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