As you probably know the Swift went UP again on Monday and this time it may stay up for a while. We are in the midst of a drought and this drought has lowered the Connecticut River to where Quabbin has to come to the rescue. That condition will only end with RAIN but the first serious rain is a week away. The see-saw flow has scattered the trout and it takes them a few days to get their act together again.
The EB is at where it was last year but holding it's own and still holding its brookies. It actually got some water last night from a T'storm that passed off just to the west of me. From the Rt 143 bridge the low looks very low but down in the gorge the river is narrower and has plenty of flow. The trick is to get their early (sunup) or fish the evening. This weekend will find the place overrun with swimmers from 10 to 6 pm or so. We will own the place again by Tuesday.
The Millers - It's low and I haven't the heart to fish it until the flow gets up over 100 cfs. This is the lowest it's been since the dry year of 2010. The trout survived then and they will now but I'll wait a week or so.
Have a good Labor Day!!
Ken
12 comments:
Nice points Ken. I drove past the millers going camping in Erving SF with the family last week... Wow - almost a trickle. A bit of rain would be nice for sure.
Will
Hey Ken,
Hope the season is great for you and anyone else who reads the blog! I was going to explore the EB this weekend and wanted to see if you guys were nice enough to point out some fishy access areas? This system is so big that Im not really sure where to go. Im bringing my wife along and she is into bushwhacking... Trying to get her hooked! lol we will see how that goes... But any advice would be awesome! I hear there is a logging road access point somewhere? not sure though.
Thanks again guys. Pete
Peter,
Guys?? There's only one "guy" here.
Google Chesterfield Gorge. That's your starting point. The access road beyond the Trustees parking lot is passable for most vehicles. Any turn off along the road is next to good places to fish. There is a gate 1.5 miles below the trustees parking lot
which means that you have to walk beyond that. Good spots down there too.
The further that you go beyond the Trustees parking area means you will run into less swimmers on this weekend.
Ken
Thanks Ken! This is gold, and I was refering to guys because there are plenty of us who read your blog and any insight would help haha.
Ken,
At the Swift off River Road while fishing saw a very, and I do mean very large fish poised near a log in the river. It had to be 30 inches and had a substantial girth to it from what I could see. I think it might have been a Laker, judging by the coloration, that may have come over the spillway etc. Have you ever seen these in the Swift? Also spotted what appeared to be a Landlocked Salmon due to the forked tail. Also was a large fish ( but not as big as prior mentioned one). Swift seems to be loaded with an abundance of Brookies.
Bill/Tully
Good to see you Friday. Caught a few more Brook trout and then a Rainbow below the Pipe. I recently got a Fenwick FF705 rod w/ a True Temper/Ocean City 76D reel. There is old DT-5-F Aircell line on the reel. I'm looking at using the set up on the local streams like Lawrence Brook or Tully Brook. What line wt should I use, four or five? Thanks!
Paul,
I saw lakers coming over the spillway in the Fall of 2011 but not that big. The other fish seems like a landlock (forked tail) but it's been almost 4 years since they came over the spillway. Maybe a BIG brown. I saw a video of one two months ago that was at least 24 inches.
Who knows whats there!!
Bill,
Go with a DT 4F. It will be perfect for that rod and the streams that you like to fish!!
Ken
Thanks Ken. I was fishing above rte 68 on the Millers tonight. Caught a bunch of bass and a fall fish. Are there large mouth bass up there? I don't remember you mentioning them, but I'm sure I took a 5-6" large mouth at the old broken bridge.
Bill,
I haven't gone above to that area in years. No doubt there are some bass up there.
Ken
Ken,
Any idea why the Army Corp of Engineers doesn't allow people to drive into the gorge further than the gate about 1.5 miles in? I have been there 2-3 times when that gate was open and one time when all the gates were open. I tried to drive all the way through and exit at knightville but it was in the spring and it was flooded down there so I had to turn around and drive about 6 miles back out. There are tons of great holes down that way and there is another section that has huge rock faces just like the upper section of the gorge does. There are just so many great places to fish that are closed or not readily accessible. I guess I'll be throwing the mountain bike in the bed of the truck for the time being.
Thanks,
Pat
Pat,
The 1.5 mile gate is usually open in May and again in October to allow turkey and deer hunters in. It might be closed to keep the party crowd out during the Summer. The second gorge is down there as you found out and I know a few fly fishers who use mountain bikes to make the trip from the top of the trail.
Try the Indian Hollow access route off of South Street in Chesterfield. This will get you down below the second gorge and it's a short trip.
Ken
Thanks Ken, I'll have to give the Indian Hollow access route a try.
Post a Comment