Top Someone lost a green Orvis fly box about a hundred yards above Cady Lane. If you find it notify me and I'll get it to the owner. - Ken
Ok, you've seen them all over the Swift or anywhere there are oak trees. The trout don't like the caterpillars (too hairy) but love the adult moth and this pattern works!
Hook - size 12 dry
Body - tan dubbing dubbed thick
Hackle - two large (size 8 to 10) hackles, one brown and the other tan wrapped over each other.
Trim the hackles top and bottom leaving about a 1/16 of an inch long stub top and bottom. Slightly trim the sides but leave them on the long side.
The living moth has two predominant "ears" that can be represented with grey CDC. Don't bother because the trout don't care.
This "hatch" should be around central Massachusetts for another two weeks and then that's it although trout have a good memory and also may take it as a land insect. I'll be on the Swift tomorrow using some.
Ken
16 comments:
On the Swift today,1st trip this year, the place is amazing, stepping in that water is like going back to April temp wise, Anyway I fooled 4 brookies and 2 bows with a #16 partridge and pheasant SH in the tree pool with just a couple other anglers there. The Y pool had 5 or 6 in it with another 6 scattered down to the route 9 bridge. I'll be back.
I had great fun taking advantage of the moth hatch last year on the Swift around this time. I stopped by the Swift this weekend hoping for the same and was a bit disappointed by the sparse fish populations compared to previous years. In fact, I don't think I saw a single fish from the RT 9 bridge all the way down to the duck pond. (Note: didn't go north of 9 or right on the pipe, but did fish/scout the other stretches.)
Gary,
So you went to the Swift while I was at the WB!! I drew a blank although the place was fishable.
Johnson,
There's fish there. They threw in 1400 on 6/29. My clients have caught trout in the area that you mentioned.
Ken
Ken,
Your gypsy moth actually looks like that insect. Gotta tie some up.
GW
Fished just above and below rt 9 today with my daughter. The suggestion about using gypsy moth imitations was great. I had my daughter use a size 12 tan chubby chernobyl. She got a nice brown and a big rainbow above 9 and hooked up a big bow in the tree pool. All on top on the chubby. I got a few brookies above rt 9 on the fly in you blog. Later on fishing below rt 9 I got a nice brown on a tan chubby. I also got additional bows on a size 16 pheasant tail and a gray mop fly (several on each). Not sure why, but we didnt get any hits on soft hackles. Those usually work great for me.
Great moth pattern, Ken. I haven't been able to fish as much as I'd like this season, but the times I've been out I have seen the trout are definitely eating the gypsy moths. I agree, the caterpillars not so much.
Out last night for a bit, I saw a couple of browns rising in two different zones to moths. I tried an elk hair caddis and had two outright refusals to them. One was a splash and a miss and the other I could clearly see the trout rise up to investigate and go right back down.
I did connect on a few rainbows later on with soft hackles drifted through faster water a split shot a bit above. Rainbows put in with this last stocking are pretty hefty.
Best, Sam
Ken, Spent a couple of hours on the Quinnie on Saturday. Very skinny water. I caught two small brown trout about 5" long. Could these be native or do you think they might be state stocked?
Looking forward to another outing with you. Jim
After a very long day thought I would send a report. Saw the blog where you said you were going to the swift and I thought I would get to have a beer and cigar with you. Now I see u were somewhere else. Left a 3 am got a coffee and 0n the lower swift my 5. Got several nice brookies one brown and a fat rainbow. No body fishing the lower cady lane only other mammal seen a doe with twin fawns. Ants and a small turkey quill maraboo leach got the fish. By lunch worked a couple of pools below rt 9 and got rainbows on a green half inch worm against the banks. Again saw no one. Had a great nap and woke to a very small sulfur hatch above rt 9. Fished a very large drake mayfly size 8 as the trout were not interested in my emerger or dry sulfurs got 3 nice bows and a 9 ish brookie. Ran to millers on the way home Royalson but one should never leave fish to find fish. Watch the millers enjoying the rest of my cigar without casting to a rise. Great to enjoy mass trout waters and use the bamboo. Lot less strain on my arm shoulder . The salt has gotten very tough with a billion pogies thought the area. Big stripers are with the schools but with so much bait the catching is even hard with live or chunk bait impossible with the amount of feed. Something great to see for the future of the salt fisheries.
tincup,
I wish I ran into you. I was at Cady Lane yesterday morning. That size 8 drake is about the size of a gypsy moth fly.
Anonymous,
The mop fly strikes again!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jim Hill,
I think they are natives!
Sam,
I agree about the rainbows. They've got shoulders!!!
Ken
I have to say the "moth hatch" was one of the secrets of the swift, but I am glad to see people talking about it. I fished a Spruce Moth pattern and killed it today. There were like 15 cars at Rte 9 so I fished below and only saw a couple of people and a bunch of nice fish. I like the high water and using size 12 dries all day. I've said before here that this is my favorite flow (130's) as it spreads the fish out. I got a ton of Brookies, including a couple nice ones on the big moth. Also, 3 pig Rainbow and one Brown. The trick is putting a lot of action on it. I dead drifted over nice fish that could care less until you skittered it and then crash. The very hot weather last week triggered something big in the moths and expect it will tail off in the next week or so. Hope not, but we'll see. Really fun fishing today. Ended the day up to and also had fun walking by the 7 people crammed at the Y pool. Why people do that to themselves, I'll never know? That said, above Rte 9 was ridiculously crowded and, IMHO, unnecessarily so since it isn't even the best water on this river.
-Andrew
Ken, Are we sure these are "Gypsy Moths"? I noticed 2 types, one noticeably larger then the other. Could one be a "Spruce Moth"? Just wondering? I might have to go back tomorrow. My fly was just size 12 with a bigger cream body and little yellow. I am not sure it matters to the trout as long as size and behavior is imitated.
Andrew,
I've seen the two sizes of moths also. The smaller one and the most numerous is a gypsy moth. The larger of the two could also be a gypsy but maybe the female species. Anyway, these moths will be gone in 1 to 2 weeks but by the amount of egg cases on the oak trees we could be buried in them next year.
You are absolutely right about above Rt 9. Call it "fly fishing only" and you create a magnet. As you say, it's not the best water on the river.
Ken
has anybody been to the millers river lately and hows the fishing been? havent been there lately because of the heat
bigmster127,
Browns have been seen near the mouths of tribs but I won't go after them. Still rising fish in the Kempfield and below Arch Street but very difficult.
Ken
Thought I would try the Millers last night as the temperature cooled a bit. Very few rises above the upper trestle. Managed one nice brown with an Olive Comparadun.
Mike
very difficult because of water temps and warm weather? havent been fishing in a while now work is in the way. thanx
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