Ok, it's 53 degrees at 3pm on Monday so I'm off to the Swift for a couple of hours. I get there at 4:30 and the car thermometer reads 45 degrees. When I leave it's 41 degrees with a full blown gale ripping across the water. My goal was to put in time at the Y Pool with the feeling that I might be able to squeeze into a spot. The last two anglers were leaving as I got there so the place was all mine.
It's been a while since I've had a forward cast fly back at me. That was courtesy of the wind that was whipping off the Quabbin. I fished for 45 minutes, caught one bow and froze to death!!! What happened to Spring??
A little Millers news - The River Rat Canoe Race, an event that floods the Millers for three days, is scheduled for Saturday, April 13th. Forget fishing that river on that weekend. Stocking usually starts after that "event". If one can't wait then test the river on Friday the 12th. That's because water is held back at Birch Hill (a bad thing!)in the days before the race with Friday flows being very low. You may have a chance at some holdovers.
Ken
11 comments:
Way to go Ken, braving the cold and beating the wind. I hope to make it over in the next couple of days. I can smell spring. Tightlines.
Bob
ken..thanks to these posts...i've learned a thing-or-two...
although i wasnt aware that the millers still had a "working dam" that was able to regulate water...
ive been in mass for 7 years and i rely mostly on word-of-mouth about fishing spots...an ervin paper guy of 30 yrs said there a no working dams on the millers anymore....i guess he was wrong..thanks for the info..
Last year they stocked the Millers in downtown Athol before the River Rat Race. It had fantastic fishing for the short time before the flood waters were released. I do think though that on Friday afternoon they will be releasing water out of the dam. I think they let some out for practice before Saturday. As far as a "working" dam is concerned, Birch Hill isnt a power generating dam in that working sense, its for flood control.
I believe the Millers was stocked on Monday in Orange. Not sure if they put fish below the dam or not, but they were stocking above the dam at the riverfront park when I drove by...
I like to fish right up around the bend at the Athol environmental park toward Exchage St when the water is low and cold. In the summer it gets a little thin in that stretch, but when the water is right and the fish are there, its a nice stretch. Real easy wading too. Up above Crescent street is nice too. Very scenic and should have some holdovers this time of year.
Flyfisher,
The dam in Orange and the two in Athol (Starrett and UTD) are run-of-the-river power generators. I believe that there are two dams in Winchendon too.
Tom,
They used to have releases on two Saturdays before the race for practice purposes. The multiple day releases prior to the race have stopped, I believe. There is no reason for releases because this is a flat water race. There's always plenty of water!
Ken
Ken, Thank you for your recommendation on a new rod in an earlier post. I will be fishing the Miller's tomorrow (looks like the Swift has more fish - but I love a larger river)
Any recommendations where to go on the Miller's and what to use?
Dave - New Flyfisher (former bait fisher, never going back)
Stocking Report says they stocked the EB of the Westfield in Chesterfield. Do you think this is this the gorge section?
Tom,
The Gorge will only be stocked if the trucks can make it down the road. Any hint of snow/ice and they will not. Usually the Gorge is stocked in mid May, many times with the help of TU. Some of the EB in Chesterfield is outside the Gorge. That's probably where they stocked.
Dave,
the DFW site said that the Millers in Winchendon was stocked. The water is still high. Be careful!!
Ken
Really slow fishing at the Swift on Friday. I waded from rte 9 past Cady lane, saw maybe 5 or 6 fish on the entire stretch, max. No bites or fish any of the usual places (I skipped the pipe due to 8 bait lines in the water.
I didn't go above rte 9 into the aquarium, but my guess, and just a guess, is that they are trying to lure poachers and barely stocked. I have never seen so many EPO's and Staties there practically surrounding the place. Have I missed something, was there a murder there or something??
The Quinnie the past 2 days has been bankful flows and slow beyond the stockers that are sitting under bridges. A ton of people too. The season feels like it has yet to really begin.
Hope you all had better luck and less frozen toes.
Falsecast,
Your report might say it all for the Swift. It is tough fishing. I was there Saturday at 6:15 am and froze to death at the tree pool. I hooked 4 and landed 2 in 90 minutes and then went to the Y Pool and the Bubbler arm. I saw one fish in the arm and was blown off the Y Pool again by the wind. I gave up at 10:30. I saw only three fly fishers during that whole time.
Things will get better!!
Ken
" I have never seen so many EPO's and Staties there practically surrounding the place. Have I missed something, was there a murder there or something??"
Is there a new Dunkin Doughnuts around? LOL
Hopefully, they will make their presence known below Rt 9 after July 1 this year.
The stocking reports show that they have stocked the Swift in Palmer the past 2 weeks (Bondsville). I hope to hit that within the next week, especially if they report they have stocked it again this week. They say they stocked down there last year but I only saw non-brookies below the 1st dam. I only wish to abate or feed my skepticism.
Al
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