As most of you know I don't do many product endorsements because:1. most new products are just a reinvention of something already out there and of little improvement over the existing product, 2. many new products are useless as in the dry fly powder that you have to brush on (putting the fly in a container and shaking it works MUCH better) and the little gadget that stores your scrap leader material (I have something called a pocket that works great and came with the shirt). My sole endorsement is FLEX SHIELD for fixing leaky waders (my idea, not theirs) and now Stream Map USA.
This neat,little smartphone GPS app will give you directions to every named stream and river and real time USGS flow data for all streams that are measured. It's got topographic, road and satellite maps plus a built-in waypoint compass.
Now, there are five regional additions and I have the Northeast addition which includes New England, New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey and it only cost $8.99!! Originally built only for IPhone products it now works with Android devices.
The maps appear accurate with the only mistake I could find on my rivers was the naming of Keyup Brook in Erving as Jacks Brook which is a tributary of Keyup. Also the EB of the Westfield is called simply The Westfield River in keeping with the USGS and the Army Corp of Engineers. I tend to agree but I'm smart enough not to try to change this.
Just google stream map usa and you're in.
Also, I paid full price for mine. No discounts!!
Tiny fly season has started on the Swift as the larger mayflies have begun to wane. I wrote about this very simple and very floatable fly a year ago and it deserves a repeat review.
Hook - any dry fly hook from 20 to 32
Thread - size 12 to 14
Tail - optional or a short tag of micro flash
Body - lack or brown thread
Wing - strip off the fibers on one side of a CDC feather and lay them across the hook at the thorax site. Secure them with figure 8's. If you feel you need more fibers then strip them off the other side of the CDC feather and repeat the process.
Now, tightly grab the ends of the CDC wing and firmly pull up the fibers directly above the hook an cut them with scissors. If done correctly they will flair out into a powder puff shape. Put more of a figure 8 into the mix and you get a decent trico spinner.
Still at Plum Island and managed a schoolie on a 5 wt. Still chucking big stuff but thinking of trout!!
Ken
13 comments:
Enjoy the fishing and relaxing Ken. Enjoyable day on the swift yesterday including the biggest wild brookie I've ever caught, 15", huge fins and astonishingly bright red belly... I really hope that things continue with the brookies on that river. Beetles (#14) were the ticket Sunday for me, though a few came on a yellow and orange hot spot zebra midge (#18), 1 each on a (#18) Perdigon orange perdigon nymph and mole fly (basically your CDC fly but tied shuttle cock style) and the last several as I worked my way out fishing #6 chernobyl ant's against the bank and up in tight to the blow downs. That all said, I could fish Chernobyl's on that river all day every day. Even though I probably miss half the fish that try to take it! They look it over so thoroughly, flicking away and then back to smack it or just charge up like a great white to a seal to eat it - occasionally coming out of the water in the process. So fun!
Had a great weekend on the swift too. Was fun watching the fish take real moths off the surface....switched to a white hopper and caught the best rainbow of the year...for me at least. It did not fight well though....very obese fish!
The yo-yo Swift is back down to 49 cfs with the thunderstorms rolling through the north country.
Hibernation and Francesco,
Two great reports!! The Swift is the best brook trout river in New England!!
Joe C,
We got about 1.5 inches of rain in Newburyport which will only water the lawns. Hope we got some for the EB.
Ken
I still like the old paper maps...atlas and gazetteer types.
I had a frustrating day with those tiny flies yesterday.
I'll have to "Swift" one day soon.
Jim Bender---Best saltwater fisherman ever!!!!!!
Brk Trt,
I still have them too but I may not have the right one for some new place I want to explore. Now I can see pretty much every tributary in the Northeast. A good tool and cheap too.
"those tiny flies" - some days the trout win but it's still fun!
Ken
Flex Shield...Great endorsement Ken. Tried it a couple times. No fuss or mess. It really does work great! Thanks for the tip.
The Swift is back up to 105 cfs again. Thunderstorms up north seem to give us about a three day turnaround on water flow. We need a real soaking rain over all of New England to help all the rivers.
I should have heeded your advice, Ken, on this now being tiny fly season. I hit the Swift tonight and didn't get even one hit using my usual 14's and 16's soft hackles and nymphs that usually produce. A couple of sporadic rises, but not to my dry flies. Even the brookies weren't playing tonight. Next time out I will be going with smaller flies. Flow was up by the way.
Regards, Sam
Sam - go terrestrial. I had an unexpected window and got out tuesday night for probably the last time I hit the swift for a month and it was a blast. The "flies" though... #6 and #10 Chernobyl ant's fished as a hopper dropper with a #22 yellow and orange midge dropper. Probably 60% of the fish hit the dry. And many come up and look it over. It's a lot of fun.
If the "usual" stuff is not working, go BIG or tiny...
The fishing was actually pretty slow below rte 9 so I went up top and put on a hopper for a fast wet wade, as much to swim and cool off, and to just bang it one or two casts and move on. Only took 2 fish, with a bunch of looks, but one of them was a solid 15 inch wild Brookie. Amazing colors, big head and jaw, right off the bank. Really healthy looking and no hook scars or fin marks. I had yet to get one of these monsters so there is clear sign this river is heading in right direction. It occurred to me it had to be the biggest wild Brookie I've caught in Mass.
It is the terrestrial season!
Ken
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