I met Lenny at the EB around 7:30 Saturday morning to take the drive over to the Middle Branch of the Westfield River. I really wanted to work this river hard and started down by the mouth of the river by Littleville Lake. Lenny saw one rising bow and that was it. We met a local fly fisher who believed that the DFW never stocked the place!!
Now it was time to go trout hunting. We began to work upstream for a few miles and then hit pay dirt. We found lots of trout but catching them proved to be another story. They were holding in some very skinny water and were easily "lined".
Finally a piece of the puzzle was solved with a #18 black weighted nymph. The 16 inch bow took off ripping line from the reel and putting a healthy bend in the remade 6 foot 4 weight Paul Young bamboo rod. Two more got hooked but slipped away. We left around noon and my plans were to get back early the next day.
The MB is a gem and seems more remote than it's bigger brother the EB. This may be because the River Road along the EB may get more vehicular and foot traffic than River Road along the MB. You fish ALONE, period!! It is a gorgeous New England trout stream with the right mix of deep woods and pastoral settings that just makes you feel that you are in the right place. The river has the size of many places on the Swift without the crowds and on that 90 degree Saturday the water temperature barely made 57 degrees. Will that stand up to high Summer? My friend Christophe took a 17 inch bow there in late June two years ago in very skinny water. It we get enough rain who knows what can happen.
I made it back at 6:15 the next morning for an hour of fishing. Tough fishing but this time three came to the net and I was the only one there.
Bridges are a good spot to try out although today's rain got the MB pumped and jacked which will scatter the trout which is a very good thing. Fish this place!!
The EB was a mob scene Saturday with swimmers in the Bliss Pool and the complaints about low water. I do avoid the EB on holiday weekends for the obvious reasons.
Today I took my two clients out on the EB at 7:45am in a downpour that lasted for about an hour and a half. My guess was that the flow was around 200 cfs (remember, the gauge is broken) when we started and still clear. That changed between 10:45 and 11:15 when a monster flow hit us and raised the water level by over 1.5 feet and turned the water coffee colored. My guess was that the flow was about 800 and climbing. We still hooked up with trout by fishing the banks where many trout go to avoid the strong current. As usual this high flow will be gone in 48 hours and things will be back to normal.
I hope that they fix the gauge soon!!!!
Ken
8 comments:
Ken,
With the gauge on the EB down is there any way to judge the EB flow?
BH
I was at the EB downstream of Bliss by a good amount Saturday. I am not sure bathers got all the way down there but the fish were super spooky. I spooked about 3-4 good fish, I had my sister with me who hasn't fly fished in about 10 years but she took to it again pretty quickly. The water was low and although I did not have a thermometer it seemed to be approaching a warmer temp than you would want. I took a decent rainbow and 5" brookie on a Stimulator. The Stimulator is my all time best fly on that river- it makes little sense to me but in small sizes it can be anything. I wish I had some beetle imitations but that box was in the car. After the slow fishing on Saturday we hopscotched some spots on the Chickley and other small streams which produced some beautiful small brookies and a couple browns; I rigged a stimmie and dropped both an ant and a soft hackle off of it. All of them produced strikes and fish were landed by both of us which is really good as my sister once again has the bug...
Ken,
I have had a hard time detecting sub surface hits lately so reviewed some of your older articles about leaders, and concluded my leader has been too long. Went back to a 7 foot 5X leader last night and action picked up considerably. Good information on your web site here and I thank you for it.
Regards, Sam
Thank you for your comment Sam!
Bob T,
The Chickley is a good stream and so is the Farmington in Ma. You dont read about them because they are a minor destination compared to other rivers. Many fly fishers want marquee destinations but catching trout in a small stream environment, by yourself or with a friend, is the best!!
Sam,
g
Good to see your comment again.
I think you've got it friend. Keep doing it and you will do well!!
Ken,
Good write up on the MB. Hope to get out there this week.
GW
Anonymous,
Fish the MB of the Westfield. Some heavy water will move the trout around. Think of the Swift - close in tight fishing without any of the crowds found on the
Swift or the EB. Pure flyfishing for trout!!!
Ken
anyone ever fish the Charles in Dover/Needham area?
anonymous,
Good bass water with lots of info on-line. Trout in the upper sections of the Charles. Fly fished it years ago for bass and did well.
Ken
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