Different Dry Fly Strategies And The Otter

"Tailwaters are what Thomas McGuane called "the great theme parks of American fly fishing," with their more or less stable water temperatures and artificially inflated populations of insects and fish. They are irresistible for all kinds of reasons, but all of those trout breed the peculiarly postmodern sense that anything short of a 20 fish day is a bust, so when things are slow there's the temptation to lie about numbers or to vaguely allow that you are "getting your share" - John Gierach

Each year I have a number of people who take my 3 hour dry fly outing because out of all the techniques in fly fishing this is the one that puzzles them the most. Presentation, the avoidance of drag and matching the hatch can all seem overwhelming when it is simply not. Here are some simple rules that must be addressed.

1. Where Do You Fish? This is really important because all rivers are not the same. If you spend most of your time fishing on tailwaters you will be presented with much different conditions than on freestones. If you read the quote at the top of the page you will you will understand. Tailwaters are made to be stable with flows and water temperatures and you can have surface feeding during the height of a hot summer day almost any time. Freestones have their flows and temperatures fluctuating constantly from cold, flooded conditions to low flows and high temperatures. Where you can score on the Swift with dries all day long you may have to settle for the "Evening Rise" on a stream like the Millers or the EB. In 2009 I fished the EB from Memorial Day through Labor Day with nothing but dry flies and caught a lot of trout BUT all of the fishing was done from 6 pm through dark. That's when the trout began to "look up" because that's when the insects began to hatch.

2. What Kind

Of Rod? - I can dry fly fish all season long with a 3wt to a 5wt on any of the rivers that I fish, tailwater or freestone. A 3wt matched with a double taper works great on the Swift because that double taper lays out sooo gently which is what you want on that intimate stream and it's ability to roll cast will keep you out of the bushes. A 4 or 5wt can launch the long casts and bigger flies that you may need on bigger rivers like the EB, Millers or the Ware. It is a misconception that you NEED a 2wt or lighter for the Swift. I've caught many of its trout with a 4wt while fishing dries in the tiny size 20's and never felt over gunned. Just an average wind will mess up a cast with a ultra
light line. Trust me.

3. What Kind Of Fly? - Matching the Hatch can be reduced to two elements: matching the size and matching the profile of the fly of choice. COLOR is the last element to consider because one fly tyer's
version of light olive or sulphur is probably totally different than anothers' version. And remember, the rise of that trout that you are getting into position for was probably to the emerger stage and not to the adult imitation that you carefully crafted and that emerger is of a different color than the adult. Now, for those that can't agree with this fact please consider this obvious point: your dry fly has a big piece of curved steel sticking out of its butt which which the natural doesn't. (Note - maybe profile isn't that important either. Bob Wyatt and his book,What Trout Want: The Educated Trout And Other Myths is a must read on this subject)

The Otter - I spent 2.5 hours yesterday morning braving a stiff wind and dealing with a Y Pool otter who totally spent about 20 to 30 minutes tearing up the pool. I knew something was up when I was making my way across the river and saw about 8 bows racing downstream past the Hemlocks. It took about 30 minutes for the trout began to show themselves and I got 2 hits and landed one. Bill said that the beast spent all day Monday doing the same thing. If this year is like all the others the otter will leave the pool in about a month or so or when the rest of the river gets stocked.


Ken

Sunday Morning, Balmy, Nobody There And Charlies Place

"But once they begin surface feeding a dead drifted imitation produces no response whatsoever. An active twitch, however, not only calls attention to the fly but successfully imitates the surface sprint of the natural." Thomas Ames, Jr. describing the actions of the Winter Caddis

It felt like the first week of April instead of the last Sunday in January. 41 degrees at dawn will do that.

I was rigged up at 7:30 am and was surprised that when I drove past the Route 9 lot to find NO CARS. I drove another 1/4 mile to the DEFAULT parking area and I was the first car.  So far so good! When I made my way to the infamous Y Pool I was the only one there and that continued for a bit over an hour and a half. I would of thought that the balmy temperature would have clogged the place but not so.

I fished this pool, like I said, before  another angler made his entry and that was almost an hour and a half. The result was 4 bows, two on a swift killer bug until the rising trout went over to the winter caddis where I took another two.  Then that stopped and I switched to a Size 24 sparkle emerger which resulted in another two and another half dozen dropped fish. Bill, a regular,  talked me into a size 30. Two more hits and then I had to leave.

Hats off to the young guy below me who did what  has to be done to take about 6 fish within an hour on dries!!!  Good work!

Where Are The Fish?

That seems to be the most popular question asked on the Swift this month. I think it's safe to say that the extreme cold that we had earlier in the month sent the trout in search of DEEP water for some added warmth.  That's where you'll find them. A mild February will move them around.

Charlies Place March 4th.

 Mark your calendars for Sunday March 4th as I will be at Charlie Shaden's Evening Sun Fly Shop from about 11am to 1pm giving a presentation on the Millers and the Westfield branches.  BTW, Charlie has mentioned that he has a great supply of Hungarian Partridge skins at the shop. This is good news because this bird is becoming a bit scarce.


Ken

The Brookie Season In Review

"Rather than his Peasant Tail Nymph, I selected another of Sawyer’s famous flies that is, in his own words, ‘a miserable concoction of wire and wool, a thing anyone could make in less than a minute, and which to the human eye has not the slightest resemblance to any living creature’. Frank called it the Grayling Bug, and used it to great effect on his home river, as well as others in England and abroad. Lee Wulff, the great American angler, called it the Killer Bug and the name stuck."  - Bob Wyatt

It's been about a decade or so since the brook trout population explosion occurred on the Swift. Every Fall we were greeted with waves of brookies charging up the Swift. What about this year??

This year was, in my opinion,"off". The numbers were not there, period. The gravel beds above route 9 had spawning trout but not like before. One alarming observation was the almost TOTAL lack of brookies on the gravel below the Duck Pond. In 2015 and 2016 this spot was ground zero for the brookies. There would be hundreds at a time working the redds. This year it was almost barren. Here are some possible reasons:

1.The Duck Pond situation was obvious. This year the gravel beds were covered in weeds which was a new development. Spawning trout will avoid a place like that. What brought on the weeds? Well, having a heavier nutrient load in the water will do that. Is there an old leach field in the area? Did the construction of the pipe from Quabbin to the hatchery upset the balance?

2. I saw more BIG browns this year than ever before and I'm not talking about puny 18 inch fish but browns measured in pounds. I've seen big browns swallow a 6 inch brook trout on this river. Have the browns eaten up all the brook trout? NO! Mother nature has a way of balancing things. If anything, the browns probably keep the brookie population in check so we are not fishing for stunted fish.

3. After years of population growth we were probably due for a leveling off or even a DOWN year. I would monitor the Duck Pond next season to see if that weed situation returns. In the meantime enjoy the balancing act between the brookies and the browns. (BTW, my home page shows a photo of me with a Lake Ontario brown. There are bigger browns in the Swift!!)

Every day we gain another 2+ minutes of daylight. Think Spring!!!

A Classic Fly - The Picket Pin

"Give me a brace of wet flies on the Lower Beaverkill on the second week of May and you can have the rest of the world, I won't need it" The reported words of an old time Catskill fisherman circa 1930's

The first time that I saw this fly I had to have it. Then I had to tie it and it may have been one of the first "pattern" flies that I ever tied. And I caught trout with it using that stout fiberglass rod that could have doubled for pole vaulting. And my "method" was to cast 3/4 downstream and then strip it back which would usually drive the stockers crazy!

But as the years went by and skill level increased and my understanding of aquatic entomology improved I began to leave this critter out of my fly boxes. "Just an attractor fly" I would think and not something a hatch matcher would want to use. But it looks sooooo buggy it has to match something. That something may be the damsel fly and dragon fly nymphs. These nymphs, especially the damsels, hatch en mass on sunny days in late May or early June by crawling to the shore or to rocks or logs that protrude above the surface. The Picket Pin looks a lot like that dark, drab nymph.

Hook - standard nymph hook. I like a size 12

Tail - brown hackle barbs (the traditional recipe calls for this but it won't make a difference if you skip it)

Body - peacock herl, about four swords

Hackle - brown palmered hackle (don't go overboard with the hackle. A size smaller and sparsely dressed will do)

Wing - Grey squirrel tail. Don't use too much. I've used red squirrel too and it works.

Head - peacock built up over the base of the wing.

I don't build weight into this fly and would NEVER befoul this classic tie with a bead head but I would use a micro shot about 8 inches above the fly if I had to.

We are one month beyond the shortest day on the year and have gained about 32 minutes of daylight. EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS. In another 30 days the sap lines will be out in the sugar bush and we will have turned a corner.

Think Spring,

Ken

Tailwater Flies And A Thank You

"Controlling micro drag is far more important than reducing the diameter of your tippet, which can never be completely invisible" Thomas Ames Jr. in Hatch Guide for New England Streams

"Your average dry fly leader that is "homemade" has at least a half a dozen knots over its length. I hate knots because they catch debris and are weak spots. I tie flies but not leaders except to add more tippet." Me
Swift Serendipity

First, I'd like to thank those who have jumped at the chance and booked their Spring and SUMMER trips. Best days and times always go first so don't wait too long. Also, I thank those who have ordered flies from me in the last week. My inventory is good and shipping is fairly quick. Again,don't wait too long.

I like this variation of the Serendipity. I never liked the deer hair wing buds because I felt that it made the fly a bit too buoyant. The turkey flat wing sinks it quickly and that bit of white gets the trouts' attention. RED has been the best color for me and winter has been the best season for this fly and I don't know why.

I am a big fan of Davie McPhail, period, and my favorite fly of his is the McPhail Buzzer. This chironomidae fly just seems to represent those aquatic larvae that live in a tailwater environment(also in freestones). It's a simple tie with the key being the bright red/orange gills at the head of the fly. I used to tie this critter with the "red gills" below the fly but I've changed this. This fly will tumble in the current so it doesn't matter where the gills are. I tie them on the top of the fly (where the wingcase would be) and it MAKES NO DIFFERENCE as far as the trout are concerned. It works all year round (the Pipe and the Bubbler) and you should have them. They have worked on the Millers when we have that THING called "behavioral drift" . Lots of dorsal fins and tails but no obvious hatching flies. This larvae will move in mass downstream up by the surface and the trout want them! Sizes 16 through 22 seem to get it done.

I'll be at the Marlboro Show this Friday walking around. Say "hi" if you like!!!!

Ken

First Trip Out And Some Questions

"It's gonna happen again. There will be a mix up regarding Winter Stoneflies and Snowflies.  Winter Stoneflies, or early dark stoneflies, begin to appear as the mid March sun begins to break the back of Winter. They will be everywhere until late April and then that's it.  I live on the banks of a trout stream (Mill River) and I see hundreds each year.  They are NOT a major source of food for trout. Let's face it, the streams are high, clouded and cold at that time of year. Also, the streams probably have not been stocked yet and have very few fish in them. This insect hatches by crawling onto the shore. A weighted pheasant tail in a size 16 - 18, fished slowly along the shore, may be your best bet to imitate this bug if conditions permit."

It's a late start to this year of fly fishing due to the worst cold snap in 30 years. I can put up with some ice in the guides but I'll draw the line at fingers frozen to the rod handle. That's why the 11th would be my opening day with temperatures in the upper 40's (just like April) and the hope of some surface action. So, I trudged my way up to the Bubbler Arm of the Swift and took ONE 8 inch rainbow and that was it. I didn't see another trout in that run. Even the Y Pool seemed dead with the best reason being that there is an otter who has taken up residence again. The otter will chase the fish right out of the pool and as usual the trout gather downstream in the shallow water around the hemlocks. So do the fishermen!

Jonathan, a client of mine, seemed to have had the top day on the river when he found a pod of trout and took three bows around 16 inches. Yellow eggs and my mini bugger all scored! Since it's his spot I'll let him tell you where it is. Hint: the place is usually ignored.

Overflow Arm Strategy

Reader Paul asked a question regarding the overflow arm of the Y Pool. I love that place and and it's one of the spots that I can rely on in the early Spring and the Fall. Why is that? This "arm" is basically a deadwater unless there is a overflow coming from Quabbin (usually there isn't) and it's not really effected by the discharge from the bubbler. This deadwater will warm up on an early, sunny, Spring day and
it will have the earliest hatches (winter caddis) on the river. Trout will move into this deadwater all the way up to the very end. The same thing happens in the Fall. In the Summer it's not the best place due to higher water temperature.

Once the shelf ice leaves that spot (along with the otter) I'll be there!!

Ken

A Favorite Millers Spot

"Tailwaters are what Thomas McGuane called "the great theme parks of American fly fishing," with their more or less stable water temperatures and artificially inflated populations of insects and fish. They are irresistible for all kinds of reasons, but all of those trout breed the peculiarly postmodern sense that anything short of a 20 fish day is a bust, so when things are slow there's the temptation to lie about numbers or to vaguely allow that you are "getting your share" - John Gierach

One of my favorite spots on the Millers is the "Gorge Pool" approximately a half mile below the Rezendes area in the Bears Den section. I call this the Gorge Pool because that is what it was called over 60 years ago by legendary Millers Fly fishers, the late Bob Rouleau and the ever present Rodney Flagg. They told me that this pool was known as the Gorge Pool when they fished it as kids and young men. Attempts have been made to rename it but they would have none of it. In homage to them and the generations who fished this pool I continued the name when I wrote the Fly F

ishers Guide to the Millers River. (FREE on this site). It's the Gorge Pool!!

Actually it's a double pool with the first section occurring after the long riffle below the Third Run (see the Millers Guide) and then running into another pool after a short heavy riffle.  Both "pools" are DEEP, almost in the swimming hole category and are PERFECT dry fly water. That perfect dry fly water is best visited in the evening when the place really comes alive. Before that it's the land of the deep drifted nymph. In fact, I've never taken a trout on a dry unless it was in the evening in this place. Trout, especially brown trout, love this place and I remember the monster that broke off my 4X leader as I fished a large stonefly and another time when I lost a bugger on the same rig. This pool is a sanctuary for the Summer and the Winter for this rivers trout. I've seen deer prints crossing this river while cross country skiing years ago. It may have had a foot of ice BUT there was many feet of running water below = that's winter holding water!!

When To Fish

Fish it when you can BUT if you can get there in late May through mid June you want to start around 6pm. Follow the path on the north bank down to the first pool but keep going to the tail-out of the second pool and start fishing upstream. Your dry fly drifts will be drag-less (perfect). I work larger flies here with stones, big caddis and the wonderful March Brown. I've never done it but God knows what a mouse pattern would do here!
Looking down at the "first" pool

There are blogs out there that give a flaccid overview of this river including other rivers. That doesn't help you. I can tell you where to fish and also how to fish it to catch trout.

Ken

Spring, Booking Your Trip and the Tups Indispensable

"An ethical angler does more than what is required and less that what is allowed" - John Gierach

Yes, I'm playing with your collective heads. I found this photo of the Bondsville section of the Swift which was taken two years ago in early June with the air temperature at 70, the water temperature around 58, the air beginning to fill with early sulphurs and the river full of hungry trout. You've got to admit - it looks better than a picture of a frozen river!!! By May this ice age will be a memory and we will be feeling the tug of a trout.

Booking Your Trip It's not too early to do this as some of you already know. Time slots for April, May and June have already been claimed. This is a smart move BECAUSE you don't have to layout any $$$ because I don't require a deposit. My fees are very reasonable AND I guide on rivers where no other guides
work. The Millers, Swift, EB of the Westfield, West and Middle Branches of the Westfield, the Ware, the Mill and North Rivers are yours to explore. So, don't wait too long. The last two years were very busy. Claim your day soon!!!

The Tups Indispensable

This is one of the grand old flies that you have heard about but probably have never tied, let alone fished. It's also a fly that has a wet AND dry version although Sylvester Nemes swore by the wet, or soft hackled version and I believe everything he ever said!!!

Now, you owe it to yourself to google this fly to find its history and the origin of its name. Hint: A "Tup" is an old term for a male sheep! It's a funny story!!!

Hook - Standard wet or dry size 12 to 16

Tail - light blue dun hackle fibers

Body - yellow thread or floss

Thorax - pinkish orange dubbing (I use rabbit)

Hackle - soft, blue dun wet fly hackle

Ken

Another Look At Hen Hackles

"A trout is a moment of beauty known only to those who seek it. - Arnold Gingrich

I've ignored this hackle material for a while and I shouldn't have. Hen hackle is dirt cheap, easily available, (word has it that partridge is going to get scarce) and can be dyed any number of buggy colors. It winds onto the hook very well in sizes 10 through 14 which will fill the bill for those larger Springtime mayflies and caddis. The above fly is a study in OLIVE:

Hook - size 12 wet fly hook
Body - olive rabbit tied buggy
Rib - fine copper wire
Hackle - olive dyed hen hackle.

If this fly doesn't look like an emerging caddis I don't know what does!!!!!


As I said, this material comes in many colors and is widely available. I bought mine at the Deerfield Fly Shop.

Keep tying and experimenting. Spring will be here soon enough!

Ken

Sharpies Work

"Midge feeders are notoriously hard nuts to crack. A popular fly pattern is the simple Griffith's Gnat.
This fly is simply a palmered version of the venerable Grey Hackle - a peacock herl body with a grizzly hackle wound palmer style through the herl. Apart from being a great all around pattern, in
small sizes the Griffith's Gnat has proven to work on very difficult trout during a midge hatch."  - Bob Wyatt, What Trout Want

I love Sharpies because they give me the color that I want and they do a good job of getting rid of the color that I don't want. Even though I go through many full partridge skins a year tying those venerable soft hackles I will always run short of the correct size in the full color that I want. A good example are the beautiful brown toned feathers, always in the size 12 to 14 range that have that annoying light tan stripe running along the stem.  Maybe the trout don't care but I do - I hate that stripe!! The photo above shows two of them. My remedy is this: pull a feather from the skin and run a brown sharpie down the stem.

The next photo shows one of the feathers WITH NO TAN STRIPE!!! This color resists water and will last a long time until you put the fly in a tree or give it to a trout.

As you see, the pictured fly has no tan mass near its thorax which you would have if you didn't color it and now you will have more hackles that are usable. In fact, you can take a light grey hackle and color it any color you want and it will work fine. (Note - sorry for the fat head on that SH. I think my fingers are cold!!)

Sharpies spruce up streamer patterns by giving you lateral lines and parr markings which have been neglected for decades on most baitfish pattern.

Today we get a blizzard and the next two days may be the coldest of the season. Maybe more snow early next week but a warming trend sets in and let's hope it lasts. We need to fish!!!!!

Ken

The Swift Right Now And Who Reads This Blog

"When the facts change, it makes sense to adjust our options to fit the facts, rather than just stick to our guns. This may seem like a chickenhearted approach to life, but otherwise what you have is reactionary chauvinism of one stripe or another. I guess it depends on whether you think your dyed goose biots are worth a stand-up fight"  Bob Wyatt, What Trout Want

So..... I took a break from tying many, many flies and decided to check out the Swift. This is what happens when there is no REAL break from fly fishing. It's on the brain everyday and there is no real cure. My recourse is to check out some open water and that means the Swift and hopefully there will be some relief. What does the Swift look like? (I wasn't fishing at 3 degrees)

This morning I passed the Y Pool parking lot at 9am and saw no cars. I parked at the Pipe with the same result. I walked down to the Pipe and saw only dozens of mallards taking advantage of the open water, yes open water. There were many footprints but no anglers (as late last week). I believe that the water down by Cady Lane was icing over as it was above the crib dam and the ducks were looking for something to swim in. In fact, ice was forming on the edges of the flat below the gauge just like 2015.
                                                                         Open Water At Quabbin

I was a bit surprised that Quabbin was, at least for a mile out as I could see, was ice free. Quabbin freezes over many times but I think that the north wind as kept it open a bit longer. It's water is COLD and it will probably freeze up if the temperatures stay low and the winds die down.

Is it worth fishing? Probably not for you or the trout. In late January and through February the air temperature will rise into the 30's and the 40's and that will will change things. The Y Pool, on a sunny day, can bring feeding fish near the surface. The best of the Swift anglers will target that spot!!!

2017 was a GREAT year for this blog which was it's 10th year. I measure reader comments as the first indicator of strong readership. Second comes page views and last is "Hits"

Visits count first, page views are second and, in a meaningless way, hits come in third.

Here's the accepted equation:  3 page views generate, on average, 45 hits. "Hits" are the total of files downloaded during a visit. Many times the "person" who pulled up the site, pulled up a bunch of files. It's not the total of people pulling up the site. It's not "people" but files!!!!

This blog has a LOT of page views and that's all that really counts because hits don't comment.

Ken