"Now if fishing larger waters I can definitely see the benefit of using a 9' or 10' rod (graphite) to keep as much line off the water as possible, but for smaller or mid-size waters, or where I can wade further out, I think an 8'ish glass rod is fine. Now I do think that the best all-around nymphing rod is 10' 4 wt, but I generally grab the rod I want to use on a particular day and just make it work. " Comment found on the Fiberglass Flyrodders Forum.
Things are getting better. The rivers are coming down with the smaller water leading the way. The Swift and the Millers are STILL too high but the Ware should hit that 3oo cfs flow soon where it is wadable. The most improved river flow is owned by the EB which has dropped to 638. It was 200 cfs higher just 24 hours ago. Without rain it will drop further. The WB is right behind at 345 cfs. P.S. You must fish the WB!!!!
This wild wet Spring has FORCED many to find smaller streams with wadeable flows to get our fishing fix. Count me in with this group. I've been working the Mill River and around Haydenville with a Tenkara setup which has filled the bill nicely. Yup, you guessed it, I'm fishing soft hackles with a Hornberg or two thrown in and it is FUN!!
Book Me
I have a few openings left for May but they are going quickly and now June id filling up. Don't get left out. Book a trip!!!
Ken
14 comments:
On the EB at 7am off at 10am, air temp 45 water temp 45. The river is getting lower and slower. Fooled 2 nice bows on the swing with a #10 prince nymph variant (my design). Had the river to myself, showers off and on, great stuff.
Hello Ken
Your invites and reports to fish the rivers in your neighborhood are tempting but to do so for many a person, myself included, would require overnight accommodations. It would be helpful if you knew of or can recommend any hotels/motels in your area.
Thanks, Ed B.
Ed B,
You can easily know of any hotels/motels or B&Bs in this area by just going online. I've lived here for over 30 years so I can say that I've really never used or can recommend any accommodations or know of the owners or managers. One persons' palace is a dump to the next. The same with restaurants. When traveling to a fishing destination I'm there to fish and not to sleep and I book what seems reasonable.
Most of the long distance travelers that I guide book accommodations without my input and they are fine.
Gary,
I'll be there soon. Have been fishing locally with ok results with bushy wets and a hornberg or two.
Ken
I had a great day on the Quinnie today. It is still ripping along, but I did well with my go to high water rig, bright SJW’s with a big split. They were all solid 14’s and feisty fish! I like the high water, actually. I think it will pay off for us in June!
Falsecast,
Thanks for the report on that nice river. I think all this rain will recharge the groundwater which will get us through the summer. I think some of these farmers are not too happy.
Ken
I'm in the same boat as Ed B., and I have found great deals on Airbnb. Let's me fish an entire afternoon and evening, plus most of the next day.
Cheers,
Dave
Dave,
It's so easy to find a place to stay. Much better than years ago!!!
Ken
Ken,
While the Swift is still too high I decided to give it a shot yesterday for the first time in 3 weeks. At 1300 cfs there are very few access spots around the Y pool, but with the use of a wading stick, I was able to carefully get out a bit on the rocks at the "crotch" of the Y pool. I started with a heavily weighted nymph set up and landed a nice bow on a soft hackle bead head pheasant tail. I switched spools to a sinking line and started casting streamers. Had a couple more bows on black and then olive wooly buggers, but the hardest strikes came on a smelt pattern which landed a big fat LL salmon and another bow. The LL had some decent dings in its nose which made me wonder whether it was a recent arrival to stream.
I spent a little time checking out the bubbler arm - the water is so high the walking path is under water in some sections -and saw a handful of salmon on the lower stretch. As I was standing stream side about halfway up, what looked like a good sized pickerel slowly rose, broke the surface with its eyes and snout and seemed to be looking at me trying to figure out whether I'd fit in its mouth. It sort of hovered there for a few seconds so I got a good look at the head and the classic pickerel skin pattern. Needless to say it was very odd, but I think that might be a partial answer to the question: "I wonder what is coming over the spillway with this high water"? So, if I happened to catch that pickerel and forgot to put it back in the water......would that be OK? I imagine they could wipe out a lot of smaller trout pretty handily.
Paul
Paul,
Good work on the Swift but it's still a bit high for my liking although the salmon may tempt me!
A Pickerel!!!!!! First time that I've heard of that in the Y/bubbler arm. Years ago they would catch the occasional walleye in the Y and I've seen smallmouth there 10 years ago. BTW, It's C&R for all species up there I think that the smallmouth will do more damage than pickerel.
The Swift is slowly coming down but it has a LONG way to go to hit 60 to 100 cfs.
Ken
Paul - I would bet that what you saw was a Tiger Trout. I have caught very large ones in the bubbler section once and have caught one a couple of other times. My guess is that they put some in with the last stocking. The Salmon may have acclimated and begun feeding on Sucker spawn, like the Bows do. They did the eggs out of the rocks and often ding up their snouts. That said, it easily could be a new arrival too. I have stayed away because of the high water, but am interested in seeing the flows. Glad to hear you caught fish in that deluge though.
Andrew
Thanks Andrew. I've never caught a tiger trout or a walleye for that matter, but after looking at pictures of both, the skin pattern assuming yellowish/brown coloring would certainly match up with what I saw. Unless my eyes were playing games with me....which is always a possibility, I thought the fish I saw had more of an extended snout. But you know the way things go when you see something that looks completely out of place with what one's accustomed to seeing....positive ID without having the fish in the net can be inaccurate.
Very interesting to learn that trout/salmon will root around in the gravel to dig out eggs. The top lip/jaw line was chaffed away which would be consistent with digging in gravel. Pretty cool.
Paul
Andrew: they did put tiger trout in this year.
Dave
As somebody on this blog related, it has been raining since last July and making or rivers tough to fish, I agree especially for what I consider dry fly season (july august september) waters usually low and slow for what I live for, catching fish on top. But last year because of high fast water not so much, but this morning while fishing a streamer just under the surface a 15" brookie came up and smashed it breaking the water giving the effect of dry fly fishing, putting a big smile on my face. Anyways on the MB at 7am in the rain, fooled 2 fish a brookie and a bow with a #10 Gartside soft hackle streamer, the river is fishable,wadeable, and dayville is open. Also stopped at one of those blue lines Mr. Ken talks about on the way home and fooled a little native trout with a #16 bead headed nymph.
Gary,
The EB is still a tough place to fish this Spring with that high flow but as you said, the MB was great. My client took four and lost a few more in just about 1.5 hours. Pretty good Quill Gordon hatch but no rising fish.
Ken
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