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
13 comments:
Ken
In the section below the 1st Bondsville dam, I've caught brookies, a few rainbows and a small mouth bass. Below the 2nd dam, I've only caught brookies and fall fish; I've only seen brookies, fall fish and suckers. The prior 3 years I've caught and released browns and rainbows along with the brookies and fall fish. You're right about something being amiss. This section didn't get any stocking this year or it got poached out real fast.
Al
Maybe this fits, maybe it doesn't, but Saturday morning I netted 4 fish in the Pipe section, and 3 of them had shortened gill plates. Some searching on-line turned up that this could be a normal defect of hatchery fish, yet this is the first time that I've seen this in the Swift. Maybe others have, but I haven't.
Foil hat conspiracy theory here, but, I've heard stories of groups of people net fishing the Swift. Don't know if it's true or not, as I've never seen it, but they've come from reputable sources from what I can remember. Could these fish, that I caught on Saturday, be escapees from the nets, where they incurred the damage, and hence could explain why the fishing below has been so bad?
~Pete
Pete - When you refer to "net fishing" do you mean "gill" netting? Also, are you referring to from just below Rt 9 down through the Pipe section or down in the Bondsville area? I haven't seen any stocked trout downstream from the 2nd (lower) Bondsville dam this year. One of the reasons for less fish this year below Rt 9 is the paltry stocking done on July 2 and the at least 2 poachings that occurred within 20 hours of that. Aside from that, Irene and the Oct. snow storm put a bunch of new cover in the water for them.
If someone is gill netting, it just goes to show how little concern there is in regards to law enforcement.
Al
Al,
Yeah, gill nets and from what I can remember I heard is was happening below Cady Lane a bit. Again, as this story was second hand at best, I can't say if it's true or not, but I don't know why someone would make it up. Apparently, the only "consequences" of being caught doing this is that you lose your equipment and might get a ticket. Again, I can't verify that as true or not, but if so, it sure isn't much of a deterrent, eh?
To add to my post above, all of the years that I've been fishing staked waters, and out of all of the fish that I've caught, I've never seen these halved gill plates. It just leads me to believe that something untoward might be going on...
~Pete
* stocked waters
Hi All,
I am looking for a river to take my 13 year old nephew (an avid fly fisherman - mostly lakes) and I want to get him on a river. Is there any water in the Millers at the Bears Den? Thanks you. Toby
Regarding the third of the Swift below the 2nd dam: I agree that the stocking was horrible this year.My brother and I went this past Monday ( Labor Day) . There was not a trout in sight.Never seen it this bad.I do not see many fishing this stretch,maybe that is why. Also it seems thathe stocking is going on only above Rt9 with any consistancy. True that trout tend to migrate down stream, but not every one is a fly fisher. Need to accomodate those that do not.Seems the F&W may be a bit partial. Just speculating , as I fly fish too.
Toby,
There's water but the best water is at Wendell Depot.
Al, Pete and Paul,
I believe that it is true that there is a lack of stocking below Rt 9 and next to nothing at Bondsville. I also believe that the PIPE section is the most heavily poached section of any stream in this State. There's too much evidence to suggest otherwise. People and groups have to step up on this.
Ken
Toby,
There's water but the best water is at Wendell Depot.
Al, Pete and Paul,
I believe that it is true that there is a lack of stocking below Rt 9 and next to nothing at Bondsville. I also believe that the PIPE section is the most heavily poached section of any stream in this State. There's too much evidence to suggest otherwise. People and groups have to step up on this.
Ken
I might have told this story before, but a few years ago I was walking between the pipe and Cady Lane at dusk. I noticed somebody (who didn't look like an angler--possibly eastern european??) watching me from far down the path. Then I heard a whistle and saw a buch of people running to a car parked at Cady lane.
Originally I thought they were partying or something, but I was told they were likely poachers with a net and I disturbed them. Since then I have had my eyes peeled. Once I was there and a fisherman called the staties on folks fishing above rte nine and they had bags full of fish. It's a shame. Can't blame the state for holding off on stocking those areas.
Falsecast and Others,
Three years or so ago a DFW law enforcement official told me that he had arrested some "Russians" at the PIPE for game violations. Marla Blair has spoken on her blog about eastern European folk violating the game laws in this area. First, two of the best and most likeable flyfishers that I have meant below RT 9 fit this nationality description. They are good people and are not the problem. If you have a fly rod in hand you are not part of the problem. Bait fishing out of season IS a problem BUT dragging a net is a REAL problem.
The Swift, from the Bubbler to Cady Lane, is the most fished trout stream in Massachusetts. It belongs to trout fishers. It's bad enough that we have to deal with boats BUT stealing OUR fish,(we pay for these fish)means that we need more law enforcement on this river.
A poacher from around Boston was caught at the Y Pool a year ago. He was arrested. I think that far worse occurs downstream.
The DFW phone number is 800-632-8075. Put it in your cell phone. Report any likely activity.
It's a start!
Ken
I understand that not every water where stockings are made can be checked, but when only 1 body of water is stocked (and only in 1 location) ; also where it's location is one that they could drive their vehicle right to the river bank, is there an acceptable explanation why an appearance or two cannot be made by some reg. enforcement agency?
Regarding night time poaching, I know other states have regs on certain fisheries that prohibit fishing 1 hour prior to dawn and 1 hour post sunset. Maybe something that should be given some consideration?
Al
Al,
I've been "carded" twice at the PIPE since 2005 but not in the last three years. Marla Blair had her tires slashed in October 2009 after confronting someone who was keeping fish in that area. I have not seen law enforcement here over the past few years which is odd seeing that this place is ground zero for poaching.
Ken
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