First off, this Friday (tomorrow) will be the 15th straight year that the Millers TU Chapter has worked with the MA DFW to scatter browns throughout the two C&R sections. The first stocking will start at the Holtshire Bridge section (known as the Orcutt Pool to the newbies) and then work down to Wendell Depot.
By 12:30 the crew will will be at Pete & Henry's in South Royalston and then hit Gulf Rd by the Rezendes property afterwards. Any volunteers will be welcome. This is a rain or shine/come hell or high water event.
What a segue!! Yes, we are going to get close to 2 inches of rain which may put the Millers on injured reserve and put the EB on a 3 day disabled list. All is not lost. Our medium streams, with their smaller watersheds, may actually fish better this weekend and certainly well next week. The "EB" rises like a rocket but drops like a rock and could be fishable by Sunday afternoon. The Ware seems to take some body blows by the weather without flooding out. Just take a look at the stocking report by the MA DFW, find a local stream and try it out.
Heavy flies, sinking tips and full sinking lines will be in order for the Millers and the larger rivers. Even the smaller rivers will require weight during high water. It's funny but decades ago, when the season OPENED on the 3rd Saturday in April, we ALL fished full sinking lines on places like the Squannacook to deal with heavy Spring flows. If you fished a floating line you went fishless, a sinking line meant you caught trout and I will tell you that we CAUGHT TROUT and the wooley bugger hadn't been invented yet!
Just about every place has fish by now. No excuses!!!!
Funny thing at the Swift on Wednesday evening. I'm giving a fly fishing lesson on an EMPTY Pipe Run and an empty Tree Pool. It was empty from 4pm through 7pm even though the place was full of trout that stacked up behind the schools of white suckers that are on their annual spawning run. Even the Y Pool parking lot had only two vehicles at 3:30 in the afternoon. Very Strange!
I am filling up my available days and time slots for guiding in June. Don't get left out. A simple email can get you on the river.
Go Fish!
Ken
16 comments:
with the rain that we been getting and the cooler weather, will it make the trout season last longer? the millers is definitely higher for sure hopefully it comes down quick i love that river. it seems that the cooler weather has slowed the bug hatch down too. when is the hot time for the trout? late may early june? thanx
I think the fisherman missing at the Swift were at the Farmington as I bumped into a lot, and I mean a lot of MA, and NY anglers!!! Doesn't anyone work anymore?
Swinging a cast of three flys, Hendrickson wet, Hendrickson SH, and bead head Hendrickson on point sure got me a lot of action. Some nice Browns too! The sunken fly action lasted a lot longer than the dry fly action. Haven't used my euronymph setup once this season, but maybe will need to after this weekends rain?
Anonymous,
People are retired OR take vacation days (hendrickson time, right?) Do you work or are you retired?? I know that 3 fly setups are illegal in Ma.
Ken
Lots of help today assisting in stocking 2 full truck loads of nice browns in the Millers River today. River is higher, take care.
Retired after 40years. I know its Hendrickson Time and eventually the crowds will thin. Yep wish we could use a cast of three in MA. Don't know why we are limited to two.
Bill,
Good work and hopefully this heavy flow will scatter them.
Anonymous,
Do you REALLY need to toss three flies??
Ken
Quit questioning how other people fish !If he wants to use ten flies it's none of your business!,,
Ken, congrats on now working on your second million hits on your blog - well done! Hit the Ware on Thursday, 11:30-4:30, had the place to myself. Got a small brown and a nice brookie at Church St., then did well the last couple hours up by the old mill in Gilbertsville, with several brookies to hand and several more lost or missed. The state put in some really nice size, good looking brook trout! All the fish came on a #12-14 Soft Hackle Hairs Ear, and they were hitting it aggressively on the swing. Hopefully the browns will get well spread out on the Millers with the high water.
Mike from Andover,
I had a good day yesterday until rain and time constraints pulled me out of the water. I did take a 'bow of about 20 inches on short shanked streamer that I worked up. There's a lot of fish in that river!!
Anony,
If someone's breaking the regulations it's all of our business. And I was just asking "WHY"!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ken
Lots of my local rivers (Quinny, Stillwater, Squanakook, Niss) got stocked right before getting blown out. The Squanakook is over 400 which is pretty unfishable. I'll be curious as to what that means for the fish. I hope it means more spread out they last longer. I am all for it. One benefit closed season states have is that can stock their fish and give them a chance to find a groove before the slaughter. Here it can be day one. My gut says it's a good thing, but who knows??
Good high water rig IMHO, Wire Worm with BH Hendrickson trailer. I dead drift the worm deep in front of me and swing the Hendrickson.
Andrew,
The high flows will move the fish around which is a good thing. Decades ago Ma. had a season that opened on the third Saturday in April. They stocked like crazy and if they didn't have high water the trout were slaughtered on Opening Day. Early season high water is always good.
Ken
Props to the DFW for the quality of fish they put into the streams in Western Mass. What a great day I had today. Nothing big, but boy did they fight like crazy. Most jumping to beat the band, and they are still in there.
There was a hatch taking place, but I stuck with the sub surface duo of pheasant tail and IOBO emerger and it kept happening. What a great day. A friendly reminder when I get skunked in winter with numb feet that there are better days ahead.
How many flies do you need on a line? In England and Scotland, where I hail from, serious anglers often use a team of three. It is not considered unsporting. I have tried it and just find the set up too fussy. I do like a hopper and dropper on occasion, but two is as many flies as I care for. I think simplicity keeps me happiest.
Sam,
Good work!!
Anonymous,
I agree, two is enough. I used to fish two but have gone back to mostly one. Remember one thing - they don't practice catch and release in Europe.
Ken
Hi Ken, my name is Joe and I'm new to your blog. Great job by the way, very informative. Hoping your many readers might be of some help. I recently lost a fly box while fishing below Rezendes Pool at the Bear's Den. Unfortunately I did not have my information on the box (lesson learned). Two seasons worth of tying gone. If found by anyone my cell number is
(978) 807-6140 I live in the Templeton MA area. Thanks and tight lines to all!
Joe
Hi Ken: I found a fly rod and reel on the Swift river. Maybe you could post it. I have a sign at the Rt 9 bridge but so far no response.
I can be contacted at 413-967-3430
Thank You
Dan Trela
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