Goodbye 2014 - A Good Year

It was a good year on the three rivers that I love to fish.

The Swift became a brook trout fishery almost overnight. Sure, there were brookies there before but not like this year. Even the fly hatches seemed better than normal. Maybe it was that hallowen snow storm in 2011 that left all the downed trees in in the river. It improved the nutrient load which the river really needed. More food, more bugs, more fish.

The EB - This past summer was cooler and wetter than normal and that was perfect for the EB!. The dry spell starting in mid August didn't hurt the trout population because the daytime temperatures never really spiked and the nights were cool. It was a May through November season that did not disappoint. Let's hope that next year is a repeat performance.

The Millers - If we could have a June, July and August season where the river isn't flooded out, like before 2008, I would be a happy man. I will say that May through mid June worked out nicely and when the flow was manageable we had some very good fishing for rising browns at dusk.

Check March 8, 2015 on your calendar. It's the start of daylight savings time. It's my unofficial First Day Of SPRING and that means the start of evening fishing at least on the Swift It may be 60 degrees or it may be snowing but we will be heading in the right direction.

Happy New Year and thank you for reading my blog!

Ken

Winding The Season Down - Some Thoughts

Fact - More brand new fly rods will have their maiden cast on December 26 and December 27 on the Swift than in all other days of the year combined.

Fact - There are people who fish the Pipe and ONLY the Pipe every time they go to the Swift.

Fact - There are people who fish above Rt 9 and ONLY above Rt 9 every time they go to the Swift.

Fact - The two month parade of spawning brook trout has come to an end or at least to a trickle. It was great while it lasted.

Fact - The rainbows have turned their attention to scuds which they do every winter. They also like a certain egg pattern introduced to me by Matt and now shared with Tony and Evan. I'll talk about that early next year.

Fact - I like photos of swirling trout especially trout that you can't see but know are there.

Have a Merry Christmas and Hopefully you'll be able to make it into your waders before years end.

Ken

Two Good Swift River Flies

Two flies to think about as we wind this year down and get ready for a long winter. I've written about them before but they are good flies that do well during the dark season.

The Hot Spot - Very simple and very effective. That light contrasting mid section is a beacon to trout and this pattern has been getting it done for close to ten years. A Swift River staple.

The Swift Serendipity - I dumped the deer hair and went with white turkey flats clipped short. With red kevlar thread, that has that nice waxy surface, it is a great fly.

Notice something with these two flies: a short section of contrasting color is something that they have in common. Same thing with the subsurface version of the RS2 fly, a very popular pattern!!!

A few short weeks to go before we wrap up this season. It's been a good season!!!

Ken

Ok, It's Winter - So What! It's The Swift.

The snow on the ground is gone. More will come. Yes, it was COLD (24 degrees) at the start BUT it made it's way into the lower 40's by noon which made my layers seem like overkill by 11 am. Two good rainbows down by the PIPE came to the net and another bow and a 17 inch brookie did the same above RT 9. I fished for just less than 3 hours covering very selective trout in skinny water which is what I like to do on the Swift. The first two came to a Swift River Serendipity, the third came to a size 20 pinhead and the next (the brookie) fell to a hot pink SJ Worm (ok sorry about that). I would of stayed longer but I had stuff to do ( I hate stuff to do).

Early December and the fly fishing just doesn't stop. The Swift CONTINUES to produce for those that know how to present a fly to these fish on this river. It may seem difficult but if you know the technique and the patterns you will be successful.

The Swift Serendipity works well in fast water especially during the cold months. Pinheads get it done around mid day on those 40-50 degree days. SJW's - Hmm...a good cold weather fly.

Winter is a good time to learn the Swift. The crowds are smaller, the trout are there and you can work productive water by yourself. If you need some guidance let me know.

Ken