"If people don't occasionally walk away from you shaking their heads, you're doing something wrong" - John Gierach
Here's where we stand for the upcoming weekend on our rivers:
The Millers - 145 cfs as I write. I would think that it's still in a summer mode. I've had good reports of every good evening fishing and one doesn't have to wait until 9 pm for things to pick up. Darkness comes early now and 7:30 is perfect. It seems that the length of the river is loaded with grasshoppers (hint).
This will be the last weekend of summer fun on this river as the swimmers and wading dogs will have their last fling (they seem to be gone after Labor Day. I would fish very early or from the late afternoon onward. We should be getting into the Isonychia season shortly so have some of those nymphs in about a size 14.
The Swift - There are brook trout everywhere on this river with many in the 8 to 12 inch class. They haven't started spawning yet as that is two months away so fish for them and keep an eye out for for the browns. My best in August was about 18 inches. I've seen bigger!!
Swinging A Fly
The rod was a 7.5 foot bamboo loaded with a 3wt double taper. The leader stretched out to 10 to 12 feet with a business end of 5X. The fly was a partridge and olive and dressed sparsely. The cast was down and across using a gentle mend, letting that fly drift and rise in the current - the perfect imitation of an aquatic insect.
Euro nymphing fishing would never work here. The current isn't strong enough and there's too many weeds to foul a weighted nymph. (I'm not making this up. The Euro guys have told me this) This is a finesse game we play with soft hackles and it can pay off.
Cast across and down, mending the line as needed, and pay attention to the end of the drift as the SH rises in the current. The hit will not be subtle but more like vicious.
Sizes 14 through 18 make up the bulk of my soft hackles. I tie some up to size 8 that seem to work on the EB and an occasional size 20 although the tiny ones have that "squashed bug" look to them.
In theory any color combination should work as well as the next BUT the Partridge and Olive is my Summertime fly and the venerable Partridge and Orange will hold court this Fall.
Happy Labor Day
Ken
6 comments:
"Euro nymphing fishing would never work here. The current isn't strong enough and there's too many weeds to foul a weighted nymph. (I'm not making this up. The Euro guys have told me this) This is a finesse game we play with soft hackles and it can pay off." Exactly why the more techniques you master the more waters you can fish effectively!
Anonymous 1:36pm
???? As I said, the Swift doesn't lend itself to uero nymphing as it does on other streams. Not just my opinion as I stated. I have guided guys with total euro rigs who went back to their vehicles to rig up more conventional equipment
BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T FISH EFFECTIVELY. One has to be flexible and not tied to dogma!!
Ken
Bondsville had been mighty slow lately, Ken. Other fly fishermen I have run into have said same, though one told me he had some action a few nights ago on dry flies in slow water. I waded my "green mile" tonight and had one half hearted swing and miss on an ant pattern tossed into a tightly wood surrounded zone. The water is plenty cold so fishing should be good, but it isn't right now. Maybe not too many trout left in there at this point. I've seen more spin / bait fishermen in there than in year's past, one tonight was tossing a spoon big enough to catch a striped bass.
Sam
Sam,
That may be your answer!!!!
Ken
This morning I met a kind young State Park Ranger who said she'd taken to the Quabbin Park office a fly rod and reel she'd found leaning against a tree at the Route 9 lot. Who ever misplaced yours, identify it at the Ranger office, and it will be returned.
Bob O,
I'll post it!
Ken
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