Millers Update And The EB Too

On Thursday the 24th the Millers gauge at Erving read 565cfs at 5:00am. high but acceptable. I knew that the river was rising but didn't know that it crested at 760cfs at noon until I got home in the late afternoon. The fellow that I guided had multiple hits but few landed and that was because of the heavy flow. The area deserved a second chance. Friday morning I hit the Orcutt section. This place has never been a favorite section due to the heavy crowds. It is a very easy section to fish in high water and today there was only one other fly caster. One wades down the right side of the river and casts across. Normally this is a good technique but the flow was too heavy to fish it correctly. I waded across the flow until I was about between the center and right bridge supports looking upstream and then cast a #8 black WB into the calm water near the opposite bank. I took four large browns and two rainbows of the same weight class. These big fish dug deep and took some effort to get to the net. Now the Kempfield - The water is too high and I didn't want to bother the goose family that claimed the "Island" section which is still fishable. So I went down to the large pool at the end of the run, waded out on the sand bar as far as I could go and dropped that wb for a slow deep drift. I took two very healthy browns doing that. Personally I like light lines and lower water and today's fishing was something that I would consider for Patriot's Day but not Memorial Day Weekend. There is no rain in the forecast so this river will (hopefully) drop by Sunday and Monday. THE EB - It is loaded with fish but success has been spotty. I took a few in a few hours. It will get better soon. The fish are there!! Ken

Saturday On The Swift

I really wanted to fish the Millers but that river was running at 1100cfs due to that mid week squall line. The EB had recovered nicely but it would be playing host to the annual TU picnic. Way too crowded for me. So 7:45 am found me just below the Y Pool on the Swift. One can have uncrowded conditions at the Y Pool if one gets there early as I have done the past two weekends. One can have GREAT midge fishing if you get there early and have the right flies. A size 26 brown thread emerger with a CDC wing brought 7 rises with 5 bows landed. It was a perfect morning. It was sunny, warm and my first day fishing in shirt sleeves since last October. Summer is just beginning!! Ken

The Millers, the EB, And Posting Guidelines

First things first. The Lower C&R of the Millers (the important part) will be stocked this Friday, May 11, if all goes to plan. The EB of the Westfield (Chesterfield Gorge and below) will be stocked this week because of the TU Indian Hollow event starting on the 18th from what I gather. The "good fishing" (remote fishing with no crowds) starts after the TU event. Posting - I, as mentioned by enough of the regular posters, have had enough of the cowards who throw garbage under the safety of the label "Anonymous". Put your name on it if you really mean it. Better yet, take the simple step and register as a google member. It's easy. Going forward anyone who posts "Anonymous" without a name will be tossed. Posting "Anonymous" with a "name" but sending an incendiary bomb will also be tossed. This is not some politically correct website. I (and thankfully "we" - the fly fishers that follow this forum) want timely up-to-date reports on these three rivers: The Millers, The EB of the Westfield and the Swift. It has expanded to other Massachusetts rivers if the reports on the East Branch of the Swift and the Quinapoxet are any indication. This is a very good thing. It's a network of Massachusetts Fly Fishers wanting to know where the trout fishing is good. No guarantees, just some reports. This blog started in 1997 to highlight the Millers because nobody else wanted to do that. It has expanded with hundreds of fly fishers logging in each day to see some reports and to get some discussion related to our endeavor. I can only fish so many rivers so how about some reports from around this State and around New England? I have been beating the drum for the Millers for years but have never been crowded out even with the increased popularity. Mention a river, without a certain section if you like, and tell us how things are. Ken

Browns For The Millers

Here's the latest on the brown trout stocking for the Millers: Friday, May 4 for the Bears Den C&R Section. Let's hope that they spread them out. Friday, May 11 for the Lower C@R (Wendell Depot). Let's hope that they spread them out. "Spreading them out" is important. When I ran this program I made sure that browns were distributed evenly. Last year I saw fly fishers standing in ankle deep water at the Kempfield pool catching dozens of trout BECAUSE that's where they put them. Browns do not move around a lot. Spread them evenly, let them find their spot and we will all have a great fishing experience. It's the challenge and not the numbers that we are after, right?? Ken