Ken ,
I am a newbe to your rivers and wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your blogs and your information packed articles about where to fish,and best water levels.
Your info is so valuable to me whereas I travel 1 hr.and 20 to get to this valhalla. I have been out to the Millers twice now and once to the Ware and havent seen one other sole at either river and have experienced solitude that I only have experienced on the steelhead rivers of Washington and Scotland. Thank You.. Richard J.
The Swift And It's Brookies
Maybe we got too used to seeing them over the past decade but it seemed that they were fairly scarce the last two years. Not so this year (so far). They seemed to be all over the place about Route 9 this week and reader Bob O said the same about the Pipe area. Not monsters but the kind that big browns like to snack on. The Swift brookies are the key to everything.
Early Mornings And Evenings
This is the time of year where the "off" hours can be the best hours. Early morning (and I don't mean 8am) can provide great fishing. I've done great on the Millers, Swift and the EB at 5am. I can provide 3 and 6 hour early bird trips on those rivers. Evenings on the Millers have been my mainstay for over 30 years. The river comes alive as the sun sets. Book Me!!
The March Brown
This is one of the major events one waits for if you are a lover of freestone rivers - The March Brown! It will be the biggest of the mayflies that we have seen this year and it will be hatching from late May through early July. (it's named after an English fly that looks similar but who hatches in March across the pond).
As a nymph it lives in freestones that have those nice gravelly bottoms but can also be found along the slow silty margins of streams around hatching time. It never seems to hatch in monster numbers but it's big enough to attract the trout's attention.
A good reliable imitation is the old Adams Dry Fly in a size 10 to 12 especially if the body is a light tan color. Count on a comparadun to fill the bill too. Look for this puppy to emerge in the early evening in early Summer.
Thank You
May was a good month for this blog - A huge amount of comments and some very good fishing reports by the readers. We are not afraid to name rivers or sections of rivers. Keep it coming!!! It's the only blog that has this!!!
Ken
10 comments:
The Millers was pleasing at dusk last evening. Browns, smallmouth, etc. all eager to make an old man’s night. Soft hackles were effective as was a hares ear, royal wulff, and an irresistible Adams. Windy and chilly but that was an opportunity for me to learn better casting. Seems they are holding more water than usual at the dam in Orange. Good times.
"Windy and chilly"!! I had 38 degrees on this June 1st morning. It will cool the rivers down a bit and that's a good thing. Thanks for the report Bill
Had some trouble at the Bridge Pool on the Millers - tried swinging wets through the riffles and then below into the head of the drop off - not a bite, not a follow, goose egg! Maybe they were down deeper? I'll have to try again soon.
Andrew D,
I've also had some trouble there. The flow has been perfect but my offerings have been mostly ignored in the past week or so. Usually you don't have to go too deep with this flow. That's trout fishing I guess. Someone will have a bang up day there soon.
Ken
On the EB at 8am this morning, 45 degrees windy at times, great morning. Fooled 3 big feisty bows (1st was 16,17, inches) they jumped,pulled,upstream,downstream,but all 3 came to my net. All fooled with a #14 P&O, I saw 2 spin guys and a car with Kentucky plates, off the river at 11am.
Gary,
Saw Kentucky plates on the Ware River yesterday. Maybe we are becoming a destination.
I think we may need some rain soon.
Ken
That was me with the KY plates on the EB. I was down there for school and moved back up here for work. I'm dreading the day I have to get rid of my KY "World Record Smallmouth Bass" license plate. Gary, I had the same morning as you. 3 bows, all on stonefly nymphs, and done by around 11.
I follow this blog but usually only contribute once or twIce a year when I have something to offer. I assume the prior posts about the Millers mean the bridge pool in Farley, but I may be wrong. In any case, I had the same tough time a week ago there when the flow was 400 cfs, but there were three spin fisherman catching consistently above and below me. I got only one brown who hooked himself while I was stripping a fly in quickly. I went back this morning, 6/2, at 7.45am and there was no one there. I entered above the bridge into the riffle area and was nymphing with a #14 buggy fly and hooked up quickly to a good rainbow. I stood almost in the same spot until 10.45 and caught 5 rainbows and 4 browns, all nice fish. I had 3 other fish on. There was a brief hatch at 9 and I got one brown on a 12 elk hair caddis. There was another brief flurry at 10 and I got a brown on a 16 sulfur. I think the flow, down to about 250 cfs was really important. I could wade closer to the best drift path and I could get the fly down. Amazed no other fisherman came! My best morning of the season.
B’town Jim
B'town Jim,
The Bridge Pool has been weird this Spring, weirder than the 30+ Springs that I've fished it. One again, off again. Glad you did well.
Ken
Decided to check out the Bears Den section at the TU kiosk for the first time the other day. Fished for 2 1/2 hours with no signs of fish. Maybe one rise but I can’t be certain. When I first got there a bald eagle was flying over and the sun was intense. Wondered if the fish had hunkered down. Anyone else check it out recently?
Jared
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