Lower Bliss Pool
I'm fortunate enough to be surrounded by decent trout streams and the EB is certainly one of them. I am exactly 15 minutes, give or take a nanosecond or two, from making an evening of it basically anytime that I want. Last night was one of those times.
In 2009 I fished this river from Memorial Day through Columbus Day with dry flies only and caught lots of fish. This year the high Spring flow and then a mini drought shelved a repeat of that idea but the rain of two days ago brought the flow up nicely. Take advantage of it!!
I started off at Slant Rock Pool (just past the old quarry) and this wonderful spot failed me again. Once the pride of the river this place is certainly off this year having only produced two trout for me. I didn't even see the rising fish which this place is famous for. I will not give up on the place because it is such a beautiful run and such a pleasure to fish.
Slant Rock Pool
On the other hand the Bliss Pool never lets me down when pursuing trout with the dry. You just have to wait it out. Even on a cloudy day this place doesn't come alive until at least 7pm and fishes well past dark.
My strategy for the Bliss Pool is the same for any spot in the evening. Get there in the late afternoon and work the riffles and the heads of pools with something big and bushy. Patterns don't matter too much, just get something that could mimic a land insect and something that will be easy to cast. I've moved to using more bivisible patterns because they can be tied large but seem to be less wind resistant resulting in less leader twist. Big wings cause problems! My hybrid bivisible took the first brown which was the biggest at around 16 inches. But then I saw the first "dorsal and tail rise" which signaled the switch to a size 14 comparadun. The Comparadun, half adult, half emerger. It was tied with a pale creamy body just like the real ones that began to escape the water. Three more browns came to the net!!
As dusk began to descend I went ashore, found a rock to sit on and then began to take in the beautiful surroundings. People have said that I take more photos of the "surroundings" than the fish. There's a good reason for that. It's the rivers that I love otherwise I would be fishing ponds! If I publish nothing but the photos of the fish that I take then each post would be about the fish that "I" take and nothing would be about the beautiful rivers that I (we) fish. It's all about the rivers.
Another brown sipped another emerging mayfly. Next time!!
Ken
21 comments:
Pictures of trout that aren't big or stunners get old. The surroundings and view never do.
Lenny
Lenny,
You said it buddy!
In January or February I think of places and how they will look in May through October. I don't think I can fish in places that are crowded and,sometimes,ugly. Thankfully we don't have to go far to find what we want.
I may be going to northern Maine this Fall. We should take a day and fish before that.
Ken
Great report, Ken. Like you I have started to slow down my fishing and appreciate the surroundings more. One learns plenty just taking it all in and watching the stream. I am glad you caught some dandies in a beautiful place, most especially on the surface.
Sam
Sam,
It's where I am that counts! And to see that curling rise to a dry just does it all.
you GET it!!!
Ken
Hi Ken. Yesterday I left my rod tip in or near the parking area for thE Hatchery Pool. The tip is bronze colored and is for a Sage One TLX 0 weight. Wonder if any of your readers might have found it. Thanks for your help. Enjoy your blog.
Chuck Young
1-617-312-6215
Yes on the EB this morning with rising fish, but also rain showers, so I decided to throw some terrestrials. Fooled a couple with a #14 chernobyl, I like to tie these in size 10 also and skate them back on the return, which draw fish up quick but they usually miss sometimes coming right out of the water, its fun to watch but of course disappointing. The competition was intense today, eagles, cranes, and a beaver as big as a bear but no anglers. Oh and every time I fish salt or fresh I step back to look and enjoy my surroundings its part of the deal.
Gary,
Good to know that I wasn't the only one there this week. I'm going back and might do a early morning thing. BTW, don't forget about Cady Lane!!! I owe you!
Ken
Hey ken I got out this evening on the upper EB near my house on RT 9 and was lucky enough to get 3 bows to my net on buggers and if I had a smaller size I think I could have produced more because I had a lot of refusals when I was leaving to head home around 6:30pm two trout rose to what I believe were golden drakes they were bigger then Dun's and were a yellow cream color wish I could have stayed longer but it was a good afternoon/evening nonetheless!
Dalton,
Good work!!
Ken
The Old Quarry on the EB? Cant find it on my maps. The Slant pool? Is it downstream from the Bliss pool? Is this like finding the airport on the Ware? Good thing I like the history of this country because I may not have found that airport if not for King Phillips War! Great day on the Swift recently, thanks Ken.
-Erik
Erik,
Go a few hundred yards past the Bliss Pool and you will see a sign by the road marked "quarry". Go to the next turnoff on the left and that's Slant Rock.
Christophe Perez wrote a good article on the EB back in 2014 in Eastern Flyfishing with good map.
Ken
Hi Gary- do you ever try stoneflies on the EB? A week or so when I was there last i saw a bunch of them on the rocks.
If you don't mind my asking about what time in the morning are you getting started at the EB at this time of the season? I bet it's crack of dawn!
Thanks
Hey ken I was going to be headed out to either cady lane or bondsville section of the swift later this evening I've only tried the " evening hatch " a few times on the swift just wondering what you think would work for flies? Thanks
Dalton,
Probably too late for an answer today but the answer would be any fly you want as long as it's presented properly.
Ken
H dad
I do and I ty them black in many sizes. But this year I have had great success with, Pats Rubber Legs they are black & tan which matches the stonefly shucks you see in the river. Google Pats Rubber Legs or if I see you on the river I'll give you one.
Ken
FTD Fly Tyers Dungeon go there great stuff. And thanks again great time.
Gary
Hey ken I got out on the bondsville section of the swift river last night and got a handful of brookies on a stimi and lost what I thought was a good brown or brook trout due to a faulty knot unfortunately... next time!
Gary,
Glad that you liked the Swift and thanks for the info on the Dungeon!
Dalton,
Good work down in Bondsville! I did really well last Summer down there but have not made it down there yet this year. Maybe this week.
Ken
Thanks Gary, I appreciate the info. To me it's amazing how much those stoneflies I found on the rocks out at the EB resemble the flies I bought at B&G sports - kind of pricey @ 2.99 but the biggest trout I caught out on the Westfield this year was with one of those stoneflies fished deep. They are tied by a guy named Ted Lewis and I bet I spent about $30 on them this year. I hope to get out to the EB this week, I crashed my bicycle on a 20 mile ride a week ago - no broken bones but a lot of road rash. Had to take it easy but ok now.
Hi Ken, Stacey and I have kept close to home on the Deerfield this summer, as the fishing here has been excellent with the higher water. Maybe we'll bump into you if we wander down to the Swift later this fall. In the meantime, I perused Eastern Flyfishing for the EB map that you mentioned. Didn't see the Perez article in 2014, just an article on the Swift. If you had a more specific reference to that article (and map), I'd love to see it. Congratulations on retiring! Our very best, Jeremy and Stacey
Jeremy,
Check the September/October issue of Eastern Fly Fishing 2014
Thanks Ken. I was looking for EB in the title...
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