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A lot has been said about the crowds on the Swift. Lots of fish and lots of fly fishers!!! Here's my experience over this past week.
Monday, October 18th found me stepping into the pipe section at 5pm. There was one other fisher down by the "tree" and that was it for the hour that I was there. I took 16 'bows mostly on a tiny creation that I worked up the night before.
Thursday, October 28th I scouted the same spot around 5:30pm. Only one fly fisher!!!
On both of these days the Y Pool parking lot was full.
Saturday (yesterday)found me sleeping until 7:30am (that's considered "sleeping in" for me), eating breakfast, doing a 40 minute hard walk, picking the last of the green tomatoes and then a full raking of the backyard. Then came lunch followed by a trip to the Swift.
The Y Pool lot had a dozen cars but the Pipe lot was almost empty at 2pm!!!! On a Saturday????? The lone car belonged to Marla Blair. You can make out the car on the extreme right of the photo. It was a temptation to stop right here and take advantage of the rare elbow room but I had been thinking of one stretch at Bondsville (above photo) so downstream I went.
I fished Bondsville for a a little less than 2 hours, caught two 'bows, and then went back to the Pipe. It's still a ghost town and now Marla is leaving. She said the place was empty when she got there at mid day and remained so. Very odd!!
I fished the pipe totally alone from 5 to 6pm and took 20 'bows on that same creation I used Monday. The fly was one of a two fly rig and it was the only thing they wanted. It worked in sizes 18 through 26. More on that latter.
I can't think of a reason why the Pipe would be as lonely as Bondsville on a Saturday. Maybe it was just a fluke. It may be a good bet to hit the Pipe in the LATE afternoon to avoid the "practice green" atmosphere that we usually see.
Ken
15 comments:
I was going to fish the pipe yesterday but didn't want to deal with a crowd. My mistake!
What's the fly??
Ken,
If you were smart, you would tell everyone how overcrowded it is and that it is very tough to find a spot to fish in. LOL
Just kidding...
And don't give up the fly... Something working like that- I would keep quiet. Or you have idiots like the one I dealt with on the Newfound River in NH. I was picking off 'bows left and right in front of him. He asked my what I was using- I told him just a nymph. Well the numbnut intentionally crossed my line trying to snag it to see what I was using.
-Eric
Anonymous,
You can run but you can't hide. There are knuckleheads on the water everywhere. I agree with your suggestion to Ken, mum's the word on the pattern. As far as location, no problems keep them all going to the Swift
Anonymous and Browntrout,
I've run into idiots like the one that you mentioned on the Swift before like the one that was fishing the Pipe and would then take a break and sit on a mid stream rock but still claim that he had the "rights" to the stretch. They're jerks and I have no use for them.
I've given recipes for flies before like the Hotspot, the Moby Dick Wet and the Millers Bivisible. The fly fishing world is full of advice like that and we have probably all taken advantage of it. I may give the recipe this Winter when we are all tying flies to get through the dark season.
I run into that lonely phenomenon myself, and also hit it when the crowds were there (six or seven can be a crowd down there). Being alone on that water is worth celebrating. Thanks for the encouragement. Good to learn of your successes. It's fun to take fish on your own creations. I've doing a bit of that myself.
In regards to the comment about sitting on the rocks and still having the rights to the run is annoying, but I would add that at times the arriving angler is the "jerk" too.
Occasionally, I do enjoy resting a hole and watching the activity. Once I was doing that and had no idea someone came up behind. Right about when I felt it was rested enough I realized someone coming behind me. When I looked back he said "well, your not fishing so I am" and came right up next to me. I don't think I did anything wrong, but we do fish crowded waters at times and occassionally we might cross "lines".
One thing I find helpful is making eye contact with people. If I don't mind someone coming in I usually give a head nod or something. I do the same when I am approaching. If I don't get some signal it's ok, I wont come in and try to "shuffle down". At the end of the day I guess it comes down to common courtesy.
Anonymous: I have heard great things about the Newfound River and even looked at a camp on the lake. What is your impression of the fishing there
Now what was that fly again? :-)
Falsecast,
Let me add some information about the "rocksetter". I was forewarned by a departing angler that someone had been pulling the forementioned stunt for hours. He would fish for an hour and then sit down for 20 minutes and then fish again. Anglers asked if he was going to resume fishing. He said that he was and until then.... I seriously doubt that he was "resting the run". You don't have to rest THAT run. He was just trying to insure that he was the only one that was going to fish it. I've caught lots of fish there but after a while I'll move on. I didn't pay for the "beat".
After reading your post I was a bit apprehensive about approaching the players at the pipe this Saturday AM. At 8:30, I was the last to arrive. I waited a bit and watched you, George, and a couple of others ply the water. Saw your mini bow, and stuck it out after you left. No one else arrived. By 10:30 I was the only one remaining. I left it vacant at noon. There's no telling. The fishing was spotty. #18 red serendipity and a #22 black zebra midge were my better producers.
Bob O,
Yes, the mini-bow!! I thought for a moment that I was bait fishing with shiners!! I hooked seven and landed four including that four inch "steelhead".
I went down to the same section for a walk through Sunday afternoon. Just a few hardware slingers who were actually putting their fish back. Saturday morning was fun, not many fish but fun anyway.
Hi Ken,
Don't worry, I won't beg for the Secret Pattern !
I was wondering your thoughts on tackle considerations for the upper Swift. I have never fished it and will most likely be there a few times in the coming dark months. I typically fish the lower sections (Bondsville and down) with a 7-1/2' Fenwick fiberglass and leaders (10-12') to 5X off a 3 wt DT line. I use this with wets and nymphs.
Sounds like upriver requires rigging of a bit more technical nature.
Thanks, Scott
Scott - For what it's worth I use a 7 1/2 foot 4 wt with 9ft 6x, then extend another 2 feet with 6X Flouro. Above Bondsville, 6X (or even 7X) helps with those PHD trout. Often times, they float downstream under it trying to figure out if I used an "improved clinch" or "simple clinch" knot. :)
Scott,
Let's hear it for the Fenwick glass rod!!!! I still have mine from years ago and I still use it on occasion. I usually fish a 3wt DT on a 8ft soft graphite rod for most of my Swift angling. That soft rod protects the fine tippets that I use. I also use a 9ft 5x tippet that I lengthen to 6x and 7x if need be. I also loop my 6x tippet to the 5x - more shock absorbency.
Your setup will work above RT9 and certainly around the Pipe. On larger technical rivers like the Farmington I go with a 9ft rod (3wt) for the longer casts.
Good Luck!!
Ken
Falsecast and Ken,
Thanks for the advice guys.
Incidentally,the Fenwick was a present from a former client after his Father passed away. He also gave me two large boxes of books including some titles you may be familiar with such as: Bergman's "Trout", Neme's "Soft Hackle Fly" and Joe Bates "Streamers". Needless to say the gentleman shot straight to the top of my Christmas card list !
Thanks again guys.
Scott,
I have those three books. The Soft Hackle Fly by Nemes is timeless!! A must have book!!
Ken
Ken,
there were so many classics in that collection I am fortunate to have gotten them.
I understand Nemes has updated that book (2006 copyright I believe) to include 10 new chapters on "Tiny Soft Hackles". Have you read it ?
My book was an original printing from 1975.
Scott
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