It may seem counter intuitive to some (like a fly fishing rafting fan that I've encountered) that heavy rain will NOT raise the flow rate below RT 9 on the Swift. Only the heaviest rain, like last Fall, will do that. Quabbin will hold back it's waters even when 6 inches were dumped on that watershed like last Friday. In fact the flow was reduced from 125cfs to 50cfs AFTER the rain. As one contributor to this blog stated a year or so ago the Connecticut River flow dictates the Swift flow. The more water in the Connecticut River will cause a reduction in the Swift flow, pure and simple.
Anyway, the LOWER flow has brought the trout UP!! Monday, during the day, and Tuesday evening were banner occasions. I fished dries exclusively and landed trout in the 18 inch range in and around the PIPE section. What was strange was the ant event at dusk Tuesday night. One regular said that they looked like caddis but a very close examination showed winged ants in the size 20 range. I still had them on me when I got back to the car. Ant events are not a dusk event so this was strange. The bows loved them. My 18# parachute tan emerger brought some action until the ants took over.
Rafting fly fishers - Monday at noon saw an inflatable battleship, more at home on the Deerfield, trying to negotiate it's way down the placid Swift during a 50 cfs flow. Amidst the scraping noise and the "excuse me" excuses we watched the guide actually have to jump overboard to negotiate this raft through shallow water and deadfalls. Comments were made in their direction. Again, the Swift is NOT a river to be floated!! It's too damn small. It is a WADING RIVER. You ruin things for wading fly fishers. I hate to say it but I would rather encounter a kayak than one of these inflatable tankers. You are not allowed above RT9. The same rules should exist below RT9 until the boat ramp. Guess what - there's trout below the boat ramp. Go cruising down there!!!
The Millers - The flow is up (finally) and I'll spend some time up there. August has always been good on that river during the evenings. The days are already shorter with the sun setting much sooner than just a month ago. The browns have survived (they did in 2010, the worst Summer) and should provide some action as dusk settles on this wonderful river.
Ken
30 comments:
The guide was ERIC of GSOUTFITTING.
If I posted the pics of the fish he caught that day you would lose your cookies.
The Swift is a wonderful river to float. I will be out there SAT AND SUN floating in my raft. When Eric texted me that he floated in 54 cfs, I was suprised, but I now know I can....
See you at the pipe!!!!
K from WOOSTA
Your buddy should know better and if you are who I thing you are then I KNOW that you don't know better.
Nobody likes to see large boats on this river. It's too small.
Go back to the Deerfield!!!
Ken
I've been on the Swift, below Rt.9 above the ramp, three of four times now in recent weeks when the floaters have come through. I have to say that they've always been courteous enough to float in back of me and have never been an issue. With that said, I don't see how that same courtesy is possible w/ the lower flow.
Listen, we're all here for the same reason, we love fishing this tail water that's productive all year. Us waders only want to do it w/o the rafts putting the fish down, and the floaters want to do it by covering a lot of water. I get it, and while I think it's a bit silly to float an easily wade- able river, I don't begrudge the fact that GS is trying to turn a buck and Eric from Wormtown is looking to land some fish. Just please, especially in these lower flows, put in at the ramp.
BTW, I'm going to email something similar to GSOutfitting via the eric@gsoutfitting.com address. If nothing else I think getting a few words to him is proactive in our efforts and if we have power in numbers w/ that then it's only to our advantage, so others should feel free to do the same. Again, we're all aiming at the same goal here, so why not try to work together, eh?
~Pete
Yeah, I get that the guides have to make a living etc. But what is the point of putting in upstream and floating through the pipe section? There will undoubtedly be 3-5 fly fishermen wading there, and you aren't gonna fish it from the raft anyway! So please just put in downstream, and then have at it! There are plenty of fish down there - fish that are mostly ignored by the waders - they are all yours!
Mike H
The pipe section reminds me of the 'unemployment" line as we call it in Pulaski. The bend below Altmar bridge.
It's actually commical how many people WANT TO FISH THE PIPE. As mike said, fish are everywhere, SO WALK!
Pardon me though, I WILL be putting in at the gauge on Saturday.
Tight Lines!
K from WOOSTA
Eric from GSoutfitters won't get any business from me, that's for sure. The swift should not be floated below the boat ramp, regardless of the flows.
"K from Woosta",
Come on guy, don't be so blindly unreasonable and obtuse on this, just to prove a point. Above the ramp is best suited for waders and you know it. There's barely enough water flowing right now for kayaks, ffs!
Again, all we're asking, and civilly so I might add, is that you put in further down stream, so as to not ruin, or otherwise impede, fly fishermen in a section of the river that's predominantly used by and best suited for waders, not floaters.
~Pete
Why can't the Swift be floated from below the boat ramp?
I shall put in where I like, whether it be route 9, the gauge or below the ramp.
It's a pubic fishery and the rules Ken and everyone else tries to employ on such watersed is commical to say the least.
Im very polite and respectful, been dealing with guides/waders in all my years floating recreationally on the deerfield and Salmon River in Pulaski. I will go behind you, or wherever is less impeding on your fishing, I may even flip ua a cigar. However, until a body of water become private and layden with rules, ill put in wherever I please.
K from WOOSTA
K from woosta, if you're floating the swift above the ramp, you're simply NOT respectful of the wading fishermen there.
And its not a matter of rights and public fishery blah-blah, its just a matter of common sense.
Which you obviously lack.
You realize you're not doing your guiding buddy eric any favors by mentioning him as a guide floating the swift?
Hey if anyone needs to call me or meet up to discuss my number is on my website gsoutfitting.com... No need to hide behind a keyboard :) :)
No need to do that, since we will apparently see you floating through the pipe soon enough. Made my list of guides I will never hire ...
What's to discuss?
Floating the swift is not cool.
Nobody is hiding behind a keyboard here. Nobody knew who the Guide was until the "Woosta" guy dumped his name on this blog. Nice marketing friend here!!!
The "unemployment line"????? Nice shot at the Swift regulars. Nice shot at Pulaski too!! How many friends does Kris, the "Woosta" guy, have??? Not many! I think I know who he is and I will expose him.
Kris from Woosta - go away!!!
Ken, I left you a voicemail apologizing for any disruptions I caused to your fishing by floating behind you for 30 seconds the other day. Never got a call back? :( :(
Gso,
I left you a message this A.M. Looks like phone tag.
Ken
I fish the swift often and like everyone else, have had my share of kayakers and even rafters float through the stretch i was fishing. I have to say that in my experience, the fish are back to doing whatever they were doing after a 5-10 minute delay. I must admit that when i saw the guide and raft this past Tuesday i was surprised. It was actually comical, but it didn't affect my productivity after a slight delay.
Would i rather not see floaters in the pipe section? Of course, but it's perfectly legal, and as long as everyone is playing by the rules, lets get over it.
/marc
The Conn. River sure is having a bad time trying to maintain it's flow. I see that the Swift has come back up around mid day today. It was me who had mentioned the Swift River required releases from the Quabbin when the Conn River gets low.
The rule as I know it: When the Montague City USGS gage averages 4000 cfs or less for 3 consequetive days, the Swift River flow has to increase until Montague City averages over 4000 cfs for 3 consequetive days.
Al
Al,
You are right and I recall your info on a past comment a year or so ago. Thank you for that.
/marc,
It's not over yet. "playing by the rules". There are no rules BUT there are options that can be addressed. A "5-10 minute delay" - A large rock thrown into the Tree Pool has the same effect. The trout will go down but will come up eventually. Why did they have to go down in the first place? Do we, the wading angler, ruin the Swift River experience for anyone else? The answer is NO but our experience is short changed by the action of others. We don't harm them but they certainly harm us!
If I had my way (and maybe someday I will) no boats would be allowed above the launch below Cady Lane. No boats are allowed above RT9. Maybe we should extend it!
Ken
Anyone that is stupid enough to drift the Swift below the Rt 9 bridge should have his head examined.
What a joke. With the exception of the pond above the crib dam, you can roll cast the river side to side wading. Always takes a couple of knuckleheads to start a flame war.
I would suggest K from Woosta needs to stop drinking his tap water from the Blackstone River.
See you all at the Gauge tomorrow morning now that the Swift is back up!
Ill be putting in around 9. Parodn me as I go down past the pipe, I wont drag my oars too much ;)
-K
To A'nomoly",
No need to worry about seeing me on the Swift unless of course you plan to drift it during the winter months. Only time I fish it.
If your are dumb enough to go tomorrow I would suggest you be careful with your raft in those narrow margins as there are lots of sharp instruments along that stretch that could possibly damage your vessel. Enjoy a stress free day on the river.
I had a couple of nice days at the Swift this past week. I enjoy fishing terrestrials exclusively this time of year. The Hoppers were working well for me (Parachute and Dave's), but the trout are getting smarter. I had twice as many rejections as hookups. Some Browns hung underneath it for 5 feet of drift before hitting. Got more Browns than Bows this time. There seem to be a number of 10 inchers in ther. Also, noted the Browns are coloring up nicely now.
Regarding this floater discussion, I agree with Marc. They can be a pain, but especially on this river where I have kicked fish and then caught them feeding off my boot, I doubt the boats will have a huge effect on my production. I do agree that floating that section seems confusing as I can't imagine it increases the odds that the cliet catches fish, but if it's allowed it's not worth getting too agitated.
Plus, I know I can be fickle about my own etiquette depending on the situation. I remember two attractive girls wearing bikini tops that asked me if it was ok if their dog swam in the hole I was fishing. I gladly obliged :-)
Ken, I njoy reading your blog and find it for the most part very educational. I live in CT and fish the Farmy a lot but on occaison love to visit the swift. In all my reading I have never heard you mention Trico's on the swift, do they not exist there? maybe the water is too cold? What fall hatches are there? Thanx in advance for your input.
Falsecast,
I've had many trout feeding "off my boots" but only above RT 9. Boats are not allowed up there although I bet they would love to do it. As BROWNTROUT says why float a river that you can roll cast across. Watercraft DO put fish down on the Swift!!
Tricos on the Swift - I don't think I've seen them in the C&R sections. I plan to post something on Swift hatches for the Fall this September.
Ken
Ken, you seem really passionate about this issue. Your last voicemail to me said you were going to email me. Never got one? After repeated attempts to call you and leaving voicemails my efforts have failed. I was just going to apologize via phone and explain. So I guess this public forum is the only way to get ahold of you?
Anyways here are a few rebuts:
1. I guide a couple clients who are paraplegic. (cannot walk) if they wish and the fishing is more productive on the swift it is my job... Career... Livelyhood to put them on fish. They cannot wade....
2. There are fish spread just below the log jam below the pipe which we catch consistently.
3. I have never seen a wade fly fisherman from below the pipe to the bridge.
4. Walking my boat behind someone fishing a hole puts fish Down? Explain this to me?
This discussion is about stubborn, pretentious elitism that exists on the swift for some guys. Get over yourself. Im not out there joyriding, im paying my bills and putting food on the table. I will do what it takes to put my clients on fish, in a respectable, curteous, professional manner. If you really have a problem, talk to me face to face like a man. Not online. It's immature.
GSO (Eric),
We played phone tag for a while to no avail and yes, I did say that I would email you but I didn't think that a time limit was imposed. You used this forum so I will too.
Forget your right to make a living (which you certainly have a right too)and your right to guide those less fortunate than many of us (again, your decision, your right and a noble thing) but is an intimate stream like the Swift the best venue that you can offer?? BROWNTROUT said that a stream that you can roll cast across is not your venue. MIKE, Bertarisco, PCL, Bert, and Mike H. voiced similar opinions on this blog entry. Others, including the gent who SAID TO YOU "the water is kind of skinny for that" ( I heard it) represent a majority. I have not heard anyone outside of "Kris from Wooster", who REVEALED YOU and said that he would drift the C&R section regardless AND called the fly fishers who fished the PIPE as the "UNEMPLOYMENT LINE", come to your defense. You call us elitists. Are you in the same boat as the Wooster guy?
Your best defense is from an entry that stated that a 5-10 minute wait is ok. Read my response.
I first saw your website a year ago and I was impressed: drifting on the Deerfield and birding over dogs sounded unique and very interesting. I mentioned you to various anglers on the Swift and the Millers and hoped that your venture would pan out. BUT NOT ON THE SWIFT!! Although it is legal for you to do so YOU know that it is not a river like the Deerfield where boats have clear sailing and a huge advantage over the wading fly fisher. You HAVE to know this or are you totally driven by your business model?
For the record - I am opposed to any floating guides on the C&R of the Swift. It is a wading river. Fly anglers in boats use the boat ramp below Cady Lane and catch trout. Why can't you do that? I also saw you jump out of your craft to work around a deadfall. Certainly not a Deerfield experience!!
In summary, is it possible for you to leave the C&R section of the Swift alone? You have the Deerfield to float where many cannot wade. Why take this fragile stream and add to the boating traffic that we endure month after month.
1. You may have drifted behind me BUT a wading angler would walk behind me too. So would I.
2.A boat WILL put fish down. An angler may leave a pool to someone else with fish still rising!
3. WE all fish that spot that you mentioned. If you were not in such a hurry you would see that.
Good Luck On The Deerfield And Other Larger Rivers!!!!
Ken
Way too many (whiny) anglers on the Swift. Maybe they should put less fish in. Or encourage poaching, so there are less fish (equals less anglers?). Tongue planted firmly in cheek. Swift should be CATCH AND RELEASE, FFO, WADING ONLY YEAR ROUND ALL THE WAY DOWN TO BOAT RAMP or at least Cady Lane. You guys all know I'm right. And I think the majority of true fly fishers will agree. Frank Rizzo
Frank - "they" do put less fish in below Rt 9 than the FFO above it. 5 netfulls of rainbows were stocked by the hatchery pipe inlet on July 2 compared to the "hundreds" in the FFO the prior week. "They" may not actively encourage poaching but "they" make little or no effort to discourage it. At least 2 poachers were seen leaving with stringers full of fish less than 20 hours after the July 2 stocking. Only 1 body of water in Mass was stocked on July 2 and it was stocked with good sized rainbows. Doesn't it seem plausible that at least one of "them" could have it least made an appearance or two at the pipe area? Well, maybe "they" are encouraging it.
I agree with the FFO/ wading only restrictions for below Rt 9. I would like it to end where that first house/cottage is located. If the "hook and cook" crowd objects, "they" should just dump a bunch of fish below the 2nd Bondsville dam (where "they" did very little -if any- stocking this year) and the keeper crowd would have easier and better access to them.
Eric - I've been on the Swift about 2 dozen times since May and spent about 10 of those between the bridge and the gage station. There were always other wading fly fishermen present.
Al
I rest my case!!
Ken
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