The Rain - We Prayed Too Hard And The River Report

"Or maybe one day you hit the cosmic hatch. If there are enough insects on the water, trout will sometimes feed so eagerly that they'll lose some of their caution. Not all of it by a long shot, but possibly just enough" - John Gierach

Welcome to the land of feast or famine. A week ago we hoping for rain and now we have it and more and maybe more on the way. Here's the river rundown at 5:00 am on 10/30:

Millers - 3330 CFS!!!!! Last week it was as 140. This river will not be fishable until after Thanksgiving if then. Don't ask for a trip until the flow is below 400 which could be next May!!!



Swift River Bow

The EB - "The river that was not stocked this Fall" is at 1870 cfs and I don't believe the accuracy of that figure because the sister branch, the West Branch, is flowing at 3360!!! In fact, all of the Western Ma. rivers are at official flood stage!!

The Swift - It hit 80 cfs overnight but is now down into the high 50's and dropping. That increase in the flow overnight was not from a dam release but from pure rainfall!!! It's very fishable.

The Ware - In the 300 range and will drop soon. It never got into flood stage!!

The Farmington - (Why am I writing about the Farmington?  That's easy! Someone has to. Unlike others, when I say that I "report on rivers" I mean it!!!)  The Still River, the tributary, is flowing at 3100 cfs and that says it all!!! The WB of the Farmie is around 360 BUT Massachusetts rain is flooding into the reservoir (1550 coming in but only 360 coming out.
Your BEST source for conditions on the Farmington is not this blog because I don't spend a lot of time down there.  The BEST SOURCE is from UPCOUNTRY FLY FISHING which is updated twice weekly with flow conditions, insect info and some good fish tales.

                                        Another Swift River Bow

Fall Flies

I love this time of year on the Swift.  The brookies are ganging up, the water is low and zillions of midges (diptera) make the flow below the Pipe an actual soup!!

I have my favorite flies (as do you) and my favorite flies are SMALL and are meant to represent insect larvae or small scuds or small eggs.

My Swift River Killer Bug made the grade but it will not replace some old staples.  One of the old staples is the RS2 Sparkle Wing.

This fly is dirt simple to tie.  I use scud hooks from size 18 - 24, brown, olive or black floss or thread for the body, some midge flash for the wing stubs and black thread for the head (using a black sharpie does the same thing).

Things didn't really seem to get going on the Swift yesterday morning until we threw this offering on!!!

I'll feature some Fall favorites in the next week!!!!


Ken

A New Fly, The Rains Came, The EB And Book Me

Note: 10/27/17 - The Swift came down to 40 cfs. Thanks to Bob O and Ross for the news.  Let the Games begin!!!!!
"The industry survives by convincing consumers that the only way to catch the fish of a lifetime is to buy more. When did fishing become less about spending time outside, feeling the sun on your face and the water swirling around our legs, and more about one-upping the guy downstream" - Yvon Chouinard

A New Fly

I was on a mission - get to the Swift early before the expected rains and workout this hot, little fly that came out of my vise the day before. I won't say that it's a "new" fly because it's too similar to others but its body material just looks soooo good that it may be more accurate to say that I was working out body material instead of a fly. Anyway, I got there at 7:15,had the place to myself, found some brookies milling around and started fishing.

Six fish in 10 minutes! 3 bows and 3 brookies all caught on a size 16 version of this fly. I started to experiment with sizes with 16 and 18 being the most productive. The trout liked this fly! I saw one bow move over a foot to grab this thing. It worked on the gravel below the Gauge, the gravel above the pump house and at the Pipe (fish it if it's empty). In 2 hours I was into the double digits, the fog turned to drizzle and then to a light rain. Mission accomplished!!

I'm not divulging the recipe for this thing as of yet. I may try to tweak it which will probably just consume time and not improve the fly a bit. I will call it a Swift River Killer Bug for now.

The Rain

As I write (6:30 am 10/25):

Millers at Erving - 850 cfs (maybe in a week....)

Millers at Royalston - Who knows since the gauge is off-line!! Same with the Tully River. Is this permanent? My guess is that it's in the 500 cfs range.

EB - 193 cfs. At this flow it is fishable and will be perfect for this weekend. NOW, ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS STOCK IT!!!!!!!!! They managed to stock Jamaica Pond in the wilds of Boston yesterday to entertain those that wouldn't know a brown trout from a bullhead AND probably don't buy licenses either BUT leave the largest C&R section of the State barren. There has been plenty of cold water there for WEEKS so what's the excuse????? Note:(10/27) They say that stocking is done for the year.  They really messed up this Fall!!!!

The Ware - 80 cfs which isn't that bad.

The Swift - About 140 cfs. This should drop to around 50 cfs as the Connecticut River goes up with all this rain which will allow the Quabbin team to turn of the garden hose (finally).

Book Me

October booked up to capacity (weird, I still have Friday 10/27 open. Grab it!!) and November is filling in quickly. Book a 3 hour or 6 hour trip now.  Also, my start times are more flexible at this time of year (daylight savings ends soon). A 1pm to 4pm trip makes a lot of sense (the "evening hatch" starts at 2 pm) as does a 9am to 3pm trip (later start = warmer start.

Contact me with a date or two in mind and what length trip interests you and we will make it happen.

Ken

The Brookies Are Running And The Millers/Ware/EB

"Angling is extremely time consuming. That's sort of the whole point" - Thomas McGuane

Swift River

The brookies are finally starting to move on the Swift and one of the first signs of this are the rainbows jockeying for position behind the BT. The aggressive positioning over traditional spawning areas creates a surface disturbance that's easily noted and a careful eye will detect the brookies just above the commotion. Small egg patterns, small Partridge and Orange soft hackles and small scud patterns work year after year on this river in October and November. Don't miss this action!!!!

It looks like we could get some REAL rain this coming week which should bring the Connecticut River UP and the Swift DOWN. That will really get the brookies on the beds!!!

The Millers

We are in the middle of the best continuous BWO hatch that I've ever seen in over 30 years on this river.
The action starts around noon (earlier on warmer days) and goes to sundown. The snowshoe and CDC emergers that I use are in the 20 to 22 range and they are working. Believe it or not, the low flow is working to our benefit as the trout realize that they have an option aside from grubbing around for nymphs. The best dry fly fishing that I've EVER had on this river is during low flows like these. The BWO starts hatching when the water temperature nudges 55 degrees. BTW, the warm water days on the Millers are over until next Summer!!!

Remember, the rain forecast for next week may bump the Millers UP and possibly WAY UP. Check this blog for up to date flow readings.

The Ware
It just keeps producing and will probably produce through November. Fish Church Street SLOWLY working those undercut banks.

The EB

Late October and still no Fall stocking. The flow is ok and the water temperatures are in the 50's so what's the problem?? To add insult to injury the DFW stocked the MANHAN RIVER AND IT'S BRANCHES last week. For those not familiar with the stream we can say that it's NOT on the Fall stocking list and it has no water!!!!!!!!!!! BTW, it's only about 20 minutes from the EB. How this trickle gets fish and the longest C&R section in the State gets zip is a mystery!! Maybe they will find some fish to stock this coming week.

Ken

An Autumn Afternoon On The Millers

"It seems a shame to use a fine, handmade casting tools to lob a weighted, short-line nymph rig 10 feet when you could do the same thing just as well with a broomstick. - John Gierach

How can anyone say that they would prefer to catch trout via nymphing instead of on a dry fly? I don't know but they are out there, a generation of fish counters who like the lofty numbers that a stocking truck can create. I've heard that the Millers has been not like it was last year when buckets of bows were tossed in and everyone was an expert. Now the story has changed. It's slim pickings with the browns they say. Granted, it takes time and patience to catch that fish and a little skill that goes beyond "nymphing". A little timing and knowing the pattern of trout and insect behavior helps too.

I rigged up my 3wt at 1:45pm and fastened on a slightly weighted possum nymph and began to work it as I've always done over the decades - quartering upstream and letting it sink as it as it approached me which is the same way Theodore Gordon fished a wet fly in those Catskill waters over a 100 years ago. There were no indicators or sighters of any kind. Just a look for any hesitation in the drift of the line. I also kept an eye out for any surface activity which was sure to start.

I picked up 6 browns before the surface activity became too real to ignore. A hatch of Olives started (as expected) so on went a snowshoe BWO emerger in a #20 and then the fun really started. After the second brown a blue heron got into the act and twice tried to grab my brown as I was netting it!!! Then I watched him as he watched me. If I cast upstream he looked upstream and if the cast was quartering downstream he followed that too! He watched me cast upstream which resulted in a hookup which he then went after.

They are smarter than we think!!

I ended up with 8 browns taken on the surface and 6 below in two hours of fishing. THE MILLERS IS ALIVE WITH TROUT!!

BTW, A surface hooked trout fights harder than a bottom hooked trout. The nymph caught browns fought ok but nowhere near the the intensity of a trout near the surface who feels the hook. Just an observation.

Going forward this season I would suggest a perfect Millers trip to be from 1pm to 4pm. We will catch the evening rise!!!

Ken

Ware Update, Millers Update And The October Caddis

"Fishing for landlocked salmon is like scale-model Atlantic salmon fishing: all the frustration for a fraction of the price"- John Gierach

They were all over me. October Caddis that is! This is a true event on autumn trout streams especially on the fertile freestones that we like to fish like the Millers. This orange/brownish caddis can fill the air but it can also disappoint if you don't know it's life cycle. This insect is not going to rise through the water column followed by slashing trout most of the time. It prefers to hatch on the shore and then fly away. Maybe that's why the Partridge and Orange is so good around now.

Are there dry fly opportunities with this insect? Yes, but it will come with the end of the mating swarm near evening when most fly guys decide to pack it up. The above fly works because it looks like a spent insect and incorporates the materials to achieve that look.

Hook - size 14 standard dry

Body - orange/brown rabbit dubbing

Wing - clump of orange/brown hen hackle fibers (an underwing of CDC will work to float the fly longer

Hackle - brown grizzly size 14-16

Head - brown rabbit dubbing

One can fish this fly dry and then wet. It works both ways.

Speaking of the Millers - It seems that some are a bit disappointed in the Fall fishing on this river and that is because this river got an adequate stocking of browns (and some bows) this October and not the avalanche of big bows that it got last October. Stocking the river 3 TIMES IN ONE WEEK last October sets expectations high with 30 fish days being expected. The reality now is that you have to work for your fish instead of just chucking a nymph into a school of stocked bows. The browns are different and they got a dose of rain that put another 100 cfs into the mix right after they were stocked. They are not waiting for you. You have to find them. Go get them and bring your soft hackles with you.

And The Ware - This river, so totally overlooked by the fly fishing community, has been hot as of late. It got some bows in early October but we've been taking browns in the mix which means this river has holdover fish!! One thinks that the Ware is a warm water stream but it's been cooler than the Millers and the EB over that last month with water temperatures in the low to mid 60's. Find an undercut bank, slowly drift a SH or a generic nymph through the deepest parts and you may be rewarded. We were yesterday!!!

Ken

A Reprieve From The Drought But The Swift Is Still High

"I might be wrong, but I doubt it" Charles Barkley
                                                                          NOTE: (5:30 am, 10/13) The Swift is at 50 CFS
                                                                          Note:( 7:00 pm, 10/13) It's at 130 again!!!!

The map says it all. RED is very dry, GREEN is normal, ORANGE is low normal and BLUE is high water. Last week this map was mostly RED except for the Swift which had the color blue but the weekend rain took care of that except the Swift is still chugging along at 130 cfs because the Connecticut River is still below normal. Get it?? I hope so! Also hope for some more rain. Not a lot but just enough.

The Millers and the Ware have been fishing very well, especially the Ware. The report says that the Ware got bows this month but we've been taking some good looking browns in the mix which must be spring fish that made it through the summer.

Look for October Caddis (or Pumpkin Caddis) on the Millers and the Ware. I must of have close to a dozen on my waders a few days ago while working the Millers. I've never had much success with any dry version of this fly but the reliable Partridge and Orange SH does the trick.

What's up with the EB?
The flow looks good, it's cool enough but it hasn't received any fish this October. This all may be a moot by today but we will just have to wait and see. BTW, the gauge reading on the EB stopped working on October 9th. It's frozen at 75 cfs and is probably flowing around 55cfs as I write. The Bears Den gauge on the Millers is busted too as is the one on the Middle Branch. I blame Trump!!!!

Thank you for the BIG outflow of comments!! Much appreciated.

Ken

Autumn On Our Rivers And Book Me

"Some people who fish here will do just that with a brace of nymphs dangled under a strike indicator, letting natural drift provide all the movement that's necessary. I've tried that, and it works - especially on slow days when nothing much seems to be going on - but I can't stay with it for long.  It's possible that I'd had enough of staring at bobbers by the time I was twelve" - John Gierach

It's the best time of the year to be in New England especially central and western Massachusetts. Imagine hitting the Ware, the Swift and the Millers all in the same day and landing fish. Imagine not having to pile up windshield time to go to a crowded destination. It's all here from the Ware to the east and the Millers to the west. What about the EB? It needs rain before it's stocked. Hopefully the forecast this time is right and we get a good, rainy day and the DFW extends that Columbus Day deadline for stocking. I believe they did last year.

The Color Brown

Hats off to the DFW for raising the largest number of beautiful brown trout that I've ever seen. The color of these fish is amazing. As I said in an earlier post these trout have the color of butter that has been left in the sautee pan too long. These fish are almost iridescent and appear to almost glow in the net. I've seen some photos of stocked browns from other states and they pale by comparison.

Millers Update And A Question

We caught fish everywhere from Orcutt to Erving and to the Kempfield Section BUT we got blanked at the Bridge Street Pool. Now, there are new (this Summer) restrictions to entering Bridge Street from Route 2 - YOU CAN'T DO IT- and they have the signage to prove it!! That means that you have to bushwack through the back roads of Wendell to legally get there. (I say "legally" because some people are ignoring the signs and turning off Route 2 anyway). Here's my question. Did the DFW stock these section or did the signs/restrictions and the six mile detour scare them off?? I know someone was there because of the wet footprints in the sand. Any info??

BTW, Soft hackles (of course), possum nymphs and my mini buggers all took fish. Translation - use anything as long as it's small.

I still have some openings in October but they are going quickly. Grab one and it's yours. A good idea would be to book a morning (3 hour) trip and then spend a few hours going solo revisiting the spots I introduced you to!

Ken

Weekend Update, The Rivers, The Weather And What Flies

"The great charm of fly fishing is that we are always learning" - Theodore Gordon

Ok, here we are a few days before Columbus Day Weekend and this is what we have:

The Millers at 60 cfs and scheduled to be stocked tomorrow the 6th in the usual places. Last year the flow was at 90 cfs which was low. Water temperature on Wednesday the 4th was 60 degrees at 8am and 65 degrees at 1pm. These are good temperatures.

The Ware - 22 cfs and received it's second stocking. You may thing the flow is too low but the temperature is the key and the temperature as I write is 58 degrees AND it's been below 60 since September 30. This is a "must fish" river for October.

The EB - At 43 cfs this river is a boneyard as is its sister branches. It needs rain and I would be totally surprised if it's stocked at this low flow.

The Swift - Humming along at 135 but not producing much in the usual areas. The brookies are on the march but not bedding down yet because of this flow. THEY CLAIM IT WAS STOCKED this week. We saw 4 trout caught all day Tuesday. Also, the temperature is still in the mid 60's due to lake turnover which may also effect the bite.

Low Water Tactics - Ditch the weight, period!!! High Stick your pheasant tails and soft hackles (especially soft hackles) and then lengthen your casts to swing your fly down and across the current. Your weighted offerings which worked well during higher flows will leave you picking weeds and slim off your fly most of time. This is the tactic we've used on the freshly stocked Ware and the not-stocked-since-May-Millers. It is working!! Always be on the lookout for surface action with the standard offerings of BWO, October caddis, ants and such.

So there you go, the update on the six trout rivers that I cover. I keep it at six because just adding rivers to my masthead but never mentioning them in a post is misleading to my readers. And notice that I said "trout rivers". If you want bluegills and pickerel (my first fly caught fish was a pickerel at 15 years old) then surf the net. Nothing wrong with those fish but you will not find them here! Also, read the comment section of each post for knowledge and insight from the readers. These are my "contributors"!

Go Fish

Ken

Those Gorgeous Millers Browns And Booking A Trip

"Game fish are too valuable to be caught only once" - Lee Wulff

Note: The Swift and the Nissitissit were stocked 10/2/17
Note: The Squannacook was stocked 10/3/17

I'll come right out and say it. The most beautiful browns in Massachusetts reside in the Millers. These trout, either stocked last May or of holdover status, have taken on the most beautiful dark, glowing color that you could imagine. I could best describe it as butter that's been left in a saute pan too long. And the neat thing is that these fish sailed right through the Summer and this September drought with flying colors and are there to be caught. BTW, This weekend the high water temperature on the Millers hit only 62 degrees. We fished some deep runs with good holding water and took fish swinging soft hackles.

Now, if everything goes to plan, the Millers will be stocked Friday October 6. The usual popular spots will get crowded but I know this river well (30+ years of fishing it) and will get you away from the crowds and into fish. Play some hooky during the week and we will have the place to ourselves. Book ME!!

We are seeing the start of the brookie run on the Swift as they are staging into some traditional spawning areas. Hopefully we will get some rain soon to lower that Quabbin release.

Stay tuned!!

Ken