It was a very busy weekend with only a two hour window to cast a fly and that window was in the early afternoon on Saturday. The two major parking lots on the Swift were jammed (counted 23 cars) but there were no cars at the first spot that I had ever fished on this river: the Duck Pond. This place, a few hundred yards downstream from the Rt 9 bridge, gets it's name from the "pen" of ducks that a land owner constructed on the river. (there were no ducks on Saturday) It is also the spot of the remains of a stone structure that had collapsed into the river years ago. It was thought that this "dam" backed the water up on this stretch of river so the local TU chapter had it taken away. The promised riffles never materialized and the upstream stretch remains about the same as it did 20 years ago when I first fished it.
There is a good holding pool below the remains of the structure and my 2nd cast of a scud pattern took a good rainbow. I really wanted to check out the riffles that are downstream from this section but as I made my way downstream I saw two flyfishers working that water. Upstream of the "dam" I could see two more anglers working that slow water.
It pays to hit the water early!! Next weekend.....
Ken
13 comments:
Sweet report Ken. I am headed out to the Swift Wednesday! I would love to hit the usual spots but I have a gut feeling that it's going to be busy on the river. I prefer not to fish around crowds and maybe I can do a little more exploring that I didn't get to do the last time! Tight lines all!
Adrian
Adrian,
I drove past the Swift yesterday (Mon) around 11am. There were 11 cars at the Y pool lot and 6 at the pipe lot. It may pay to get there early, very early!!
Ken
Ken,
But that is how you get better and learn some new spots.
I got a good laugh this summer when a guy saw my buddy and I suiting up. He sprinted up the river to hop in the pool in front of the dam. So, I went downstream and found a couple of new ripple lines to play in. Well- in the next half hour, he got nothing and I picked up 2 14" bows in a spot that I expected to get nothing.
Being forced to read the water and find unassuming pockets that may have fish and then picking them up is much more gratifying than hitting a trusted spot over and over again. Well unless you bag that trophy of the season out of the hole... then it is ok.
-Eric
Ken or anyone,
If browns come out of deeper water in the fall to spawn, will they stay there all winter long. Also, what is a good hook size or sizes fot hot spots? Thanks-Cliff
Cliff,
Hot Spots work best in sizes 14 through 18.
Now for the browns - all trout, including browns, will need winter refuge if they live in a river. This will mean deeper water. Springs would work too. You may find some in some riffles if the weather gets mild and the water isn't too high. We're talking about freestone streams like the Millers. The Swift is another story.
Ken,
I am planning to get there early! I turned down a bar crawl in the North End tonight so I could get an early start tommorow morning.
Hope to see some of you out there tommorow. If you see a Korean kid getting schooled by the bows that will probably be me haha. Anyways, hope to see some of the masters from this board out there.
Adrian
Adrian,
Turning down a North End Bar Crawl????? You are hooked, man!! If I get out tomorrow it will be in the late afternoon on the EB of the Westfield. Where will you be??
Good Luck!
Ken
Ken,
I was thinking either the Swift or Westfield...Flows look ok at 190cfs if I am correct on the Westfield. Speaking of which, whats the road like to the bottom of the gorge and gate? Doable or is it better to hike down? I drive a Camry, not exactly the perfect vehicle to drive those rough roads...Decisions decisions...Swift or Gorge area of the Westfield...Either way I will wake up at the crack of dawn to maximize my time on the water. Hope to run into you. If not, maybe on the Swift!
Adrian
Adrian-
I drive a ford focus, and I managed to get to the gate at the westfield (Chesterfield Gorge access). The road has some rough spots. This was this past spring, and it was worth the 2 hour drive from Acton. I hiked deliberately for 1 hour downstream then fished my way back to the car. It was beautiful, and I picked up some nice rainbows.
Good luck!
Anonymous,
thanks, I will give it some solid consideration! If I fish the Gorge I will to be out of the house by 6am, get there by 8:30ish to get a solid 6 hours of fishing time. Love the gorge and I have seen and caught some of my biggest fish among those rock gardens and runs this past year. If not, I will hit the Swift and hit a less crowded spot and fish the regular spots. Thanks again Anonymous, and Ken if I fish the Westfield I'll keep an eye out for you!
Tight lines all!
Adrian
Ken,
Your comment regarding the results of breaking down the stone dam a the duck house remind me there is talk of breaking down the stone dam in Bondsville (where a youth tragically drowned last year). I wonder how the river might change? with that impoundment removed, and whether it would be better or worse or no change for the trout population?
The trustees are grappling with the cost of repair and maintenance vs cost (financial and environmental) of removing the structure. Whether or not this happens, at this point, is a matter of conjecture.
If removed, it surely will alter the look of the Swift upstream.
The Swift was dropped down to 38CFS around noon today (Friday), about a 40% drop back from an already low flow. This can't be good for any length of time.
Al
Al,
I have fished the Swift when it was running as low as it is and it still had great fishing. I thought it would freeze over one winter because of the low flow but things were fine. Look at the median flow graph. The 60 year average is very close to the flow right now. Anyway, it beats the flood conditions of last winter.
Ken
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