weatherwise and my friend and I did get into some fat bows on the Westfield. However, some jerk decided to bust in my windows and steal some stuff from my car. Needless to say I was furious and almost called it a day. My friend and I after filling out a police report ended up fishing the rest of the day and doing quite well. We were there anyways and it was a nice day so best to leave on a positive note as my friend suggested. The fish are there and they are hungry! Had a very nice bow in the 20inch range make my reel scream on downstream run that I won't soon forget. Hope everyone had a good weekend.
Adrian
Adrian,
That is bad news about your vehicle. Where did it happen??
Ken
wow. ive never heard of anything like that happening on the westfield. was this in gorge section? sorry to hear.
Hey all,
it happened along Russel Road upstream from the Tekoa Golf Course. Aside from the anger and disbelief I am glad that my friend and I are ok and that we finished the day on a good note. We will be back soon. Now I just feel sorry for those fools who did what they did. Karma, what goes around comes around...
Tight lines,
Adrian
As I understand understand it the Swift River supports wild brook trout and some of the brooks above Quabbin host some landlocked salmon reproduction as well as brook trout.
I've tried some of the streams and have not seen wild brown trout. The hatchery people I spoke with did not know of reproducing brown trout in the Swift basin, nor did they know of any succesful rainbow trout reproduction.
If you're looking for wild brown trout in MA your best bets are often the smaller basins that feed the Connecticut River and bigger basins to the far western part of the state. The mid gradient small to medium sized streams for example with good shade. Also the main stem Deerfield higher up.
If you're looking for wild rainbow trout you're best best it go out of state, although there may still be some in the Deerfield most likely in the middle lengths. I hope this helps, David
The State fisheries people have told me that browns do reproduce in the Millers River basin. The wild populations of rainbows that I mentioned are rare. I assumed that browns would reproduce in the Swift but I will stand corrected on that if it is the case.
Thanks for the info.
Ken
I know that brown trout reproduce in Miller's because I caught a wild brown trout in the Millers. It takes too much effort to catch one for me to encourage people to recommend it for wild browns. There's a number of streams in Massachusetts that have nice populations of wild browns and they are under general regulations. I don't want to throw out names. I threw out the Deerfield because it is pretty big and has some good regulations. I would just say that good wild brown trout streams are closer to some people on this board than they think.
Based on my converstations a few years ago, there's a couple of streams in the Deerfield basin that have some rainbow trout reproduction with some regularity. It is my understanding that those are the only recognized wild rainbow trout in MA. That doesn't mean there aren't more, but I believe that is what is recognized.
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