The rain came down hard Wednesday afternoon and I began to think that flotilla of Hendricksons would be hammered into submission by that downpour. Not a chance!! The section below the pipe was full of them and the trout were after them. I had to fish a suitable nymph (all of the appropriate flies were back in the car) and lost 3 before one came to the net. Then I lost that fly. My time to fish had also run out but I knew that if I had come prepared it would have been unforgettable. Those days will come again.
The EB - I hadn't been back to this old friend since late summer. I knew that this section would get its Trout Unlimited Fest stocking but I didn't know exactly when. A few casts into the Bliss Pool resulted in a bow. That's when I saw the rise. Not a feeding rise but a "gulping" rise, a sure sign of a recently stocked fish. I caught 3 more when I saw the stocking truck heading back up the road.
The thrill was gone. I discovered a pod of trout and took another 7 while testing new fly creations. Everything worked!! The usual large bows were there plus many large (12 - 14 inch) brookies. Looking down into the net one would feel like they were in Labrador but this is Massachusetts and we don't have brookies like that. Those fish will be gone by July.
I fished for an hour and a half before I began to get sloppy like one does when one gets bored. I began to think of two weeks from now when the bows will take a clue from the browns and wise up. I was also thinking of the Swift and its hendricksons!
The EB is full of fish. There you go!
Ken
15 comments:
I may be able to get out Sunday... What say u ken? Millers or swift... I may just chance natives in unnamed streams or hit the eb of the swift... But hitting one of those rivers I have not been on in forever would be a blast to!
Will
Will,
Take your pick. You can't go wrong!!
Ken
What Ken, No love for the EB of the Westfield anymore? I love that place for the scenery and the clarity of the water, and the fish, the deerfield would be my favorite if it wasn't for the fluctuating flows which limits to some extent the amount of time a wade fisher can fish.
Tom,
???? I love the EB too but wish I hadn't fished 30 minutes behind the stocking truck.
Ken
Tom.
The Deerfield is 100% wadeable right now, high water is only 800 at the most. Fishing well all day if you're willing to "jump the bubble" or switch to nymphs when the water rises. best fishing around, I drive 2+ hours from NH to fish it whenever I can.
I fished the Bearsden area on Friday. I did catch about 8 inch brookie down there. Not sure if it was wild or not. It was pretty large for a wild fish, but near a brook and in the middle of the Bearsden. Do they stock Brookies there?
Lastly, is the name meant to mean "Bear's Den" or is it someone's name "Bearsden". I realize it's spelled that way, but also referenced like the animal (Bear). Regardless, I can't say I ever do great in there. Seems like it would be awesome to float stock.
NHFlyfish, I agree about the Deerfield, its a great river. I'm curious if you still fish it when they release the water up to 800cfs? I just wish the release wasn't in the middle of the day.
I live in NH too and I will make the drive to the Deerfield so much that I had to buy a compact car, the gas was killing me with my truck.
Did great at the Bearsden on Saturday afternoon/evening. Fish had spread out quite a ways up and downstream. Lots of fish showing on top. Orange Wooduck Heron and Moby Dick stripped stop-and-go took fish, as well as a tan caddis pupa allowed to rise at the end of the drift. All browns except for a 12" stocked brookie, which was odd.
We caught browns on Friday and Saturday from South Royalston to the Bridge St. Pool in Farley. They are everywhere!
I caught a 7 inch brookie in an unstocked trib. of the Millers (behind a beaver dam) a few years ago. That 8 inch fish may have dropped down to the main river.
Ken
Fished the EB last Saturday. Found most of the fish in the really rough rapids. Was using a streamer and the hookups were consistent all day. Very large rainbows and even a decent sized brookie was on my line.
Hey Tom,
I definitely still fish it @ 800 CFS, they get less selective and hit dries, especially as the water is rising and lowering. Fishing nymphs during high water is usually effective, especially long runs after fast water. As long as it's under 1,200 I think you can wade and catch fish, depending on the stretch you fish.
Kozman,
You are very right about the rough water. Rainbows love that!!
Ken
Ken - headed out to the Swift on Saturday. Looks like rain in the forecast - how does the river usually fish under those conditions? Do you recommend any changes in approach/methods? Thx - Joe.
I dont know why this is intriguing me today, but I'm curious what folks oddest Millers River catch is either below Orange or in the Bearsden sections. For me, it was a nice little Walleye that I caught adjacent to the rock below the picnic area at the orange waste water treatment plant. That was pretty cool! Anyone else have a weird catch like that? A striper, a carp, a pike that found it's way into one of those sections?
Well it looks like Memorial Day weekend will find me fishing on the Swift! Glad to see the Millers get a good amount of rain though, it was a bit low for this time of year and warming up...Should be good fishing in June this year with this rain.
Post a Comment