"I think I fish, in part, because it's an antisocial, bohemian business that, when done properly, puts you forever outside the mainstream culture without actually landing you in an institution." John Gierach
What comes around goes around. For every action there's an equal and opposite reaction. If you're the only one on a section of the Swift one day you will be crowded off the river the next. At least I will be crowded off as I go to spots less traveled. The Sunday before Christmas it was like fishing my private river for the first two hours and hardly anyone after that. This past Saturday was a mob scene with Sunday very busy too. Everyone was at the PIPE and nobody was in my riffle section. Two bows came to the net and I lost another. Then I took a walk down to above Cady Lane where I made some long gentle casts to some skinny water rainbows. Two more came to the net. One has to LOOK for these fish. They are solitary like the fly fisher who was after them.
Fly fishing has never been a social event for me. Sure, I meet old and new friends on every trip, usually in the parking lot or on the path to somewhere and I value that. But I fish alone and that's 99% of the time. In the past five years I've GONE FLY FISHING with only three people, Brad, Bill and Christophe. They are solitary too. We fish, separated by some distance, with few words exchanged until the end of the day. We have a good time.
I'm beginning to think that fly fishing is becoming something like golf to many - totally social and driven by score cards. Fly Fishing competitions and fly fishing teams have metastasized on the landscape which is odd and strange because this is supposed to be the endeavor that we use to ESCAPE the workplace games that we play. I guess it's how we define ourselves - are we creations of our careers or is there something else inside?
There is hope!! A large and growing number of people that I guide do not want to fish crowded areas. "Show me the spots on the Swift that are not crowded" and we do that and we catch trout. Finding good spots is not a hard thing to do. It's a very easy task on the Millers and the EB.
Above is the new toy - A Swift River Company Sierra bamboo at 7.5 feet for a 4wt line. Paired to a 3wt DT and it's a charm. Check the website for Rick Taupier's company if you are in the market.
3 to 5 inches of snow tomorrow. Good time to fish the Swift!!
Ken
9 comments:
That's the spirit, Ken! "3 to 5 inches of snow tomorrow. Good time to fish the Swift!!" I'm taking vacation days this week and may do the same. Don't worry though, I won't encroach on your zone. I feel the same as you about fly fishing in that regard.
Best Regards, Sam
Good luck Sam. Maybe I'll run into you!
Ken
I hope so at some point, Ken. I seek unpopular places same as you. Quaboag was nice a few days ago. Not big fish like the Swift, but enough action to keep me interested.
Hi Ken, I love the quote at the beginning of your entry and completely agree with you. Seeking solitude and nature were the reasons why I started fly fishing, though it seems hard to find quiet spots at the Swift unless you really know the place. I live about 2 hours away so I can't fish it very often. What do you think about the Millers and the EB in terms of crowds? Which one is your favorite? I hope you had nice holidays.
Ken no offense and I don't want to put a damper on the holiday spirit, but there will no longer be any places to fish in solitude on the swift if you keep taking people to those places and mentioning exact locations on your website. Winter used to be a time of solitude and great fishing on the swift but that's rarely the case anymore. People are reading your reports and taking a shortcut to easy fishing. Many of us have earned knowledge of the river, rigging, fly selection, etc. through trail and error. That's an important part of the experience and it's just not special when someone hands it out on a silver platter. You must realize by now that you have lots of readers (poachers included) that just want to walk into a pool of fish and start wailing on them. That kind of ruins it for people like me that actually want to explore and so some 'fishing' - not just park on a bunch of fish.
Anonymous #1,
The Millers - there are no crowds unless you you go to the Kempfield section, Orcutt Brook or the Rezendes section in the Bears Den. That's where everybody goes. I guide people to other great sections where we mostly fish alone with success. The EB - 6 miles of CR water and most stay within the first 1/2 mile from the Gorge. I can't choose a favorite between the two EXCEPT my best memories are on the Millers.
Anonymous #2,
No offense but have you been reading me blog over the last few years? I've TRIED to pry people off of "above RT 9" and the "Pipe" but to little or no avail. My last post mentioned my "private riffle" but nobody fishes it and they know where it is. I mention Cady Lane but I'm usually the only one there! It's been going on for years. I have tens of thousands of page views a month but SEEING lots of fish overwhelms most people. You think that POACHERS read this blog?? Why are they at the PIPE all of the time? Answer = that's where you see tons of fish. I've come to the conclusion that my favorite spots will remain mostly underfished because many fishers are addicted to Trout Cocaine!! Solitude?? Who needs it!!
I've had my places to myself and to the ones that I've guided. We catch fish and we are not crowded out!!
Ken
I prefer the solitude of fly fishing, Ken. Frankly, I don't care if I just catch a couple or none at all. As long as I know I have a chance, that is all I ask for. I am not anti social, but when it comes to fly fishing I want my own space.
I caught a few on the Quaboag a week ago, and had the whole river all to myself as far as I could tell.
Same with bird hunting too back in the day. I much preferred grouse hunting to pheasant hunting being I usually had the wood lot partridge covert all to myself.
Best Regards, Sam
I don't know if poachers read your blog, but I do agree with anonymous to some extent. If one keeps giving their secret places out, they are not going to be secret much longer. Don't get me wrong. your blog site is great. I learn a lot from it.
Sam,
I have no secret places. I tell everyone but old habits die hard. That's why I usually have places to myself. I've guided people to these spots on the three rivers that I guide on and they go back and do well. I'm happy for them.
Ken
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