"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
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
22 comments:
You stooped to fishing a nymph!
Ken - that's a cool little fly. Looks soooo much like a fry I have played with - that was a puff of olive maribou about .25 hook length long as a tail, mylar midge braid wrapped up the body, with tiny little eyes glued on at the head of the fly. I markered the back olive and then UV resin over the top (epoxy would be fine too). That little fly worked great, swung...
It was a #14 on a scud hook.
Are you swinging your fly, or fishing it dead drift? Sounds like the latter.. But it looks like a wonderfully simpler version of the fly I played with, which acted as a nice "fry" pattern, that I bet you could dead drift your fly, then swing it and get fish both ways!
Great looking fly Ken!
Will
Will,
It's a nymph in the killer bug fashion and I dead drift it.
Anonymous @ 9:46 am,
I fish nymphs when the situation calls for it Just like Frank Sawyer and Polly Rosborough did.
Ken
The EB has been neglected the past 1-3 years in my opinion, something fishy is going on.
Hey ken I just got confirmation from masswildlife on Facebook that the EB did not and isn't going to recieve fish this fall :( saw a post by them that said they concluded fall stocking for this year so I commented asking if the EB would recieve any fish and due to lack of rain and low water was there answer regarding the EB unfortunately..... thought I would pass this along
Dalton,
Good work!!!!
We had LESS water last October and they stocked it. LOW WATER???? Why was the Manhan stocked which is NOT on the Fall stocking list AND had barely any water but the EB, which had water, wasn't??? This is a major mistake by the DRW and they should come forward with an explanation.
To the DFW - STOCK the largest C&R section in the State which is a mecca for anglers or I will not stop!!!! Don't hid behind facebook. Give us reasons for your actions!!
Ken
Right on Ken! I would like to hear the LOGIC of their actions too. Since all the stocked fish are sterile does it really matter where they put them this time of year? Are they tagging any fall stocked fish to see how many over winter? So much data could be obtained...
Ken, I asked about the EB on MA Div of Fisheries and Wildlife's Facebook post which announced the end of stocking. Their response was:
"Unfortunately, we were not able to stock the East branch of the Westfield River this fall due to low water levels and high water temperatures."
Whaaat?!
Psyched to hear more about this fly and tying materials! Looks beautiful,deadly, and most importantly, like you can crank them out. I like to tie a variation on a Walt's worm using florescent thread and split thread/dubbing technique. The end result is slightly reminiscent of the fly pictured here. However, more times than not, splitting thread is just wildly frustrating and a huge pain. Now that you've retired and are much more focused on fly fishing, ever consider making instructional tying videos?
Hi Ken -- Glad for this rain, but the rivers are still in a weird place. The Quinnepoxet also did not receive a fall stocking due to low water. The Squanakook and Nissitissit both received fish and were a trickle of water. I ran out to the Niss before the rain and there were leaves on almost every square inch of barely moving water. Both rivers should be better now. Hoping for a drop in Swift, as well.
JG,
That is absolute BS. They never measured it or totally disregarded actual conditions on the EB. But they stocked the Manhan (a trickle) and stocking the Westfield in Westfield while disregarding the C&R section of that river which is a joke and we are the losers!!
Ken
Dear Ken,
I hope you and your readers are well. I see that there is some shared angst about the lack of stocking on the EB vexing your readership. A word to the wise - I have fished the easier wading sections of the EB three times since Columbus Day, and on each trip have caught a few fish. It is also gorgeous - something that can't be said for all of our local fishing and stocking locations.
Yours truly,
Muggs
Ken, as bad as it is, stocking is geared towards catch and keep anglers. As absurd as this is, it is reality. The nissi and squannacook really WERE trickles, I fished them 2 weeks ago when I went home. If those were "cold and high" while the EB wasn't, then that makes the DFWs excuse absurd. They should just fess up to their blunder instead
Swift now down to 51 CFS!
Ken,
Nothing much doing on the lower Swift tonight during a brief outing. One small brook trout which was pretty as could be hit a pheasant tail nymph, but that was all. Where the rainbows they stocked are hiding is beyond me. I had better action before the DFW stocked it! Not the first time that has happened either. Go figure.
Crossed the Ware River on route 181 around 4:30 p.m. and it was mighty high from the welcome rain. The confluence where the Quaboag joins up in Three Rivers was really roaring.
Regards, Sam
Ashu,
Stocking in Catch and Release areas is geared towards catch and release!
Ross and Bob O.,
THANK YOU!!
Muggs,
I fished the EB through mid August and mid September and caught some fish that were hold up in and around deep holes. What we wanted was a good finish to the season by getting some new fish that were spread out.
Ken
Hi Ken,
I don't quite understand. I read your blog regularly. One minute I read the "stockies" are not that important to us, are not what we are really going after to catch, and basically leave those easy ones to the "meat" men. Next minute I read moaning that "they" didn't stock. There are plenty of trout in all the waters ...some more difficult to catch. I guess that is why they really call this sport "fishing."
J Kon,
I think we need to clarify to topic.
1. "stockies", as you call them are extremely important BECAUSE without them we would not have the trout fishing that we have, period.
2. This blog does not advocate the chasing of stocking trucks in the Spring when this happens. If one has a 50 fish day it's because the stocking truck was there very recently. The streams will be stocked in the Spring, the trout will spread out and we will have many months to fish for these trout with adjustments to our angling hours. (Summer = early morning and evening fishing).
3. Fall fishing, for many that don't have access to tailwaters, ends in late November and December. The Fall stocking of trout is a last chance for many to flyfish and CATCH fish in this State before 5 MONTHS of ice and snow befall us. That's what I'm concerned with. There are trout in the EB but not many after a Summer of low water and high temperatures. Having the gift of additional fish to fish for in this wonderful season is what we are looking for.
4. I don't know what your late Summer experience was on the EB but it was tough for me and the few others who didn't give up on this river. I guess we were looking for a last hoorah this Fall before the river ices over.
Is there a problem with this?
Ken
Ken, that sums it all up. Well said.
Sam
I find your blog well reasoned but appreciate J Kons input. The fall stocking this year is disappointing. I have lakes near home that are marked as being stocked that don't even have bank access.
C&R
Hi Ken,
I love the blog and am a loyal reader, but have to say I was turned off by your comments about Jamaica Pond. As a former JP resident, I know the pond and its anglers well. I understand your frustration about the EB not being stocked, but there's no need to take it out on the residents of JP who enjoy fishing as much as you do. Many in fact do buy licenses, and enjoy fishing with their kids down the street from their home. Nature close to ones home can be the best nature there is.
Post a Comment