The Millers at 3510 cfs, the EB at 1220, Quinnie at 684, the Squannacook at 851, the Ware at 1230 AND THE SWIFT AT 54 CFS. Everything is at or near flood stage so where are you going to fish? One could hike down to the Farmie (like everyone else) or ply the ponds and lakes that are stocked and ready to go or hit the Swift. May I suggest that you pry yourself away from the usual haunts like the Pipe and the Y Pool and take a ride to Bondsville. This spot fished very well last year in the early Spring and any reasonable sunken fly will get it done. It's been stocked twice already so if you haven't put a bend in a fly rod this year then I would check out Bondsville.
As I write the Swift flow out of Quabbin is at 54 cfs while the flow coming in on the Swift's East Branch is over 400 cfs. With that and every brook and rill flowing into the "pond" Quabbin got over the 90% capacity level this past week. Good news but no safeguard against a bone crushing drought that could strike again. As I've said before I've seen wet, snowy winters turn into dry, dusty summers and no freestone stream needs that.
One of the most popular guided trips that I provide are my evening three hour trips. Want a good intro to a river that you can build upon? Are you tired of paying Montana/Colorado prices in Massachusetts? If the answer is "YES" then contact me. We have great trout fishing in Western and Central Ma and I guide on five of those river. Want to brush up on technique or are brand new to fly fishing? Just contact me!!
Ken
9 comments:
Hi Ken - Happy Spring! Do you think the Quabbin will overflow this spring? I hope so, but doubt it. I have yet to wet a fly in 2017, but that will change today. I am going to head to a pond with my 6 wt and some colorful wolly buggers. I tend to stay away from the Swift, even though it is loaded with fish, at this time of year. I'll wait for the freestones and get my fill until low water pushes me to the Swift.
I am looking forward to getting out to the Housy as this is the time of year for that river, but it is is blasting and unsafe.
I know why they wait to stock in high water, but I'd be just as happy if they dumped them all in. The fish would get nicely spread out and I am sure stick around longer. Either way, it's nice to be heading back out there with a rod in hand. :)
Andrew
Good to hear from you Andrew!
I too can't wait to hit the freestones but they are a mess right now. I'll work some hidden corners of the Swift until things calm down.
Ken
Farmington this weekend--FORGETABOUTIT! Opening day madness and extremely high flows make for a waste of time IMHO.
Anonymous,
I forgot about that. It's weird how they still have OPENING DAY in Ct. Ma got rid of that mess in 1977!
Ken
Stocked stream, twice by now I believe, and by golly I got skunked. Saw a good one rising and stalked it carefully, but must have put it down with the waves I made in the quiet area. I think I've lost my mojo on sneaking up on the risers. Subsurface didn't do me much good either. Nice to be out though.
Flasecast all northeast major rivers got stocked they will get spread out all into slow water that's flooded and get wasted. Parker shawsheen and Ipswich. Heard second hand one worker said they were told just dump them. What a waste I sure all the worker who raise them were happy. No governer picture during these stupid stocking. At least for now they are holding off on some rivers out west because they sure don't care out this way.
I fished the lower Swift this afternoon from about 1130am-4:30pm. There was a pretty remarkable midge hatch as soon as I got on the river, as well a some stoneflies mixed in. There was also a light bwo hatch a little later in the afternoon. I managed one brookie on a dry. One observation: I've fished the lower swift a handful of times, and there is some classic structure. Surprisingly, I've never had any luck on that structure. None of the riffles to glides, green water riffles, boulder pocket water, the stuff that I think would just be chock full of fish. The places where I do catch fish look much less remarkable. Often it will be a short stretch of knee/thigh deep water a few feet out from the river's edge, that for lack of a better word, just looks bleh upon approach. But it always seems to be these bleh sections are where the fish are and where they are feeding. A second observation is that those lower Swift brookies really pack a punch. The one I got today seemed like it had a Napoleon complex. No sign of browns or bows.
Len,
Was on the lower Swift Saturday and saw many midges and some BWO. The spot I was at had a good number of bows and browns. I believe that I was much further downstream than you.
Ken
Did they clean up the beaver dam on 202 ...west branch of the swift preventing the salmons to go up?
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