January - I've always thought of this month as the direct opposite of July and as far as those who have an interest of climate cycles it IS the opposite of July. July is the warmest month for us. January is the coldest. July has the second highest amount of daylight, January the second lowest amount of daylight. I can make you feel better by saying that the Groundhog will roll his dice in about three weeks or that the sap lines will be flowing in six weeks but that doesn't do much for me either. Us hardy New Englanders will just stoically bear this dark season as we always have by doing the following:
The Swift - it's very fishable right now. The flows are good, much better than some of the past years, and the "keep um" crowd hasn't been in evidence below rt 9 to any extent. I'll be out soon as soon I can grab some weekend hours.
The Marlboro Show - I usually walk through this show every other year and even then it still seems to be much of the same. That's the case with ANY show that is centered around a specialized activity. There are some book sellers that may get me out to pick up some Winter reading. Last year I picked up an old copy of THE DRY FLY AND FAST WATER by Labranche - a classic!!!!!
My presentation on the Lower Swift - It's at Charlie's EVENING SUN FLY SHOP on March 21 (I believe). Check Charlie's site and mine for this event. I'll throw in the Millers River and answer all questions (as usual)!!
Order the Millers Fly Fishing Guide - So many of you have done this and have thanked me for making it available. I say "THANK YOU"!! It's the best ten bucks that you will ever spend if you want to know where to go on this river. It's not a "map" but a 30+ page guide with many photos of great runs and stretches and directions on how to get there and what to do once you are there. Ordering directions are on this blog.
Tie Flies - I don't think that I have to tell you. The REAL DIEHARDS are at it already.
One More Thing - Some well intentioned but misinformed people are raising a ruckus about how beavers are bad for brook trout. They ignore the fact that beavers and brook trout THRIVED together for thousands of years and still do in areas that didn't have beavers eliminated (read Robert Travers). They want a return to the time of 1750 to 1980 when beavers were missing. Of course, this was the period that saw a great reduction in beaver/brookie habitat! Hmm...? See the connection??? I've caught enough native brookies behind beaver dams in Ma. in the last twenty years to know that the native brookie fishing is better NOW than BEFORE those dams were created!! And I know that we have waterfowl in places where we didn't have them before those beaver dams came on the scene. Ditto for more wetlands too!!
Where beavers threaten property something has to be done but if you think that your fishing has suffered because of beavers then I suggest that you improve your angling skills because the brookies are there, bigger and better than ever!!
Ken
13 comments:
Hope to see you at The Evening Sun Shop in March. I will go to the fly fishing show since I missed it last year. The Swift?? I'll probably wait a month or so and just tie flies in the meantime.
Thanks for the blog!
Jeff
I had a wonderful three hours on the Swift on Saturday. Little to no wind, overcast, temperature in the low 30's. Very comfortable. The fish were compliant.
I saw only two other anglers. One leaving as I arrived and one who arrived just before I left.
I took one rainbow on a 'frammus' tied on a #14 nymph hook. Meant to be a steelhead fly, in its diminutive form the yellow and hot pink design turned the head of a Swift rainbow. I watched as the fish followed the drifting fly downstream. The frammus curled behind a boulder and was inhaled. A number of other fish came to hand on a variety of subsurface offerings.
See you on the water. Tight lines.
Bob O
Will be heading to the show on Friday, first time. Remembering I am at the beginning stages of this hobby, any advice on what to be sure to see would be greatly appreciated. Want to make sure the time is well spent.
Any chance on good deals on reels? I am trying to outfit my 9/10 St Croix with a good middle of the road reel for Stripers in the spring.
Rookie,
This show can be like a candy store for someone new to the sport. It can overwhelm you! Here's my advice: make a list before the show of what you would like to buy and bring it with you. Walk the show SLOWLY, taking in all of the booths/vendors, and make a note of the deals that you see. Then if you see what you want and the price is right go back and buy it. Nothing is worse than buying something and then finding the same thing for less price later. If I go I would look for the FLY SHACK booth and their great deals on hooks. I would also look for COTE'S BOOTH. You can find some real bargins on materials such as the rust colored hares mask that I picked up last year or the S&M bobbins which are the BEST bobbins you can buy. Ask A.K. Best about those!!! There are a lot of low to mid priced reels that will handle 10lb+ stripers on the market. Shop for the best deal.
Bob O,
A "frammus"???? I'll check that out!! I like flies that have a real "name" instead of the usual "olive emerger" and all of that.
Ken
Ken,
I can certainly vouch for Cote's booth. I live a mere 15 minutes from his shop. I could listen to Mr. Cote (Senior) for hours and sometimes do !
I've made the mistake of asking if they had something I didn't see and 5 minutes later they come from out back of the shop and produce $50.00 worth of things I never knew I couldn't live without. Now my shock collar goes to max GigaHerz whenever I get inside their shop's zip code.
Scott
P.S. The "KGA" (Ken's Golden Arrow fly) works on the Quinnapoxet in the winter - hope you have a patent !
Scott,
That's why like like Cote's. They're a throwback fly shop, so unlike the Gucci fly shops that we see.
Now, WHAT IS "KEN'S GOLDEN ARROW FLY"???? It's not one of mine. What is it?????
Oh it most certainly is one of yours! Don't be humble.
It's the fly you showed us on November 3rd's post. It's a dandy, especially on the drop.
Thanks again.
Scott
Scott,
The fly that I mentioned on that Nov 3 post was not named the "Golden Arrow" or anything like that. In fact, I didn't give a name to it and only gave tying instructions to those that requested it. The name that I MIGHT label it is far removed from anything like the Golden Arrow.
Hmm...this is interesting!!
Ken
Ken,
Sorry for the confusion.
I was simply making reference to the mention of the 'it's the Indian, not the arrow' conversation that was on the blog about the same time. A little bit of self deprecation regarding my angling skills. The humor probably would've translated better if it weren't typed.
In any event, great pattern. The popsicle Quinnie browns (all looked like landlocks, silver with about 1/2 the dots and markings of the usual stockies) liked it this past weekend.
Scott
Your right on the money about the beavers Ken. As a professional wildlife biologist I can say that Beavers and brook trout are important and indicative of healthy stream ecosystems. Beavers do not impact brook trout habitat, in fact they create excellent juvenile rearing and overwintering habitat for brook trout. The threat to brookies is the degradation and loss of habitat associated with development, man made dams, and climate change and not beavers. Go to Maine and you can catch native brookies in dark backwater of beaver dams all over the state. Beaver dams are temporary in nature and the habitat they create while the dam is up and after it is gone creates critically important wildife habitat which is why we call beavers a keystone species. Its unfortunate some groups with good intentions are so misinformed.
Scott,
Sorry that I missed the reference! I'm glad that you do well on the Quinni regardless of the fly!!
Tom W.,
Thank you for weighing in. My old TU Chapter is beating this sad drum about beavers. It's the big picture that they just don't get. A beaver dam on an isolated stream is a beautiful thing, a beautiful micro environment at benefits everything. Thank you!
Ken
Tom W,
I completely agree with your comments on brookies and beavers, however in certain instance (such as the stillwater river) where there are no brookies but large LL salmon runs in the fall and rainbow runs in the spring, I bleive it would be best for the state to remove the dams or a least relocate beavers.
BT
Amen BT,
I've spoken with a couple of the DCR guys about the Stillwater and they agree with your sentiment. The commonwealth's ecosystems are better for the beavers increasing population with the Wachusett tributaries being an exception. Unfortunately it is a political issue (isn't everything now ?) and their opinion carries little water so to speak.
Besides, beavers make big scary splashing sounds in the dark !
Scott
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