Ok, what's going on with this river?? If you have had success below rt9 then hats off to you. At the beginning of April I caught a number of holdover rainbows during a two hour trip. I thought that this would be the start of something great but April came and went without SEEING a trout in this section. Nobody that I knew had seen any either. By May 1st the river passed the 200cfs mark and then peaked around 300 and stayed there for a while. I revisited the Swift today at 7am with the flow around 185cfs. I was the second car there. The first belonged to a few casual hardware guys and they caught nothing. No other fly fishers were there. I caught and saw no trout in the quick hour that I spent working this water.
I remember, only a few years ago, when I would brave 200cfs currents and have double digit days on this river. Have I lost my touch?? I don't think so!! Are you doing better? I hope so!
When I first passed the Y Pool parking area I saw one car. An hour later I saw a second car. By 8am on a Saturday in June, with most other rivers blown out by the rain, one would expect more fly fishing traffic on the Swift.
What's up with this river???
The attached photo is from a much better time!!
Ken
18 comments:
I was fishing the Cady Lane stretch below rt9 a few weeks ago in early june and didn't see a single trout for a couple of hours. Ended the day with two small native brookies on a parachute adams. I agree with your assessment. It seems the trout aren't that visible. Heading there tomorrow, hope it'll be better!
I guess it either hasn't been stocked or it has been poached efficiently (with nets maybe).
Bert,
I don't think the river has been poached due to the limited evidence of angling from late Winter until now. I saw hardly any tracks in the snow over the late winter and fewer fishers of any technique during the Spring. I could always spy trout at this time of year. I don't see them now. The rumors of nets have been around for years YET trout could be seen and caught regardless.
Something else it at play here!
Ken
Well, either way I think its safe to say there probably are only a few fish in the river. I mean, where can they go? Of course you're not going to spot all the fish, but not spotting any means they are not there in any normal numbers. I talked to a guy the other day who said there were only 2 pods of 20-30 fish each (above rt.9).
What about the lower swift?
I fished the hatchery pipe area late sat. afternoon. No fish came to net...saw fish rising (and actually coming out of the water) in a few usual places. A couple of young guys with spinning rods..no luck for them either.
Went to the Y pool...6-7 cars..fished upstream in the overflow area..caught a couple of nice rainbows..then the skies opened up. Really didn't see any fish walking along the rivers edge and only a few at the Y pool area itself. With the Millers blown out, I'll be trying my luck at the Swift again soon.
Tom from Orange
I fished the pipe and bondsville in early may, with not an angler or fish to be seen. The water was crystal clear and dead, not even any fish spooked.
Since then the cfs has consistently neem over 180. My unlearned theory is that a) very few fish made it through the winter and b) high water levels pushed the fish downstream - perhaps three rivers is fishing it's hat off.
Bert,
Good comment!!
"Normal numbers" used to mean visual contact with many fish around the "pipe". There used to be lots of fish that were difficult to catch unless you knew the "Swift technique". Things are different this year.
Geebee,
You make a good point but we have had high water events on the Swift (2009) but the trout were still there before and after. My feeling is that they didn't stock it like before. Maybe they are waiting until July when it's C&R!!
Anonymous,
The Millers fell below 1000cfs today. There's no real rain in the forecast for the next five days or so.....Maybe....
I get a kick out of people who think fish get "washed" down stream...All they do is hunker down behind a rock...
I have been lucky enough to fish the Lake Placid region, particularly the Ausable/Regis/Saranac Rivers...All have been blown to WAY above floodstage 4 times since April...Did I catch fish from then up until last week? HELL YES! Fish DONT GET "washed" down stream...Perhaps ont he swift where rock cover is limited, particularly on the upper portion fish are more suceiptible to it, but all in all, fish stay put...esp those browns!
I am good friends with JIM at the Lower 40...He has many confirmed reports of the "white boot crew", a group of a dozen or so Russians that abosolutely DECIMATED the lower swift trout population...
I don't think that poaching is the problem that it has been in the past. You need fish to poach!!! As I've said NOBODY is fishing here and this condition has existed since at least March. You should see fish and people. You see neither.
The "Russians" used to wear yellow boots according to their arresting officer!! Also, one of the best fly fishermen that I've met on the Lower Swift was Russian.
The Millers looks like it's at 756cfs, is this too blown out to fish comfortably?
What is the ideal flow?
Bearsden is at 422 - IMHO it is fishable somewhere below 250, and ideal at about 100-125. i would not fish it now.
Thanks Mike,
I have an hour and half drive so you saved me the trip. I've only fished what I believe is referred to as Trestle Pool and Kempfield Pool. I assume the Erving guage is the right one. What is ideal flow for that section? Max fishable level?
For what it's worth on the Millers, me and a friend fished it Monday evening between 6:30 and 9ish with flows around 800. Got browns at both Kempfield and Upper Trestle all on BIG stimulators. Kempfield island almost totally submerged but wadable to it and fish rising at bend just downstream and in slow water near banks. Upper Trestle fish in the circulating eddy just before dark behind the big rock at the entrance. Sometimes you just have to go and see for yourself.
John
400 at the bearsden is definitely fishable. It depends what you want to do; its obviously better for swinging streamers and such. 700 for the downstream C&R should also work.
I personally don't like the skinny water and low flows; the water warms up way too quickly in that situation.
Great comments on this post about the flows!
I like flows between 200 and 400cfs on the Millers BECAUSE I like to fish dry flies but you take what Mother Nature gives you. Right now the flow is heavy BUT it is still fishable as Anonymous stated. We might have to throw larger flies and forget about size 14 and 16 offerings. I say (for what it's worth) fish the Millers this weekend! Go heavy and/or large if you have to but fish it!!
I was on the EB last evening. The flow was high (mid 400 range) but I still brought fish up with a surface stone which included a great brown around 18 inches.
The water is high but it isn't like the cold water of early/mid Spring. The trout are active and are ready for your offerings - if presented correctly!
Ken
My wife and I had a chat with one of the Rangers at Quabin and he informed us that they just nailed a jerk for poaching trout in the fly fishing catch and release area above Rt 9. This jerk had six trout stuffed in his vest and he has been reported as being suspect to previous poaching before. Well, this time he got nailed and caught red handed by Fish & Game. Charges have been brought against him and he pleaded guilty! Rumor has it he's the captain of the Mayflower
For what it is worth this is from a trusted source of mine regarding the Swift....
There were quite a few fish below rte 9 a few weeks ago, but they are pretty much gone now. It hadn't been fished for a while, but last Monday, I noticed empty bait containers, cards for snelled hooks, etc on the banks. I don't think there was any organized poaching, just a few jerks with no regard for limits.
Above rte 9, there are a lot of fish, but as you noted, due to the flow, they are concentrated in areas of cold water. That is normal under the current conditions, and will likely continue to some extent, for as long as warm water continues to flow over the spillway, possibly even after the July stocking.
For the past 10 years or so, the best flyfishing on the Swift has been fall and early winter.
Went to the Swift on Wednesday, lots of trout below route 9, getting them to bite was another matter. Water was clear and cool, fish were on the move, but very picky. Got one to rise to a dry and one took a soft hackle, both lost. Fish are there.
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