Millers Update - September 2012

The Millers is back!! As you have read over the last few posts this river's browns survived a hot dry Summer and are now actively feeding. It's not going to be easy as it was last Spring. On Saturday I guided a gent and we worked a pod of browns on the lower C&R that were rising in a 30ft x 10 ft section. They refused everything!! It was fun and is a hint of what is to come. September and October is great on this river!! Don't miss it!!

Ken

Games Fly Fishers Play

Saturday morning at 6:45 found only ONE CAR at the Y Pool parking lot. Lucky me! Fifteen minutes later I'm on the bubbler arm with only three hours to play. I've always wanted to work this experiment on this river: take one pattern, start small, catch some trout (or just hook some trout as it is on this river) and then increase the pattern size until they stop hitting.

On went a #24 hot spot. I hooked trout. Then a change to a #20 in the same pattern. More trout! Now a #18 and the trout still smacked my offering. Then a #16 hot spot. Only one fish in 45 minutes bothered the size 16!

What does this prove? Probably nothing except that those Swift bows (and one brown) like smaller flies.

This was a simple game played out on a few stolen hours on this lovely stream. It was fun!!

I take the protection of rivers like the Millers and the Swift very seriously. The fishing? It's a wonderful pastime.!!

Ken

The Lower Swift, The Middle Swift

The Swift has been a lifesaver this year as it's steady, cool flow gave the wading fly fisher the only place to practice our sport. I've spent August fishing the Swift from top to bottom or from the Y Pool to Bondsville.

The Lower Swift - Something seems off this year. The catching of a trout down here has become an "event" for me. Over the past few years I have always had great dry fly fishing especially to native brookies. Not this year. It's a shame because the Lower Swift is the only part of the Swift that actually LOOKS like a New England trout stream. It's not the water temperature because this stretch is still cool enough for trout.

If anyone has some insight it would be appreciated. Maybe it's just me but....


The Middle Swift - Had a good morning yesterday. Took two bows below the log jam below the Tree Pool, took two more at the PIPE and then finished taking a sipper in the flats above the Crib Dam. The sipper took a #18 tan parachute, the others took hot spots and a grouse and orange.

We are turning the corner from Summer to Fall. A little rain for the Millers would be nice!!

Ken