"Thank you for the multitude of comments over the last few months. This blog has been averaging well over a 100 comments for every 10 posts AND the vast majority have been from readers (not from me) AND they are REAL comments about technique, flies, places to fish and not sugar coated "what a pretty fish" filler. THANK YOU!!!" - Ken
We are in for some rain today and tomorrow. That will raise the flow in the Connecticut River which will mean that the Quabbin will stop gushing water and take the flow down in the Swift from it's current 124 cfs down to it's historical average for this date of about 50-60 cfs. That will make the brookies more comfortable on their spawning beds which is what we want.
The EB has been perfect these last two weeks. We caught many fish when the flow was around 50 cfs and still caught them when the flow increased to 350 which seemed high but is just like a day in May. Remember, the EB, when it rains, goes up like a rocket but then drops like a rock! I've seen it go from 60cfs to 1200cfs and then back to 250cfs in the course of 72 hours. Not like the Millers.
October and November are my favorite months in central and western Ma. Book a trip with me to see why.
Ken
25 comments:
Good morning Ken- Isn't it amazing what a few hours of good rain can do? I live near and often fish several warm water rivers after work until the day light fades. For me they are nearby sanity savers, quickly accessible when the restrictions of time keep me close to home. Besides being fun the Fall Fish are great practice for my weekend outings on the more distant cold water trout rivers. I've really missed my after work fishing in recent weeks because like almost everywhere these rivers had become unfishable. Until Monday- Hallelujah! I think were all thankful for the rain including our friends in canoes and kayaks. Perhaps they will now begin to leave the Swift and return to their usual haunts?
Dean
Dean F,
I agree and I might say that I TOTALLY AGREE with your stand. Many of the rivers that I want to fish are "thermally", for trout, challenged during the Summer. I have thought many times in the past what it would be like to have a river that had a population of smallmouth bass that were larger than 8 to 12 inches. I have thought that the upper Millers (above Athol) would be a great place for them. I love the smallmouth, they are agreesive and hit all summer. There are populations of smallie in the eastern U.S. that grow to 3 and 4lbs. Would they prosper in the Millers? I don't think the trout would be harmed by their being there and a viable fishery would be created. A client of mine took a 2 and a half pound smallie in the Swift in July. Most likely a Quabbin washover. It would be better in the upper Millers.
Any thoughts from anyone?
Ken
Ken,
I totally agree. While I am fortunate to live less than an hour from the Millers, Quinapoxet, Stillwater, Ware, and Swift and only slightly more than an hour to the EB and Deerfield, I tend to fish the Millers all summer long, usually after work. I never mind netting whatever wants to hit my fly, in the hopes that a slightly larger smallmouth might be lurking somewhere. It happened for the first time this year in the Kempfield section, but it would be great to see bigger ones. Always good practice to cast a fly to rising fish.
Charles
I have taken multiple smallmouth bass over two pounds from the Miller's and Swift. Maybe it's my imagination but I think the bass I've taken from the Miller"s fought harder.
Perk
I've always been curious why the main stem of the westfield doesn't hold larger smallies. I've caught them up to about 11 inches but once the water warms you can't keep the 4-8 inch smallies off of your line. Perhaps down in agawam or west side there are larger ones but I tend to drive away from civilization when I fish. I think the lack of rain is getting to everyone as a similar topic was recently discussed on another forum that i frequent.
Ken, you are right. It looks like the millers was stocked recently (Irving)
And yes, I'm a huge fan of October and November fly fishing. Love it!!
Enjoy it....Phil
Pat and Perk,
Occasionally I'll get a smallmouth around a foot long from the Millers, the best being 15 inches and caught a dozen years ago. The smallmouth I've seen in the Swift have come over the spillway. My guess is that the Millers and Westfield fish are just stunted populations and that's too bad.
Yup, the Millers was stocked yesterday.
Ken
Couple years back I saw an older (and wiser) gentlemen pull a 2-3 pound huge bass right under the bridge at Bridge St on the Millers. It was eating the trout he claimed. Thing was FAT. He released it down the river after the boulders. Biggest I have ever seen on Millers
Ken,
First fish I ever caught on a fly rod was a smallmouth at gate 43 fishing with my Dad for crappies. The crappies wouldn't hit the popper, but a 2# smallmouth did. I still remember to this day how thrilled I was. The rod and reel was a Ted Williams saved up for and bought at Sears. I wish I still had it.
Swift isn't treating me too well these days. Not sure what I'm doing different than in the past, but hits are few and far between in zones that have produced before.
Best, Sam
Sam,
I think the water has to come down.
Ken
Hi Ken, I spoke with the folks at the hatchery, stocking is complete. Friday was the last day. Cheers,Chet
Chet,
Yup, right on time. Fall stockings ends on Columbus Day Week or should I say "indigenous People Week? Take your pick. The trout are there.
Ken
Sam,
Did your first fly outfit have the automatic return reel? I grew up in the western Carolinas, and in the late 60s, my Dad took the family to the Fishing and Boat Show at the Charlotte Coliseum. The guest of honor was Ted Williams; I remember him making 90-foot casts into little inner tubes, while talking about technique. Like you, I saved and bought the Ted Williams "official" outfit at Sears (I suspect that's not what he was using). Since we lived about an hour from trout streams, I used it on a local golf course lake, fishing from a Jon boat. Best fish was a 14-inch, 1.5# dinner plate bluegill. It took two trips around the boat before I could turn it. I think I still do have that rig somewhere.
Charles
What a pretty fish.
Cheers Ken
Hey Charles,
My Ted Williams outfit didn't have an automatic return reel as I recall, just a regular one. Sears back in those days, circa 1970, had a great sporting goods department and I would enjoy spending time in there while my parents bought what they needed. A few Ted Williams approved baseball bats were bought there also. The fly rod went the way of baseball cards, sold at a tag sale at some point.
Great story about seeing Ted make 90' casts at the Charlotte Coliseum. That guy was bigger than life. I read he was tough to fish with though. He had a way about him that if he didn't think you were doing things right (his way), he would let you know about in no uncertain terms.
I bet you had plenty of fun with that outfit on the golf course lake. What a great place to learn how to cast.
Regards, Sam
When I left my house at 8:00 AM this Monday morning, the Swift was cranking away at 126 CFS. I fished Cady Lane area just upstream of, and around, the "big bend" in the river. When I headed back up to my car at the Cady Lane lot at about 3:30, everything upstream of the big bend had dropped to about 50-60 CFS (estimate) and the water had dropped significantly.
I'm not sure if this permanent, but I like a higher flow and water level . . . .
As I recall...back in the 80's when I fished the Swift a bunch: the flows up and down on a regular basis. I seem to remember it being on (125 cfs) until about 3-330 pm then it would shut down to 60ish. I am going back obviously a number of years but I think that's how it was. I always preferred a little more water in that river as well but I could be completely wrong and mis-remembering...I fished the Swift at least 1x per week throughout the 80's except for the dead of winter then life got in the way and probably spent a good 15 years away then got back at it about 10 yrs ago but maybe 1x per month and the intra-day flow adjustments wer no longer. I am one of the few people who actually like fishing in higher than normal flows in all rivers; it keeps the riff raff away lol but it puts more food in the flow and fish are less spooky.
Swift is down to 26.6 cfs. Any idea what's going on? Much lower and the trout will have no place to go.
Has anybody been having any luck fishing the Millers River in Wendell Depot.
I have been there three times in the last two weeks - Saturday being the last time - and did not see any trout.
BobT,
It was before my time but the Swift used to generate power at the dam. There's a sign there that warns about high flows. That stopped years ago. I like the low flow and so do the brookies in the Fall.
Unknown,
You must be new to the Swift. When we have a drought and the Connecticut River is low they have to release more water from Quabbin. When we have rain and the CT River goes up the Swift goes down. That is what happened as it does about every other year.
Anonymous,
They stocked the very low Millers last week. Then we got a ton of rain that blew out the river. It makes it very hard to fish. This week will be better.
Ken
26.6 cfs is an unusally low flow. They may be working at the bubbler's pump/gatehouse? Let's hope this doesn't last long. I expect it'll soon be back up to the 50-60 winter flow.
Bob O and Unknown,
Are you reading the right gauge? My readings say 45.7 cfs. There was a big drop but now it's back where it should be this time of year. (81 year average). Caught 5 big bows and 2 brookies in 2 hours there today. If you want the brookies on their redds you better hope for skinny water.
Ken
Just throwing my two cents in:
the website I check "www.waterdata.usgs.gov" [which I reach by Googling "usgs swift river, ware ma] says that the flow got as low approximately 12 CFS earlier this morning (Tuesday) and is, as of 4:30, currently flowing at approximately 50.6 CFS.
Good to know I am not crazy about the flows...lol. Hope to get out there in the next week or possibly the millers
Read my comment to the new Ken’s new report per my wife and hiking group
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