Above all, observe the fish. Better yet, observe the trout as if you were a predator that needs to catch it, not just a participant in a game. Edited-for-action fly fishing videos, especially ones with hard-rock soundtracks and rambunctious high fives, won't really prepare you for approaching big, spooky trout. Watching your pet cat will give you a better idea of how a predator moves when stalking its prey" - Bob Wyatt, What Trout Want: The Educated Trout And Other Myths
Last Years Brown - They're bigger now
Something has happened to this river over the last 10 years. A brook trout population explosion has resulted in a forage base for browns, big brook trout AND outsized rainbows ( 5+ pounders). It's also caused an increase in the dreaded mergansers, a flock of which will sweep a stream and take everything from 1 inch to 6 inches. What ever has happened we can say with certainty that the placid Swift may be the top trout fishery in the State or New England for that matter.
The Swift has a good reputation for its rainbows and deservedly so BUT that's not what's important here. The WILD brookies and WILD browns take top billing on the Swift. And unlike the 'bows they're not going to jump in your net. You have to hunt for them!! "Where are they" you may ask? THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!!!
Brook Trout
They are starting to stage up downstream and now we are starting to see them upstream of the Pipe. It will be interesting to observe the numbers this year. A word of caution: watch where you step above Rt 9. It is a prime spawning area with it's almost endless gravel stretches. If you must fish it walk on the weeds and leaf debris and not on clean gravel.
FISH NOW!!!
The Ware is at a placid 162 cfs as I write
The EB is at a PERFECT 154 cfs!!!
The Millers has come down to 749 cfs and is still dropping. Orcutt is one of the first places (below the bridge) that becomes fishable at that flow. We have next to no rain in the forecast until Sunday so this river should get below 500 cfs by mid week.
Mergansers
I got an email from someone who said that we shouldn't worry about mergansers since they will fly south soon. Fat chance of that. They will stay as long as they have open water and the Swift doesn't freeze. Neither does the Quabbin. And they are not new to the scene. I've seen them below the Pipe and in Cady Lane for two decades!
Ken
17 comments:
A friend of mine had one of those big browns swim right by him last Fall and it was in a heavily fished area.
GW
"Saturday my client and I cast over an 8lb male brown and his 6lb girlfriend while fishing the Swift."
Sounds like you were fishing to spawning trout. How is it that someone with you claimed years of trout fishing doesn't know that that is a no-no?
Anonymous
Anonymous,
Not spawning yet. Just pairing up. The REAL message of my post is that are giants in the Swift!!!!
Ken
"Pairing up" is part of the spawning process. And be prepared for a huge influx of big trout/meat hunters on the Swift. Thanks Ken.
Deerfield is the top river. MADFW doing nothing to improve fisheries is what they do best!
Anonymous Again,
You must be new. This blog has had this discussion before. Many know of the big trout in the Swift but two dozen anglers walked right by that pair without noticing them. There are some big trout hunters already on the Swift and it hasn't hurt the population a bit.
Another Anonymous,
Ok, the deerfield is the best river in the world!! Feel better??????
Ken
Everyone knows the swift has big trout in it look on masswildlife’s Instagram page and there all over it it’s no secret anymore! Get out and fish try to catch one does no good to b*tch about it here
Dalton,
Not everyone knows. More than half of the people that I meet/guide on this river don't know about these fish. Having more people know about it increases our chances of getting year round C&R on the entire river.
Ken
I agree with you ken I love reading this blog but don’t necessarily like reading it when people are passing judgment on how people are fishing or what form of fly Fishing people are using to catch fish we’re all supposed to be on the same side here.... haven’t been out in a few weeks switched gears to pheasant hunting with my German shorthair but plan on getting out soon keep up on the blog!
Hi Ken, I was able to get back out on the Swift again yesterday. There was an impressive tiny BWO hatch starting early to mid afternoon. The midges were also out in force. At one point, when I took a break to have lunch on a downed tree, my vest was covered with dozens of midges. There was also the occasional "monster" (compared to the BWOs) cream colored mayfly literally sailing down the stream. Any guesses on what that would have been?
Most of the surface flies were being ignored, but I noticed one nice brown sipping emergers in a relatively flat/shallow section just above a run/pool area about 1/3-1/2 way down to Cady Lane. This is an area that I would normally ignore. I worked upstream to try casting to the sipping brown. When I got there, I was pleasantly surprised to see a very nice mix of big rainbows and mostly medium+ browns cruising/feeding in this relative shallow spot. I did see one brown quickly move through that was about the size of porky the pig. These fish were all being very picky and I had heard "veteran" Bill talking in a spot downstream from me that he was having trouble getting them to take anything - even down to a size 30 BWO. While it was fun picking out the different feeding fish and casting to them, Nothing seemed to work until I tied on an olive colored, split case BWO size 18. I only had four of these flies left and I'm happy to say I lost 3/4 flies on 2 bruiser bows and one big brown that put on an impressive fighting display complete with 2 feisty aerials. Some lucky guy ( with his clothes on) stopped to watch as he was out for a stroll with his dog. I ended up getting one brown, one rainbow and a "decked out male" brookie to the net.
While I eventually found a fly that worked, do you have a top 2-3 list of flies that you go to on the Swift when there is a BWO hatch (small flies) underway and the surface flies are being largely ignored by the fish?
Thanks,
Paul
Just wanted to share one last anecdote. If one is cognitively capable of catch, the very same individual can make the psychological choice to Release. My parents are both Fully Licensed Psychologists in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania respectively. I feel welcome enough to share a cool, albeit personal fact about myself. I have Asperger's Syndrome and am on the Highly Functioning side of the Spectrum. Fly Fishing was gifted to me by my grade school teacher and my Uncle. I used to have ticks, where I couldn't control happiness or other emotions well. Fly Fishing changed my life for the better. Most people would never know, upon meeting me. I want to thank you Ken, the Giant Caddy lane Brown Trout, Fly Fishing, and Mother Nature. Yes this sport is about conservation, but more about how lives can be forever changed. We are all capable of Greatness, how we wield such power determines our tomorrow(my quote). Happy Fall and Winter, my fellow Fly Fishing Intellectuals.
Will
I am all for permanent catch and release on parts of the Swift. This river is a gift and Mass DFW should take a page out of Connecticut's book for the Farmington and do the same here.
Regards, Sam
Dalton,
I agree up to a point. Don't know where you got that opinion. There are degrees of fly fishing. One can drift a nymph under a bobber or swing a nymph which I IMHP is a more pure way of presenting a fly. Up to you!!!
BrownMasterD,
I agree!!!!! Most people don't see these browns because they are used to seeing rainbows in perfect view running under their legs. You have to look in places that seem devoid of visible fish. That's where the big browns are!!
Ke
Paul,
Bill R. mentioned the tiny size 32 BWO that he fished over on Monday with limited success. That large tan mayfly was a Cream Cahill that hatches is sparse numbers on the Swift from May to October.
Will,
Keep the comments coming!!
Ken
I was also fishing for a while down between Paul and Bill for that tiny bwo hatch. Seems to me one important feature of those size 32 is to tie them so you can see them. The body is only about a quarter of an inch. I did manage a slam too and later found a number of browns working the hatch tight on the belchertown side further downstream. Nice day
mw,
Saw the same hatch today and my client hooked two good browns between 18 and 22 inches on #22-24 BWO. A good day.
Will,
I had to post that great photo!!
Ken
Totally. My Mother was so proud, she’s giving it to me as a Christmas present this Holiday Season. In the form of a glass Print, making a box for the Fly to. What a great Memory, honored that she wants to hang that photograph in her home. Next to God, Jesus, and Sigmond Freud. I made the wall. Finally not in the form of embarrassing Baby photographs. Alongside working with Animals for a living, having two Dogs of my own, and being well versed in life. Catching that Brown ranks highly in my Parthenon of personal achievements.
Best
Will
Go Sox!!
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