The Millers
The Marathon Day deluge has had a lasting effect on many rivers. As I write the Millers is creeping down and is at 1500 cfs. I had good fishing with the flow at around 700 at Bridge Street and you can expect the same at Orcutt. Barring rain we should hit 700 or below by Thursday (4/26). BTW, it appears that the Millers got it's annual stocking of browns EARLY this year. They appeared to be stocked last week instead of the first Friday in May as usual. Also you may have noticed that the stream gauge for Royalston (Bears Den) is off line. Actually it's been down since late last Summer. So the question is: What's the flow in the Bears Den?. Answer: historically it's about 80% of Ervings flow. Very simple math!!!
The Ware
This river is acting a bit screwy. All rivers began to go down by 4/20 but the Ware actually went up!!
This may have something to do with its relationship with Quabbin. In any event it's flowing at 385 as I write and is trending DOWN. I find that 400 cfs is too high to wade and that 200 is great. Last Sunday the river was loaded with caddis, dark stones and a few Quill Gordons. When the River drops below 300 cfs and the day is in the high 50's or better sleep in and hit the Ware around noon and stay to the evening!!!
The Swift
There's a lot of grumbling out there because of a lack of fish. First, the fish are there but not in the numbers of seasons past. The bait boys, along with many fly fishers, are almost nonexistent which is the other side of the coin. I did ok on a short 2 hour trip (pinheads rule!!! last Tuesday and this place will be stocked again. And at 53 cfs it's the safest river around. At least it's not flooded like the Farmington!!!
The EB and WB of the Westfield
At 1160 cfs I will wait a bit on the EB. It appears that they are playing with the flows due to some canoe races. Things should get better by mid week. This river drops quickly!!!! The WB is perfect right NOW at about 330 cfs and you should fish it. The real sleeper out there is the Mill River in Northampton.
Well, it happens every year. Someone plans a weekend fishing trip, waits too long to contact me, and has to rearrange everything. I actually have some convenient times for trips - 3 hour trips can be mornings, afternoons and evenings any day of the week. 6 hour trips can start at anytime although early mornings are the most popular. I have a few spots open in May and June is beginning to fill up.
Contact Me!!
Ken
17 comments:
Bondsville was pretty busy today with anglers, both fly and spin / bait boys. Unlike Friday evening when the stocked rainbows were ready and willing most every cast, today it seemed they had started to wise up to the sting of the hook. A few long distance releases is all I can lay claim to today.
A fellow fly fisherman I spoke with caught and released 8 from a nice run. Satisfied, he said he was going up to the Y Pool where he caught 35 a few days ago, to try his luck there again. A nice fellow who I enjoyed talking with.
I have taken a liking to bead head nymphs recently along with a strike indicator which gave me good stocked rainbow results. Not so much today, so in one small fast run I ditched the bobber and fished the nymph with two split shot to get it down. Three nice hits resulted, but two got off the barbless hook on their own and the other broke off 5X for reasons I don't know being pressure on the fish was not that hard. I had gotten snagged just before that so best I can figure the tippet had been nicked. Beautiful day to be out.
Best, Sam
Sam,
Good day for you! It's a shame we had to wait so long!
Ken
Re 10' Nymphing rods, I have two (5wt and 3wt) that cast well with Cortland Sylk Lines. Some do and some don't, you gotta try them with fly lines and not just mono leaders to see whats what. Both of mine are excellent wetfly rods too!
Ken,
There is nothing at the pipe. Not a trout to be seen even when you look down from the high south bank. I haven't met anyone who has caught a trout there in the last week or so.
GW
Long-time reader, first-time commenter.
I was down by Cady Lane at the Swift yesterday. There was a fly fisherman there who had three huge fish (a brown and two 'bows, by my count) drifting on a string behind him while he continued to fish. Near as I can tell this is legal down there as long as he's letting the rest go, but it still seemed a bit surprising (and infuriating to my delicate tastes). I'm used to fishing above Route 9, so I think that's why it came off as shocking. But just sort of wondering if this is a frequent occurrence and if everything with that is okay. Can't believe someone would want to eat stockers!
On the WB 1PM to 5pm today, fished from the tin bridge in Chester downriver to Wildcat Springs, no other anglers,no fish, the only life was a sparse mayfly hatch and the river flow is fishable.
Gary,
Jeez, don't tell me that. I'm going there tomorrow A.M. How about the main stem in Huntington?
Anonymous 4:58
Welcome to the Swift from January 1 to July 1!!!! Yes, I agree, it should end but the DFW is frightened of hook and bullet clubs squawking at them. Let's face it- the vast majority of anglers below Rt9, even during the January to June slaughter, are fly fishers and the vast majority of fly fishers practice C&R.
Anonymous 11:45,
I own and have cast some nymph rods. They are awkward!!!!
Ken
I meant to mention, Ken, that despite the good action this weekend the brook trout were still missing in action. I spoke to a couple of other anglers who fish the Bondsville zone and they told me they have not seen hide nor hair of the brookies either. Are they showing up in the upper Swift zone yet?
Regards, Sam
Re: flow on Upper Millers River, while the USGS gauge is down, the Army Corps of Engineers Birch Hill Dam page is working well https://reservoircontrol.usace.army.mil/NE/pls/cwmsweb/cwms_realtime.projectpage?gagecode=BHD
Look for Outflow (cfs) column. As you know, anything 500 or above (per American Whitewater) is high and regarded as whitewater paddling conditions. The flow as of Thursday April 24th at noon is 517 CFS. Hope that helps!
10' 5wt dry fly rod? My old 1990's Sage RPL. Classified as a medium/fast back then, closer to what we call medium today. Many years of float tubing and drift boat fishing out west with dry flies for trout. Now it is my go to rod for shad fishing with my own tied flies, no darts.
DS,
You solved the problem about the Birch Hill Gauge. That gives you a TOP TEN post for the year!!!!
Ken
Sam,
I don't know about the lack of brookies. We may have to wait a month to see if it's a late arrival. I caught brook trout in April on the Swift but not like May.
Ken
Ken, I had fun catching a "hat trick" of trout yesterday with your Swift River killer bug and your pinhead! The brookies seemed to prefer that pinhead and the brown and rainbows opted for the "killer" bug. Interestingly, the killer bugs I bought from you last fall are green and it looks like the one pictured on the website is red. I'm not sure if you have made a color change or the bug itself is a chameleon. Anyway, the trout liked it. I did notice that when using a bug with a pinhead dropper, I had less hits on the bug. I could watch the fish approach and then turn away. Once I started fishing the bug solo, it was much easier to fool them. I was also fishing a silver bead head with a black body and silver wire emerger pattern earlier in the day with no success. It was very interesting to see the trout approach it and then, at the last second retreat quite quickly. The sun was out and it almost seemed like the flash off the bead head spooked them.
The bubbler arm was closed until around 4:00ish due to extensive tree work being done along the north bank - so beware- it may be going on for a couple of days. As a result, the Y pool was packed, but the Spillway arm was quiet and full of fish. Once the bubbler opened I took a quick swing through the riffle/run section with a single killer bug. There were fish there, but they didn't cooperate. Wonder if they were still spooked from all the debris that had fallen into the river and all the logs already in the river that had been cut/moved/removed?
Paul,
The bubbler arm was closed for most of Monday for tree work also. I hope that they keep the logs out of the run. The Y Pool was also filled with debris. Glad that you did well!!
Ken
P.S. I'm playing with the color on the killer bugs.
Green clearly worked yesterday for the killer bugs. I look forward to hearing more on your color research.
Any idea when they are going to be done with the tree work on the bubbler arm?
Hi Ken - I hope you are doing well! Not sure if you still want posts from the Squannakook, but I had a great day up there in the pouring rain. Kept all but a couple of people away and the flows are just fishable. Got a bunch of big recent stockers and was pleased to catch a holdover from the fall. All "chuck and duck" nymphing with split shot at SJW, a great high water fly. You can tell because it was about 6/7 inches. Glad they can survive the winter.
I was shocked to see all the tree work on the Bubbler Arm. Do you know what they are doing?
I actually thing the big debris would help the fishing there and make it a big more challenging. I don't know if the lack of shade is going to affect it negatively when we get in the heat of summer? I wonder?
Falsecast (Andrew) and Paul,
I'll take any comments that you offer especially about the Squannacook. Now for the Bubbler. That tree work actually started last Fall but is in full swing now. Those trees, I believe, are mostly red pine planted years ago and are ending their life cycle and will become a hazard soon. That bubbler arm actually needs more sunlight to spur insect growth. The temperature will not be effected since summer temps are in the high 50's down to Bondsville.
Ken
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