Last things first - we had a very good Friday and Saturday on the above mentioned rivers. Now, where was everyone?? The lower CR on the Swift was deserted on Friday. We saw no fly fishers from the Gauge to the tree pool.
What we did see were a good number of rainbows in the tree pool hanging around a million suckers. Just like in the Fall with the brookies the bows are trying to steal eggs. (Hint) Sucker eggs are small and beige in color.
We hooked and caught fish in the Gauge Run and then took a walk downstream to play with the brookies who were working the surface. Then the bows got into the act. It didn't take long to see what was interesting them: winter caddis and millions of them. I'd love to say we clobbered them on the surface but it wasn't the case. A few to the fly and that was it. It was fun!!
Saturday on the Millers - The river dropped below 500 cfs and that made it tolerable. The place is loaded with fish and not loaded with fishermen. We saw one fly fisher at the Bridge Street Pool and one at Orcutt. Fish heavy stuff at Bridge St. on a short line and you will get it done. At Orcutt we worked the mouth of the brook with Hornbergs and split shot and then just unweighted. The trout were very willing to mix it up. That place is LOADED with trout and Orcutt fishes well in higher water anyway.
The weather is fine and there are trout everywhere. You have no excuses!!!!!
Ken
15 comments:
Ken,
Thought I saw you getting into your vehicle down by Orcutt Saturday afternoon. I had to work and it killed me not to be out there.
Ted
Fished behind the airport in ware Sunday afternoon, thousings of Hendrix sons laying eggs.didn't see one fish rising
Ken,
Fished the Millers on Sunday. Started at the water treatment plant in Orange, where there were swarms of caddis coming off. Saw one brookie come up a ways downstream. Managed to fool it on a EHC with a shuck, got another brookie on a nymph. Later I moved downstream to Wendell Depot. After poking around a bit, found a good number of rainbows who were willing to play all around the Depot Rd. bridge - they were hitting a swung caddis pupa pretty aggressively. Mass F&G put some nice looking fish in there, though I didn't see any browns yesterday.
Still early, but it's been a good year so far.
I keep asking myself the same question wherever I get out of my car to toss a fly.
Where are all the fishermen? Not just fly fishermen, I'm not seeing many, if any, bait casters either.
I'm going to start going to what I consider the popular spots (like the one you mention in your blog on the Millers) Seems it won't be toe to toe as I assumed it would be on a weekend.
I haven't fished the Swift in quite some time as every time we trek down there, it has been a parking lot full of cars.
Ken,
Nice meeting and chatting with you on Saturday morning at Wendell bridge. Again thanks for sharing all your many years of fishing knowledge and your love for the sport and waterways. This blog is fantastic and I do as well as many appreciate your time and effort that you put into it. Happy fishing and enjoy many more years!
Joe
Had a great day on the millers yesterday. Caught some and lost some on caddis nymphs. Highlight of the day was a hefty bow that jumped ablut 6 times at the upper trestle before throwing the hook after a few minutes. Caddis were everywhere but the wind gusts prevented any surface action
Lenny
Guys,
Thanks for the comments!!!!!!
Ken
Hey there- quick unrelated question - are there any fly shops in the region that sell lots of tailwater specific stuff (RS2s, tiny midges, etc.)....since I moved from CO, my supply has been dwindling, and is the stuff that works best for me on the Swift. Thanks!
Don,
Good to hear from you.
Evening Sun Fly Shop and Deerfield Fly Shop have the standard selections.
I will also supply specific Swift patterns that work on that river. Email me!
Ken
Ken, have you had any experience with tungsten putty sinker material? I recently ran across a nympher using it, and was very effective getting down into the zone.
Bob O,
I haven't used tungsten putty, just the older non tungsten variety.
I don't know if tungsten has the same properties but the stuff was hard to work with in cold weather. Sometimes I felt that I used too much and sometimes not enough.
Now I use tungsten shot. I get it at the Deefield Fly Shop in a neat little container with a mix of sizes. Convenient and simple!
Ken
Hello everyone just wanted to put my two cents in on the sucker eggs. I've learned in the past few years that the sucker "hatch" can be one of the most productive events to fish. This also ties into searching for and fishing those "thin blue lines." A few years back I started fishing a stream in NH that is a tributary to Lake winni. I thought the name of the stream was called Gunstock river with is stocked by the state. My brothers and I started catching small salmon and wild brook trout. Come to find out this stream is called poor farm brook and is not stocked by the state. This stream is one of many in the area that lake trout and salmon use to spawn and pretty soon the suckers will run up for a spawn as well. Now the interesting part is the big old 5lb rainbows that follow the suckeres up to feast on eggs(they also follow salmon up in the fall). Now this location is no secret to local fisherman but it's not the only stream where this happens. Pretty much any trib to a lake or larger river that suckers spawn in will attract large lake fish to feed. This is probably the best shot for any of us to locate and fish for large trophy sized trout.
Paul Fay
I heard from a gentleman who lives on the Swift that some good trout are being taken on what sounds like a sucker egg imitation. He lives right on the river so I tend to believe him. I have been to the Swift almost every week and the place is loaded with Brookies in the 8-12 inch size from what I have caught. Got @ 4-5 large Rainbows in the 16 inch plus size with some good weight during that time. Fish are there just finicky.
Ran into an old fishing buddy yesterday and he said he has caught a number of bows over 2 pounds and the big surprise, 2 brookies in the 15 inch range on the upper Millers.
Have they started to stock large brookies? I have never encountered brookies of that size anywhere on the Millers, Priest brook I have seen them put brood stock in but never the Millers.
And the 2 lb bows, I know where I'm headed on Sunday.
He said he fished in and around Pete and Henry's and the brookies were caught in the Lake Dennison area.
He also wanted a resupply of a fly I tie as it was what caught all his fish.
A black wooly worm.
Size 12
Thin black chenille for a body wrapped twice. From the eye down to the bend then palmer short yellow hackle back up to the eye followed by the second wrap of chenille. Grizzly works but from experimentation, for whatever reason, the yellow seems to be very attractive to trout and the infamous Millers river dace, I call it that and there are a lot of them in the upper sections of the Millers.
I use red maribou for a tail, but I just show a hint of the color tied thick.
Light weight or not, persoanl preference.
Would love to start fishing Millers if anybody will share good spots to start or parking areas it would be much appriciated!! I would love to explore some new water.
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