I think that the stars were lined up for this trip - lots of caddis and rising trout and although I fished for only two hours (6-8pm) I took four bows and a big brown on my caddis emerger. I resisted the urge to tie on a dry due to the distance required to cast to these porpoising trout and the inevitable drag and decided that a "damp" fly (AKA emerger) was the best bet. It was!!! Readers of this blog will know that the sign of a rising trout is the sign of a trout taking an emerger and NOT an adult fly. I also lost three that just threw the hook.
I've been fishing this river for over four decades and it still delivers surprises. I can leave a place alone for 10 years and then rediscover it again. I can fish a month on a hundred yard section of the Millers and never want to leave as one discovers the "river within a river". I guess I can say that about all the rivers that I fish.
It's going to be a GOOD summer on the Millers!
Fish The Swift
Over a month ago I said I wouldn't fish this river until it went BELOW 200 CFS. Well, it dropped 42 cfs overnight to get down to 182!!! It's still historically high but fishable. The photo, on the left (taken yesterday) is of the Swift just below the spillway. This flow is a third of what it was just 2 months ago. That means that this high water era is coming to an end. Above route 9 it is very wade friendly. Just watch your step at the Pipe and you will be fine. Pick your safe spots at Cady Lane.
July 1st stocking and poaching
Remember, the regulations change on the Swift below Route 9 through Cady Lane on July 1st and that means that our C&R summer stocking will happen soon and I bet the damn poaching will ramp up. Put the Environmental Police number in your phone and use it when you need it. If you see someone with a spinning rod above Route 9 call the EP!!!!! A stringer with trout below Rt 9 after June 30? Make a call!!! Here's the number again - 800-632-8075. Put it in your phone!!!
You know, I think we could use a little rain. Not a lot, just a little!!
Ken
16 comments:
I fished the Millers Monday evening and got a bow and a brown on a 16 parachute Adams. I caught them when fish rising early (5-6 PM) to some caddis and sulfurs in the Upper Trestle pool. Not much later there or below at Kempfield. There were, however, beavers in both pools. The one in the Upper Trestle area was not happy and came around slapping its tail multiple times. The two in the Kempfield were a bit calmer. I’m hoping that they all get used to fisherman and don’t make evenings in this area a challenge this Summer.
Chuck
A man can never step in the same river twice, as the old saying goes. I was on the Millers in South Royalston yesterday. So were three other anglers. The river has changed since last year. Last year, at the same water level there were two fairly short runs beyond the treatment plant. Now there is one very fishy looking larger run, where the three other fly fishers were pounding away. As I arrived, the first of these reported good action in the afternoon with the browns chasing caddis. The evening, though, was quiet. I walked down to the trestle pool and there was nothing happening at the surface there. Apparently the fish are on their own schedule.
Peter
Nice AM on the Millers in Orange myself today. The rainbows seemed to like the rain showers as they hit the dries while it was coming down. A number of rainbows, red breasts and chub. Odd mix of flies, red copper john, irresistible adams, stimulator and a gray wulff.
Chuck,
The Upper Trestle has had some hostile beavers over the years. I think that it's because the north side of the pool is an in-bank den area for the beaverites!! BTW, evenings got quite for me too. I was a mile downstream.
Peter,
Just like Chuck before you it got quiet the later it got. I did well downstream til 7:30.
Bill/Tully,
Good to hear from you. Seems like you hit the triple crown as well as species go!!!
Ken
.....same here on upper Ware river. Good dry fly action 6-7:30 on cream colred dries and stimulators... then dead. Beavers in every section of the Ware i fish. Tail slappin beavers!
mattk,
What is going on with the Millers and the Ware all closing the door on rising fish at basically the same time and not even at sundown? Maybe the next insect is a nocturnal one but on the different rivers? Maybe. Something nice to ponder as we catch trout!!! A nice problem to figure out. Isonychia are "after hours" emergers.
Ken
Ken, just to add to the mystery, Ben and I hit the Millers from 5-8:30pm this past Saturday night. I could not buy a fish until......between 8 and 8:30 when I had two browns in the Kempfield pool. Both on a cream "Usual" size 14 or 16 purchased earlier in the day from the legendary Rodney Flagg. That was my first time meeting Rodney and he is quite a character. One hit the fly when it was under the surface on the swing as I was getting ready to cast to a rise,the other was caught on a targeted rising fish. Go figure! Ben was have some hits/breakoffs on orange chubby chernobyls between 6:30-7:30 in the runs above Kempfield.
We tried unsuccessful to fish the upper trestle pool. The flow was 450ish cfs and that is just too much water for me. I like that area much better when I can follow your guide instructions and wade out into the middle of that pool as well as wade to the two nice pools up above. We did see the beaver making the rounds up there.
We also had our first ever float down the Deefield on Sunday. We did the 6ish mile section below Fife dam. What a gorgeous river. We had an assortment of stocked and wild rainbows, stocked and wild browns and a few brookies. There are some strong fish in that river! While I much prefer wading a river to floating it, in the case of the Deerfield, my sense is it would take some significant investments of time to find the best spots to wade.
Paul
Paul,
See you at Cady Lane soon. BTW, Rodney is the last of the originals!!
Ken
Rodney is awesome!
Usual's are awesome too... Always swing and dangle them. They will catch a lot of trout that way for sure.
Good to hear folks are doing well.
Will
Will,
Always enjoy your comments. I've known Rodney for over 30 years and he is a throwback to an easier time. Less technical and more intuitive is his approach. He's like the USUAL, a great simple fly that seems to always get the job done.
Thank you!
Ken
On the EB around 7am,the water was chocolate and quick but there are places on the river where you do not have to enter the water to fish. I went to one of those places and fished for a couple hours and manage to catch a 14" Tiger in the torrent, fooled him with a #10 olive bugger made with synthetic materials from FTD. I saw and met only one other fly fisher who also was catching fish in the torrent including a native brown ? yes he had a picture and that tail was square. Interesting. Way to go Mike. Oh also saw someone giving a fly fishing lesson in the torrent to 2 folks on the way out and people swimming, summer on the EB.
@Gary: Wow, the EB really blew up overnight, didn't it! Looks like it's already come down quite a bit thought. Always appreciate your reports!
Cheers,
Dave P.
Nice seeing you skulking around the gauge run today, Ken. I hope you did well with your client. I ended up calling it a night. The Swift water levels are coming down. I worry a bit about the loss of wood from the high water. I did see a lot of Brooke smolts above the crib dam. Hopefully we will be into Sulphers soon! I didn’t see any. One fish, slow day for me.
Andrew
Andrew,
My clients, two young college age brothers, caught fish and had numerous hits. There are fish below the Pipe and in the Tree Pool. I saw a few Sulphurs around 7:30 but not many.
Ken
Ken
I’ve read a lot of comments on the Millers in the evening but no mention of early morning action. Planning to head out there tomorrow early AM from Andover, bit of a ride but its my best option. Has anyone had success this week in the morning?
Mike
Mike,
My client took a good brown yesterday at the Bridge St. Pool around 9am before it got too hot.
Ken
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