Thunder is in the air as I write this. Arthur brought rain but not like his sister Irene did almost three years ago. The EB went up and went down as scheduled and if we don't get blasted in the next few hours it will be fine this week. A 1/4 inch of rain will not hurt. It will help in the long run. Right now it's a morning/evening fishery during these hot bright days but because of the flow mornings will last longer and evenings will start sooner.
The Swift - caught a bunch in two trips to the Pipe area over the long weekend and really didn't see the expected crowds during my morning (6am to 10am)outings. In fact, the place was pretty much empty when I left each morning. There are plenty of trout that took #18 and #20 pinheads and another #18 fly that I will mention later did very well. The bows are BIG, period!! Hint: stay away from the usual places.
The "But" in the title refers to the Millers. It's been fishing well if you know when to go (refer to the EB paragraph) but this river has put some serious weight on (high flow) since Friday. It's FAT again and I hope the storm that ran through the area around 5pm today doesn't add too many calories. 200 cfs to 300 cfs is PERFECT. It's over 900 right now. Wait to this weekend.
Tomorrow will be the Swift or the EB in the late afternoon and into the evening.
It's starting to rain. Looks like the Swift tomorrow but we will watch the flow and make a decision then.
Ken
6 comments:
I really enjoy this blog. Do you find the Swift fishes different depending on the time of day? Morning/Mid-day/Evening.
Ken,
Was at the EB about two weeks ago, when it was starting to get bony. Even tho there were no rising fish during the day, I found that putting a caddis where there should be a fish usually brought a strike. It will be interesting to see if that is still working. All the poorly timed rain (for my fishing windows, that is) have been forcing me to the Farmington. Great fishing, but a bear of a drive.
Bill,
Yes, but not to the extremes that one finds on freestone (non tailwater/spring creek) rivers and that is because of the colder water.
Generally I find larger (14 and 16) flies in the late afternoon and evening on the Swift during the summer. They are mixed with generic small stuff that I fish all day long. In short I fish according to what's hatching. If larger mayflies are hatching and trout are going to them then that is what I fish. If larger flies are not seen I stay with my favorites. The Pinhead has done very well during those times be it very early morning or evenings.
Ken
Michael,
Your theory still works. Had a very good evening last night on the EB doing exactly that.
Ken
Thanks Ken. BTW - did you happen to get the water temp at EB while you were there?
Michael from Winchester,
The temperature was 70 degrees which did nothing to dampen the trout's energy. They fought like Swift River trout and darted away when released. The key to all of this is the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. The riffles on the EB transfer oxygen to the water. Having a good flow like we have helps too.
Ken
Post a Comment