I take no credit for inventing this fly which can be found scattered around the internet. It is a really good idea which turns a killer fly, a soft hackle, into a dry fly. It's the CDC that does that. Just tie some in after the thorax and before the partridge, grouse, hen, starling or whatever you use. This fly will set low in the water and will act as an emerging insect. The CDC floats it and the webby hackle will move in the current giving it the essence of life. Fish this to rising trout.
I love freestones, those rivers that start in a swamp or a bog or somewhere in a steep valley and then begin to gain strength and flow as they roll to their rendezvous with a larger river. Each has it's own personality and like the people who fish them will have good days and bad days.
I love the seasonality of freestones. High, cold and seemingly lifeless in the winter, The great flows of April, May and most of June when fishing during banking hours is productive and the late evenings of Summer when we enter the realm of whip-poor-wills, mayflies and rising browns. Those Summer evenings are my favorite time and are the essence of fly fishing.
Tailwaters save the day during the winter months and for those that can't, or won't fish a freestone as the sun goes down. The drawback is that they will be CROWDED. When I fish the Swift or the Farmington I always go to the "out of the way" spots because I don't like crowds. I seldom if ever have that problem on a freestone in Massachusetts.
The Millers, the EB, the MB, the Ware, the Squannacook and the Quinapoxet are your home rivers. You possibly live just a short drive from one of them. All are fishing really well as of late.
Don't miss out!!
Ken
17 comments:
The WB was not crowded this morning I saw no FF but 2 spin guys who caught nothing durlng the time I wasted Watching them. The flow was up for this river but it was vary fishable and wadeable. I had to work hard to find fish, but I like that. Landed 2 rainbows that were cows right on the seam of a fast rip with a large black stone.
Ken scouted the Ware with my 12 year old son today. Found the spots you mentioned. Flows where a bit high but great spot I am sure once the river settles. Ran into one spin caster very friendly. He hooked two bows. We welcome back soon. Thanks.
Hi Ken - I fish only in MA. Only been to CT once, but would like to go more. To your point on freestones, it's almost liberating to fish a 4x leader with size 14/16 flies to reckless fish in solitude compared to the tailwaters. I would have stayed and fished the Housy today if it wasn't for a more important visit with my 82 yr old Mom. :) Hoping to get there within the week, let me know if you'd like to meet up and can split up and rip some lip! The back of my car is known to produce a quality beverage or two, as well! :)
Falsecast,
As soon I I find a hole in my schedule I will take you up on that.
Gary,
I'm going to have to make it out to the WB some day!
Ken
Nice soft hackle modification! I bet that dog will hunt!
Anonymous,
It does!!!
Ken
Hello everyone! Very interesting post ken. Ive often dressed SH flies with gink to float them in the film but the dressing does prohibit movement of the hackles. Im going to tie a few claret body with cdc tonight and hopefully they will fish on my favorite freestone in Townsend tomorrow, just need the hendricksons to show up and it will be a party!! Btw a little note on the quinny, for those who arent too familar with it, the mouth has an aquifer from the quabbin that discharges pretty cold water and you can get some very steady mayfly activity through the summer with very eager trout and quite a few stream born brownies that have that special chocolate color to them and some still with parr- marks visible (in my opinion the only true way to tell a wild fish)
Paul Fay
Paul,
Good luck on the Squannacook tomorrow!
The Quabbin Aqueduct (as opposed to aquifer) flows into Wachusett at that point. You can fish downstream from the inflow but not up close to the source. There used to be signs explaining that. There are still lakers and salmon up close to the pipe I would imagine. There were 30 years ago!.
Ken
For those interested in the removal of the Quinapoxet Dam, this is an interesting link. I've been hoping for this for a long time.
http://www.mwra.state.ma.us/monthly/wscac/2015/101315-quinapoxet-dam.pdf
The Quinapoxet was fishing nicely today. Got a few hours in midday and fished from Trout brook downstream. Mostly browns albeit quite small (8-9') and one burley 12" Brown. Poor guy he had no pectoral fins on either sides, just little stubs. Also brought in a good sized brookie from the farm. Most caught on a size 14 hare's ear variant (moss back) the others on a sz 10 ugly olive bugger. Lots of bug activity and handful of gulps on the surface. Good clear flow, but not too high made for easy wading.
There is a fence now with a sign and a trail cam in the tree behind! Id love to just look in the water up there though. Ive seen one very large brown there standing on the observation deck and seen quite a few good salmon taken from the riffles directly downstream from that point. Usualy I fish here after some rain in the summer its a nice little spot to find some rising fish.
Paul Fay
Thank you Paul, "Eye" and falsecast!!!
There must be a great amount of water flowing into Quabbin to support sending water to Boston and the Swift River. What a blessing that piece of water is.
P. Adams,
Don't ask the remaining survivors of the 4 towns in the Lost Valley. They have a different opinion.
Ken
WGBH did a great documentary called "Under Quabbin" documenting the four lost towns beneath the reservoir. Just search for "Under Quabbin PBS" to view the film. Its just under an hour long and fascinating. As for the Wachusett reservoir one of these days funding will be approved to remove that dam making the Qunnie an incredible fishery.
How do you cast there? I tried it once and the only real way I could get decent distance was to kind of spey cast with my 6 wt rod, and that hardly works at best.
Lenny
Thank you very much for this useful article. I like it.
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