I've been bouncing around the Millers this past week and needed something a little less robust. I've still got tiny flies on the brain or maybe it's the cold water that has now doubled in volume. Saturday and Monday morning were spent on the Swift.
Saturday - It started off with swinging an old reliable Grouse and Orange that accounted for two trout. Then I gave a test run to a size 20 something that my friend Brad created and two more came to the net. Then it was McPhail Buzzer time in size 20. Three more but many misses and break offs was the result. The high water (107 cfs) still had the trout trying to find the surface because surface action was sparse.
Monday - Started with Mc B's and managed one below the gauge. As I rounded the bend I could see that there was one fellow at the Pipe but the Tree Pool was empty. That's where I headed. It had been a foggy start but now it was clearing and with that the hatch came on. Fog kills hatches on this river and it only took 5 minutes before a half a dozen trout began working the pool.
Now, I had a good time Saturday watching Dan and Gary nabbing the occasional riser on #32's. The smallest fly that I had was a #28. I was hoping that it would be close enough if the same insect was on the water today. It worked and in the last 15 minutes that I had to fish I took three, 2 bows and a brookie.
It was then that I realized that I had fished and caught trout in everything from a size 12, size 20, to size 28 in a 48 hour period. Not something that happens with a wet size 12 in the mix. So when someone asks me whats working on the Swift what do I say? Everything, I guess.
Ken
15 comments:
Hi Ken, I was there on Sunday for the first time,and I tried everything in my box at the tree pool. Rainbows all around me, but none would bite. Finally got a brookie on a cricket. Hope I have better luck next time. A fellow fisherman told me to try a white wooly bugger or a white streamer. What do you think or recommend?
Ken,
Hit the Sift today, and ants rose a couple fish, but overall, was a pretty slow day at the Swift. Didn't see too many being caught (by the Y Pool at least). Do you know if there are still sulphurs hatching? Or maybe some sort of cream cahill in a very small size? they were hitting somehing small and cream-colored at the pipe. Maybe size 28... Didn't have any flies to match the hatch, but I guess I'll tie some up for next time.
Thanks, Jim
It was good on the Swift Ken. I fished it for the first time in weeks, and caught fish on just about everything ranging from Jail Birds to hoppers... but with beetles and #20 rusty spinners being what worked best for me Sunday mid day.
What color were the tiny dries you were fishing? I was there on Sunday, and rose a few just below the Y Pool on size 30 olive midges. My buddy had success on a cream colored one, a size or two larger, and another guy was catching a ton on a size 30 black dry. Do you know if the tiny flies hatching were all different colors, or do the trout just not care? And do you think these tiny dries have a "set" hatch (within a few weeks), or do they just hatch every now and then?
Thanks, Scott
Everybody,
Four reports of so-so fly fishing and one good report. Most reports involved surface angling. I had a good short session on the surface Sunday morning but tonight, with the same fly, produced three half rises and a break-off while the guy at the pipe caught one after another with, a guess, a sunken fly. That's dry fly fishing at the Tree Pool.
Sulphurs are an afterthought on the Swift right now. Cream Cahills, a larger fly around #16, are still around but what causes all the surface activity are tiny mayflies and midge species. My standard fly has black thread for the body and a tuff of cdc for the wing. Sometimes brown thread but mostly black. It works for the smallest hatches (26 to 32) most of the year. It worked Sunday but not so well on Monday. That's life.
What has worked well for me over the past two months on this river are the buzzer patterns in small sizes around 18 and 20. It's a midge larvae pattern that's much larger than the surface midges but it really works.
Tiny flies, mayflies or midges, hatch year round on the Swift.
Ken
The swift is 2 half hours away from my home the EB I guess would be a 4 hour trip.. I was wondering if any campgrounds near eb or flea bag motels I know of some cabins up in the salvoy forest area. Do you think with good water conditions the state might do a early fall stock Just wanted to try the EB before winter. The swift and millers are great but with all the publicity the EB is getting I am getting itchy to explore.. Thanks again to all who keep this forum alive and useful.
Took your advice and fished the EB Monday and had an absolute ball. Hiked from the lower gate up to the bottom of the gorge section and caught many trout including a brown (I presume a holdover - no hatchery mark @ the eye & gorgeous coloring) that was as large as any trout I've ever caught (19"). I adopted a "WWKD", as in What Would Ken Do ?, philosophy early on and fished dry. Too much fun watching those bows and brownies smash a Muddler Daddy and Royal Wulff or Whickham's.
I cannot Thank You enough Ken.
Scott
Tincup,
Rt 9 in Hadley has many hotels. A cheap place is the Knights Inn in Hadley 25 minutes from the EB. A good place to sleep near plenty of eateries.
Camping - There's D.A.R.forest in Goshen only 20 minutes from the EB. Now, they said they are closed after Labor Day but I saw online that someone camped there in October. Check the website to see what's up. It's clean, well spread out but watch out for the bears. They're everywhere!
Ken
Ken and Company,
Great to see these recent fishing reports. So very helpful. I'm looking forward to fishing the Swift in the coming weeks. I had a lovely time two nights ago on the upper reach of the Millers in the heat. Many hardy browns to the net, as well as one lonely redband. It's a different river than earlier this summer, boney between pools, and the fish were rising unlike my summer visits. Your Millers guide was most helpful! Thank you for making that available.
Drag free!
Do you use a weight above a grouse and orange, or a heavy point fly? Or do you fish them weightless? I assume they are fished in the semi-deep water...
Thanks, Troy
Troy,
I never use weight with soft hackles or rig them in tandem with another fly. I use them from deep runs to shallow riffles. Most of the time I swing/swim these flies and other times I high stick them on a short line.
Read Sylvester Nemes book "The soft Hackle Fly". It's all you need to know.
Ken
Hi Ken,
I've been in Montana for a couple of weeks fishing and come home to a new copy of Eastern Fly Fishing and now for the SECOND time I see you featured. Becoming quite the celebrity Ken!
Congrats on the article!
Thinking of trying the Millers Fri. Anyone know if this last week cooled the water down below 70?
Thanks,
Michael
High 60s in wendell today.
brian
Michael from Winchester,
YES
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