Happy New Year And A Resolution Or Two

 

Fishing is not an escape from life but often a deeper immersion into it. - Harry Middleton

New Years Salmon, Swift River 2018

First, I hope your 2021 was a good one and that 2022 is even better. It was a crazy year with all the high water BUT the fishing was still good.  Right now I'm tying my butt off and working on some new creations which leads me to a New Years resolution or two:

Resolution #1 - My dry flies for 2022 will be tied on light curved nymph hooks BECAUSE they represent the insect stage we encounter the most. the hook end is below the surface, the body of dubbing or thread does nothing and could be eliminated but the thorax of clipped deer hair, snowshoe fur and the same materials used for the wing keep it on the surface where it looks like an insect trapped in the surface film. Check out the fly on the previous post or the one below to see what I mean.

                                                                          Wyatt's DHE

What will I do with all those dry fly hooks??  SOFT HACKLE WETS..

Resolution #2 - My euro nymphing experiment is over and that is because I just don't like those nymphing rods. Some do, I don't. That said I am selling my 10 foot #4 weight  4 pc. Greys XF2 Streamflex rod. There's very few miles on this baby. It listed at $375.00 but a $200 offer takes it. Tube included.

 Have a great new year.

Ken

Minimalist Dry

 In the early seventies, Idaho guide Bill Cowan used a similar, if even more minimalist, fly called the Hank of Hair - no body, just a deer hair wing with the butts clipped into a sort of thorax.  It appeared in a 1971 issue of Flyfisher Magazine but never caught on for some reason.  I expect it was just too simple for commercial fly tiers to take seriously or most fly shop customers to shell out good money for. - Bob Wyatt

I'm a fool for simple, minimalist flies.  Less is always better and this fly is a good example of that belief.  It first worked when I tried it out last Summer and it will be a mainstay in my fly box going forward.

The above fly is tied on a #16 curved emerger hook. The body is nothing more than one layer of thread (I don't think you even need that).  Use fine deer hair for the wing and clip the butt ends down close.  It is the fly's  thorax.  

You can make it size 20 or smaller by using snowshoe fur instead of deer hair.

Time to get your 2022 license  and then book me!!!!!

Ken

Happy Holidays!!

 

To My Readers - One thing this blog has been doing for many years is to give you the fly fishing news for Central New England while leaving out the junk like bogus product reviews (like you actually need to be bombarded with more advertising) and at the same time giving out real time fishing conditions on rivers that are actually named!!! (it's called spreading the wealth).

So, thank you for reading (lots and lots of readers) and thank you for the best comments that you will find anywhere.

Merry Christmas

Ken

Swift Serendipity Again

"Science tells us that fish respond to their prey primarily by size. During a hatch, the food is being served in one size only, so that helps.  Stream trout are drift feeders, so they have to snatch what's going past on that water borne sushi train before it's swept downstream or another trout gets to it first.  Match the size and you're more than halfway home in the fly selection process. I could almost leave it there, but that would make for a short book." - Bob Wyatt

The Swift Serendipity has been a standard Winter fly for me going back maybe 15 years.  It copies the traditional Serendipity except for two materials: I dumped the deer hair wing pad and replaced it with a short stub of white turkey flat (the turkey isn't as buoyant as deer hair so it sinks quicker) and the body has been made with kevlar  thread. ( that's about to end because I really don't think kevlar beats out regular red thread.)  Put on a head of brown dubbing and you are all set.

Now, Once Spring comes around I'll change the body to olive and change the white wing pad to slate grey which will mimic the BWO family.

Sizes are 18 through 24 for me.

As I write there are only 11 fishing days left on you 2021 license.  Go fishing!!!!!

Ken

p.s. The Flyfishing Guide To The Millers River makes a great stocking stuffer because it's stuffed with pages and photos and REAL advice on the Millers AND IT'S FREE. Same day delivery via email.

Thoughts Of The Salt

 

"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things"- George Carlin

It happened back in the early 90's (not my age but the decade).  I had been a devoted fly flinger for trout for 25 years but then took a wrong turn after my first striper and then my first bluefish on a fly.  That led to a trout fishing hiatus that lasted about three years.  I rarely fished for trout during that time but did the long haul as a committed tide chaser.  Frankly, I loved it but frankly, it took up way to much of my non career time.  Living in central Ma I was used to driving anywhere from only 15 minutes to 30 minutes to scratch that piscatorial itch.  Trips to the coast took too long so fishing the tides were reduced to renting a place for a week at Plum Island and/or spending March in sunny Florida.  Covid killed Florida for me so hitting the salt became a rarity.

But I still miss it.  Now, as luck would have it my youngest daughter just bought a house in Hampton Falls that is a couple of double hauls away from Great Bay and all of it's tidal rivers and if I show her the basics of flyfishing she said I could use the place as a base camp. (sorry, I'm the only invitee)

What kind of saltwater flyfisher am I?  Although I've done well on boats my favorite game is walking and casting along the beach or walking/wading a tidal stream that flows through an estuary. (It's the beach bum gene kicking in).

My favorite set up is an 8wt rod with flies that imitate baitfish in the 2/0 to size 6 range although small crab patterns work well on the Ogunquit River flats (and others) as the tide just starts to roll in. (hint: the small crab pattern is nothing more than a size 8 brown and olive wooley bugger!!)  So it looks like I chase schoolies  with the light rod and small flies? Yes, when I'm wading and walking it's a good setup. When I'm on a boat I'll toss an occasional 8 inch fly.

Summer is far away but it will come and I'll be ready.

Meanwhile, back at the Swift...

It's creeping into Winter mode although Thursday (tomorrow) will have temperatures in the mid 50's which should bring out some tiny flies.  I'm still guiding!!!

Ken                The "Basin" at Plum Island, Newbury Ma.

This cove empties out to become a mud flat twice a day. When the tide comes in so do the stripers!!!!!

The Snowshoe Emerger aka Wyatt's Emerger

 "CDC is pretty much a one fish fly because after one fish it's usually too slimed up"  - Bob Wyatt

You can't beat this dry fly.  It is a perfect general imitator of most average sized (sizes 14 through 18) aquatic insects. The deer mask body is rough and spikey and nothing floats like Snowshoe foot fur!  This fly takes a beating but a shake or two of float powder brings it all back. 

 You would think that more dry flies would incorporate this material but it is kind of hard to work with.  Here's some hints.

The photo below is of a snowshoe foot that is upside down with the sole of the foot pointing up.  That fur is what you want plus the fur that's between the toes.

(I dyed that foot an olive color that's why it looks strange but it's one that I haven't chopped up yet so you can get a good look at it). Get an good pair of sharp scissors and cut off some strips of fur.

A tiny moustache comb is great for combing out the fur while it's still on the foot before you cut it.

Use an emerger or light scud hook and NOT A STANDARD DRY FLY HOOK. I have abandoned the standard dry fly profile (tail, tight body, hackle and upright wing) because most flies are eaten when they are stuck in the surface film and not while riding the surface.

A Future For Landlocks

 

"There's only one reason in the world to go fishing: to enjoy yourself.  Anything that detracts from enjoying yourself is to be avoided". - Leigh Perkins, legendary CEO of the Orvis Company

Swift River Landlocked Salmon

Back in October of 2018 Quabbin overflowed and god knows how many LL salmon went over the falls and into the Swift.  We saw them going through the spawning motions but didn't think they would be successful.  It appears we were wrong because tiny salmon began to show up the next Summer and larger salmon in the Summer after that.  They are still chasing our flies from the Bubbler Arm to Bondsville and are in the 10 to 12 inch range.  The question is will these "new" salmon reproduce in the Swift or will they eventually die out?

Some people may say that LL Salmon need a large lake to grow up in and an inflowing river to run up to spawn.  There are rivers that have non migrating populations and if the food supply is ample enough then why leave. They will spawn right there.  

Here's my question(s) - did the salmon that went over the spillway make a mad dash to the Atlantic via the Swift,Ware, Chicopee, Connecticut River corridor or did they just die off.  Will that be the fate of the 10 inchers (or smaller salmon) we see now?

If the DFW thinks that the salmon are taking up residency in the Swift then why not try to establish a population of them.  They are more fun than rainbows.

Just a thought!!!

So far no snow and that's a good thing.  Snow will really chill things off.   Ken

Pinheads All Year Round

 

"They said, don't give up on your dreams. So I went back to sleep."  Unknown

I love this fly because it is a great imitation of a black fly larva.  How important is the black fly larvae? VERY IMPORTANT especially on a tailwater stream. I've always thought of black flies as being a creature of swamps and muck holes but this little critter likes fast running water with good oxygen. I remember as a kid I used to try to catch these bugs from a fast, shallow outflow of a warm water pond.  They clung to rocks and clay deposits by the millions (well, not that many) and never seemed to be in short supply.

The Pipe on the Swift is loaded with them as is the Bubbler Arm.  Both of these locations have produced 20 fish days using, you guessed it, a Pinhead.  (P.S. - don't forget Bondsville.)

The Fishing

It's funny how the rainbows of the Swift like to pull a disappearing act after appearing to be in the millions the previous day. Great action one day and a yawner the next.  I'd trade all of them in for half as many browns!!!

Ken

The Hot Spot - Simple And Effective

 "Before you marry a person you should first make them use a computer with  slow internet to see who they really are." - Will Ferrell

I came up with this fly back in 2006 and then first wrote about it a year later and I'm still writing about it because it works well and it seems like every other year there's a new crop of fly flingers who have never heard of it. I wanted something small (down to size 24) but something that stood out among all the other trout food items that are lost in the drift.  It certainly does that and is one of my best Swift River flies.  It gave me a killer morning at the head of Les's Pool on the EB a few years ago during a surprise hatch (Needhami's I think) and suspended under an indicator it rules on the Bubbler Arm.

I like writing about different flies and different rivers and I am not like those that guard flies and river sections like they are State secrets. The only places that I don't talk about are native brookie streams (unstocked) and certain spawning areas because they are just too fragile to stand up to heavy angling pressure.

The Fishing

The Swift has had dependable flows so that's where to go.  The Millers (669 cfs), the EB (344 cfs) and the Ware (167 cfs) all shot up in the last 24 hours making them iffy. The Millers is too high, the EB is fishable and the Ware may be the safest of them all.

The Millers Fly Fishing Guide

This Guide has been around for years and it's the best source of fly fishing knowledge about the Millers.  BTW, it's FREE.  Just send an email requesting a copy.

Ken

 

"If I'm not going to catch anything , then I'd rather not catch anything on flies" - Bob Lawless

 

Color is not the most important element in the creation of the artificial fly. Size and profile are first and second and color is third. This is easily understood when you go to pick out some olive dubbing.  Many of these shades of dubbing are very different in shade and hue even though they may all call themselves "light olive" or "sulphur" or whatever.  Frankly, it's almost impossible to duplicate an aquatic insects color  with fur or plastic.

But one color seems to stand out and get the trout's attention. and that is "shell pink" I use it on scuds and on soft hackle bodies and the time of year that it works best for me is from early May through July when March browns and sulphurs/cahills rule the rivers.

It's an easy fly to tie and it's a big fly to be fished on big rivers.

Hook - Saber dry fly or curved nymph, size 12 or 14

Body - UTC Ultra Thread #140

Thorax - Rabbit 

Hackle - Partridge

Fishing Now

The brookies on the Swift are starting to thin out but they are still there.  Best to fish spots that have not seen a million flies.

The Rainbow fishing has been good on the Swift but I'm thinking that a trip to the EB may be worthwhile (178 CFS).  The Millers is still slogging away at 600 cfs.

Ken

A Winter Rod And Happy Thanksgiving!

 

"I also think of the spring, that season when the earth begins to forgive itself, in the words of Allan Gurganus. It will be here soon." - Monte Burke

Maybe we've gone too far on the lightweight thing, especially in winter. A 10ft 3wt can be a pleasure on a balmy day in May but a pain when ice coats the rod, guides and line.  You may want something that is sturdier and with more backbone. Try a heavier rod.  You fish a long 3wt? Try moving up to a 5wt or even a 6. Think about it. Most of our fly offerings during the winter tend to be BIGGER and HEAVIER and will be cast much easier with a heavier outfit. And what happens when size 22 winter caddis begin to emerge? Lengthen your leader out to 6x or 7x. I guided a young beginner a few years ago who used a 6wt to deliver a size 30 dry and subdue a good brown.  Decades ago a 4wt was considered ultralight and a 6wt was a standard dry fly rod and we still caught fish with tiny flies.  And don't think your going to throw your shoulder out with a 6wt!!!

Another thing to consider would be a FIBERGLASS rod of 5 or 6 wt. Fiberglass, being heavier, can take a beating in the winter. In fact, back in the day when fiberglass ruled the market the only rods that broke were because of car doors and trunk hoods. Casting??? I can't think of any.

So....If you love sending your smashed graphite rod back to the factory for repair or replacement then ignore all of the above.

Swift Update Again

The Brookies have finally made their grand appearance and are spread out over any suitable water. Browns are showing up but the rainbows are not there in the numbers that we have been used to seeing.  Who cares?? Browns and brookies are fine!  

Stay safe this Thanksgiving Holiday and be thankful for what you have!!!

Book Me


Ken

Rating The Rivers And Reproducing Trout

 "Stocked trout are as wild as a Chihuahua sitting in aa pink velvet handbag" - Fennel Hudson

The Ware River

Well, we do this little exercise every Fall to give an overview for the past season.  Yes, the fishing is still going on but it is winding down.  Let's start at 5th place and go from there.

Fifth Place - The West Branch of the Westfield- I don't know what happened out there this year but this beautiful river was a clunker this year.  High water had something to do with it.  I'll be back next year for sure.

Fourth Place - The Millers - I've fished this river for 37 years and this was the worst year due to the constant roaring current starting around mid June and continuing now.  I've had a number of October afternoons over the years with a flow of 250 cfs but not this year.  I'll be back next year.

 Third Place - The EB - It wasn't a disaster out there due to this river's ability to rise like a rocket BUT then sink like a stone.  There were plenty of fish but high water sort of killed my late season dry fly excursions. Swinging soft hackles helped save the day on the EB.

 Second Place- The Swift- I'm being generous here. This river gets a pass most years because of its cool and tame flow which draws fly fishers from all over the Northeast.  The big problem, especially this year, was the disappearing rainbow act.  And now we are into tattooing bows to see where they go. Stop the Madness by  stopping our reliance on rainbows!!!!  We should be looking at species like browns, that have a chance of getting established, as the DFW in Connecticut and New York do. (BTW, the sulphur hatch was off this year.)

First Place - The Ware River

Yup, this river did everything right this year.  It got high but corrected itself quickly. The Quill Gordons arrived on time and trout took advantage of them. And there are other places to fish on this river instead of just only below the Church Street Bridge.

The flows were good and the trout were willing.  It's number #1!!

Book Me - The Swift is fishing well with brookies on the redds but more importantly it's drawing big browns to go after those eggs.

Three and six hour trips are available!!

Ken

Some Never Learn And LLS Revisited

 

Some anglers never learn. We see it all of the time - a nice trout laying on the shoreline  rocks for that precious photo opportunity.  That photo can be taken while the trout and the net are in the water. No harm done that way but for some reason it just doesn't sink in!

The worst example of poor fish handling was the very recent photo of someone doing a one handed death grip on some poor brookie. The grip was so strong that you could see what looked like milt running down the tail of that brookie!!!!

Salmon

There have been some interesting reports this season of salmon in the Swift. They all seem to be in the 8 to 12 inch range and they are everywhere from the Bubbler down into the depths of Bondsville.  These guys are the aftermath of the 2018 October overflow which sent hundreds of BIG salmon into the Swift where they immediately began to dig redds and spawn. Here's my question. Brookies spawn all over the Swift. The DFW says browns don't spawn but just get stocked and grow BIG. Rainbows don't do anything and need to be replenished a few times a year.  WHY NOT TRY PLANTING LL SALMON??  They seem to do well even with that unintentional accidental stocking.  Some salmon in northern New England are stream residents and don't need aa big lake to grow out in.

Just a thought.

Try putting a bit of color (orange) as the thorax of your next soft hackle. The fly to the left is a Grouse and Flash with a orange thorax which makes sense during the egg season.

Ken

Brookie Update And The BW Of A BWO

 

"If someone asks me whether I prefer fly fishing with a "dry" fly or a "wet" fly, I answer simply that I prefer fly fishing and put the accent somewhat suavely on the word "fly". -   Malcom Whitman

Ok, it seems to be an "off" year for spawning brookies on the Swift. Why do I say that?  I say that because over the last dozen years or so I have visited certain traditional spawning areas and none of them have the brookie load of recent past years.  

Last year my blog recorded the first rush of spawning BT on October 28 (that's historically late)and they were still going strong on November 20, 2020.

Is there something wrong??  Maybe, maybe not.  I know that nobody questioned the outrageously high number of spawning brookies over the last 10 years but nature works in cycles, giving us good years and off years for reasons that we may not understand.  It may be worth our while to study brook trout in that river instead of color coding clonebows and then trying to find them.

My BW

I used to be a disciple of CDC but not so much anymore. Here are the reasons:

1. If you are catching fish your CDC will have a short lifespan.  It just doesn't hold up.

2. silica powder or gel is the only floatant that will work on that stuff.

It was once said that CDC worked because it came from "benign" waterfowl, ducks, geese and such and not from predator birds (BS) and that the feathers floated because of waterproofing oil that is on the feather (more BS)

Instead of CDC I use the finest, thinnest, poly wing material available. I use the gray shade on almost all my small dries because most small wings are close to that in color.

Very fine poly wing material cleans up and keeps it's shape better than CDC.

Keep Fishing!!! 

Hello Dark Season

 "I do have some 7.5 foot 4 and 5 weight rods - plus a couple of 7 foot, 9 inchers. I use them a lot on small mountain streams and medium sized creeks and love them dearly, but I think anything shorter and lighter than that is too specialized  to be very useful. If you're spooking fish with an 8 foot, 5 weight rod, the answer probably isn't a 7 foot 3 weight.   The answer is a longer leader and a better cast". - John Geirach

An Empty Y Pool!!

Yup, the clocks have been turned back and now it's dark before 5pm. I can dress warmly but not having sunlight just drops things down a notch or three.  Yes, I fish through the winter but the rivers are now falling into cold mode. The Swift and the Farmie will be ice free (mostly) but the freestones will begin to lock up with the first few very cold nights. Add some snow to the mix and it's "Wait Until Spring".

I fish through the Winter not because I like winter fishing but because it's the only game in town and I can only tie just so many flies.  BTW, the worst ideas that came from my time on the vise have been during the dead of winter when most new creations look like a stroke of genius but by the middle of a balmy May leave me mumbling "what the hell was I thinking!!!

All is not lost. We still have some nice days left with the temperatures kissing 50 degrees and you still have some days left in that license.  And I'm still guiding!!!

Ken

                                                          Autumn On The EB

Revisiting Scud Hooks On Soft Hackles And the Swift Lost A Regular

 

About 10 years ago I had a discussion on this blog about the use of scud hooks for soft hackles. There seemed to be s lot of interest in them back then but it appears to have tapered  off. 

I still tie them and use them but not as much as the straight shank hooks.  My question is: is anyone still using them?

George Cunningham (AKA Wooley Bugger George) R.I.P.

The Swift flyfishing community lost one of its greats with the recent passing of "Wooley Bugger George", a true Swift River original.  I first met George on the Indian Hollow section of the EB back around 1992 and the first thing that impressed me was how freely and openly he dispensed his fly fishing knowledge.  He even gave me a olive wooley bugger!!!! In the subsequent years we would run into each other on the Swift.  George was not "politically correct" and I really enjoyed that. 

So, 20 years of knowing  this man and I haven't one photo.  That makes me sad.

We will miss you, pal!

The brookies are on the move (so are the browns).

Ken

The Brook Trout - Finally

                                   

                                    "You can observe a lot by just watching" - Yogi Berra

Finally, the first vanguard of spawning brookies have begun to ascend the Swift. This means that this is the latest arrival that I've seen. Last year the first sighting of BT on the redds was on October 28.  Now, I'm not saying that brookies in spawning colors were not around in October of this year. They were but not on the redds.  Yes, they are late this year.

Give Spawners a break

You will catch roaming brookies in spawning garb in places that they will not use for spawning.  Any section with clean gravel and shallow water will attract them.  One good bet would be to fish the tail ends of these sections for egg stealing rainbows while trying to walk on the weeds and leaf debris.

Best Flies for Fall Brookies

Since I love skinny water (so do spawning Brookies and Browns) my favorite patterns are small Soft Hackles (partridge and orange) and my Copper Grouse both in sizes 14 and 16.  Toss in a micro egg or two and that rounds it out.

Don't forget to move around and try not to fish the same old places. These spawning brookies will draw bows and browns away from their usual haunts with the hope of an easy meal.

Swift Brown

Also, one does not need to throw articulated monsters at these big browns.  Many are taken at this time of year on your average trout fly.

Book Me

The weather is good, the Swift has a good flow, let's catch some trout.

 

Ken

Musings About The Pipe/Tree Pool

 

"Smoked carp tastes just as good as smoked salmon when you ain't got no smoked salmon - Patrick McManus

The first time I fished this place was back in 1990, long before I retired, and it was crowded back then. Back then I had to pick and choose dates around a work schedule.  Suddenly the weekdays opened up but the place was crowded during the convenient hours (10am - 3pm).

Why is the place crowded?  Answer - It has a lot trout.

Why does it have a lot of trout? Don't say it's because it's stocked a lot.  Other locations on the Swift get a lot of fish but then they are hard to find for most.  The reason is that those trout remember where home is (the Hatchery). That's why  almost every day between 10 and 2pm we have the pellet hatch. Trout have good memories. But more importantly is the steady stream of aquatic minutiae that gets flushed out of the hatchery and into the river.  Look a 100 yards downstream from the Pipe and on a good day you will see a dozen or more trout gulping thousands of tiny flies while above the Pipe you barely see any. The Pipe changes the chemistry of the Swift. It makes the river downstream fertile (more brookies) and that means more food for the browns (BIG browns).

I could prove  this simple observation by building a discharge pipe from the end of the hatchery and rerouting the outflow to either the Gauge or the flats above above the Duck Pond.

Within a few days the trout would find the new discharge location!!

River Flows

Ware - 282 cfs

West Branch - 444 cfs

Swift -52 cfs

EB  758 cfs

Millers - 1190 cfs

The Swift (of course) is fishable, the Millers isn't and the EB and the Ware will be shortly.

(Note- on 10/24 the Millers was at 405 and dropping.  What a year!!!)

Ken

 

The Millers Behaved (almost)

 "If you fish a fly long enough and hard enough it will become the right fly"

The Millers has been a tough customer this year and it all has to do with the rainfall that we've had since July.  Here's something to ponder: the 106 year average flow for this date (10/23) is 253 CFS. As I write the flow is 425 CFS!  Actually, todays flow is gentle compared to the last two months. without additional rain the flow will keep dropping.  I love a flow in the 250 range for this river in the Fall because it gives us a chance to fish over what have been great BWO hatches in the recent past.  But the flow must be low to maximize this event.

Maybe in a week.

That is not to say that fish have not been caught. I went there Thursday morning in what probably will be the warmest day until next April. It felt good to be fishing in shirtsleeves and actually catching some clonebows even if the flow was in the high 400's. (Note: the dam operators in Orange may have been playing with the flow on Monday and Tuesday afternoon.  We went out when they were holding back water and almost got caught in the flow when they released it.  Be careful!!!).  Fish slow and deep when the flows are high (400 cfs+).

Every other river has perfect flows.  Go fish!!!

Ken

Half Way Through October And Good Fall Patterns

 

"Angling is extremely time consuming.  That's sort of the whole point"- Thomas McGuane  

One always walks on thin ice when discussing favorite fly patterns.  Just as many of us sound and look like experts by hauling out one trout after another USUALLY right after the stocking truck leaves, the hot fly works because you are fishing exactly where the trout were released. Many times you can test the fly 's effectiveness by just changing the fly with something of the same size. If your success rate stays about the same it's not the fly but your position in the river or your splendid presentation that counts.

But on some occasions a certain fly will work better than all else. It could be weeks or months since the latest stocking but THE PINHEAD gets it done.  It just looks like all the black fly larvae one finds in the Bubbler and below the pipe. This fly starts to really work in October and earns its keep through the Winter.

Area Rivers

The Ware fished well on a short trip (less than 2 hours) with 3 bows in the net with another lost.  As I write the flow is 152 cfs = perfect.

 The EB

This river is seeing more water than is has is decades. (the 80 year average for today is around 80 cfs. The flow right now is 395 which is very fishable.  I've done well and so have others.

The Millers

Then Millers has only been below 400 cfs once this month but Bridge Street, Kempfield and Orcutt are fishable.  It's been great to get into Orcutt again after 2 years of construction activity!!

Move Around

This is a word to some of the Swift anglers who basically fish only one place on that river. Spread out and enjoy the river.  Think of this: most of the C&R anglers are fly fishers but most of the C&R sections on the Swift are really under fished by them.  Now, some of the non fly fishers may say that water is being wasted as a recreational resource and they could be right. 

Maybe we should have a "beat system" as they do in Europe. You want to fish the Swift then you reserve a section of the river. If the section you want is "filled" you get to go to another spot that isn't. That will insure that the crowds will be reduced and people will be introduced to new (to them) areas.

Just a thought

Ken
               

Sparse Means Sparse - The Way Of The Soft Hackle And Our Rivers

"Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously."

— Hunter S. Thompson 

Partridge and Olive

A fellow I know once offered to show me the soft hackle fly collection that he had worked up. I think I must of let go with a slight wince as I looked upon a pile of mismatched hackles all lathered onto hooks. He was particularly proud of the number of hackle turns he could get  onto a hook.  All of this tying gymnastics were a wasted exercise because the game with creating soft hackles is a less is more proposition. The less material the better.  What you don't want is the squashed butterfly effect- way too much material.

                                                                            Partridge and Yellow

First, your hackles should not be so thick and big as to hide the slim body. Two turns is enough. If your sh fly has a thread body and a thorax then you should be able to see them easily. Also keep your dubbed bodies slim too.

The best soft hackles to use across the board are partridge hackles.  They are the thinnest and finest of the soft hackles and a partridge cape will give you three distinct feather colors whereas hen and starling (both good feathers) basically come in one color unless you're into bleaching them which I'm not! Another good hackle is from the woodcock!

The Swift And It's Brookies

So far the Brook Trout are not on their redds as of yet.  Is this late for them?  Well not according to last year where my 10/28/20 post announced that the BT had just arrived and when they do arrive the browns and the bows will be following the brook trout.  

Right now all of the rivers on the Fall list (that I care about) have been stocked at least once.  Go get them!!

Book Me

I still have open dates and the rivers are fine.  Don't wait too long.

Ken

 

 

The Long And Short Of It

 "A trout's brain is very small. It is sometimes said that dry-fly fishermen "pit their brains against those of the trout". No-one has ever leveled a bigger insult at us." Dermot Wilson - Fishing The Dry Fly

I've been doing an informal survey of clients and other anglers that I meet. The survey has one question - what length rod do you use and what's the line weight?  

The results were fairly predictable  with a 9 foot 5 weight rod being number #1 and that is even on the diminutive Swift.  When I fish the Swift I will go as short as a  6ft 3 inch 4 weight bamboo (rocket launcher), then to a 7 foot 3 inch Orvis bamboo 4 weight  or my F.E. Thomas 7.5 foot 4 weight. I like these "shorter" rods due to their quick action and great casting properties. And there is no place on the Swift where I can't cast across the river which means that line control and mending will not suffer.  I'm also able to cast into close quarters and I don't leave a lot of flies and tippet in the trees.  When Winter comes I put away the cane (bamboo doesn't like cold weather) and take out the graphite and fiberglass that range from 7 feet to 8 feet. The weight range is from 5 to 6 weight to toss the occasional weighted fly.  Glass is totally overlooked as a material when there is ice in your guides. Glass is a tough ass material whether you are fishing the cold or bushwacking through the brambles or both. 

Where do I fish a 9 foot 5 weight rod ?

On the Millers, the EB and the Ware. I never throw weight with cane because cane doesn't like tungston either.  (Let's face it, bamboo is for REAL FLYFISHING!!!!)  The bigger rivers will require longer rods and somewhat heavier payloads.  You can fish the larger rivers with a short rod but there will be times when you will be under gunned. The solution is to keep that 9 ft 5 wt and get something in the 7 foot something range for the Swift and those thin blue lines.

Book Me

Every river on the Fall list has been stocked except the Swift and  every river is coming down so get out there and fish. Just get ahold of me (email) to schedule a trip!!!

Ken

Fishing A Top Fall Fly, Watch Where You Wade And Something Good To Eat

                " The two best times to fish is when it's raining and when it's not" - Patrick F. McManus

My Partridge and Magic has been selling well  over the last month. Remember, this is the soft hackle that appears to have a yellow body until it gets wet and that's when it turns this wonderful light orange which is almost translucent.  It worked again on a second trip to the EB.  You can order them from me on my website by ordering the Partridge and Orange and then sending me an email saying you want the Partridge and Magic instead.  They are all the same price and the same size as the P&O.

Booking the Ware, Swift and the Millers.

The Ware and the Swift should be stocked this week and the Millers got their fish last week. Pick a river and we will hit it.

Scrambling Eggs

Watch where you are wading whether or not you are fishing the Swift or our numerous "thin blue lines". Clean gravel in fairly shallow water is off limits to us because this is where trout spawn.  If you wade in the river wade in the weeds, the muck, the leaf litter or on plain sand. And after the spawning is done and the trout go to who knows where, continue to stay off the redds until around February.

Stir Fry And My Ugly Feet

When I'm not fly fishing or fly tying I'm cooking
and that's the way it is and this September saw me getting reintroduced to Stir Fry and those wonderful Asian spices. It also gets me away from the charcoal and gas stoves for a bit and do some REAL indoor cooking.

(should of gotten a pedicure for that photo!!)

The Flyfishers Guide to the Millers

There is real only ONE GUIDE TO THE MILLERS and you can get it right here. (it's on the web but I have it at my finger tips.) I published this downloaded Guide 15 years ago and have given it away for the last 12 years or so. It has dozens of pages with dozens of photos and descriptions of the best pools and runs. Believe me, nothing comes close.  Just email me and I'll send it right out.

Ken

Doing The EB

 " Fly-fishing is a magic way to recapture the rapture of solitude without the pangs of loneliness." - John D. Voelker

My plan was to spend two hours on the EB Thursday

 to check out this wonderful river. It just got some fish to play with and I can say that they are there.  I didn't catch a boatload as in the past but enough to keep me excited over that short period. One was taken on a new type of scud that I've come up with and one was dropped. A reliable mini bugger took another with another dropped. A Rat's Nest, your typical easy to tie guide fly nailed the last.  My friend Brad did the same numbers with streamers but then headed down to Les's Pool after I left.  He probably did well.

It was good to fish this beautiful river and NOT catch 40 to 50 trout in a morning.  Why? Because you know that you are fishing fresh stockers that were not spread out at stocking or have not left their stocking point.  In short you had to fish for them and that is OK.  All were rainbows (of course) and between a foot long and 14 inches.

Go get them!!!

Book Me

The Millers has been stocked, the EB has been stocked!!! Time to get out and fish these rivers and not just the same old spots. Contact me if you want to get off the beaten path.  

Ken

Hmmm.....What's this all about?

 "Nothing grows faster than a fish from when it's hooked until it gets away." 

 So, I did my check of the Ma. DFW stocking page fully expecting to see some activity in the last week of September (because they said stocking would start then) but was greeted with the notice that stocking was to be delayed because high water temperatures.

STOP RIGHT THERE!!!!  What high water temperatures??? I fish and visit a good sample of the major rivers in this state, the Swift, the Ware, the Millers and the EB (Westfield East Branch and as of last week they were all in good shape temperature wise.  And they are a good sample of our rivers statewide. 

The Swift, being a tailwater, is a no brainer.  It's been 58 to 60 degrees since June. It should have new fish.  The Ware water temperature has been under 70 degrees for over a week, and trending downward, and the Millers and EB were at 64 degrees at mid morning last week.

It could be stated that this Fall has the best conditions in a number of years because of the higher than average flows in all rivers.  High flows mean water tables are fully charged and are releasing cooler water into the rivers.

Personally, I wish we didn't have to stock the above rivers.  What's wrong with propagating a trout that could stand a chance of making it through the Summer(like browns).  I support the Fall season because it is a last chance for the average flyfisher to get some licks in before Old Man Winter steals the show.  Why are we missing out on these good conditions??

Ken 

What To Look For And What Not To Look For

 I fish because I love to.  Because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful, and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are invariably ugly. - Robert Travers

Still time to order your Fall flies, especially the Partridge and Magic

Notice - someone found a lanyard loaded with tippet near the Y Pool on Friday, 9/24. Describe the lanyard and the range of tippet sizes then contact me via email.  Ken

Notice - Lanyard owner found 9/25!!!!

The Swift is beginning to change as I write.  Brookies are starting to group up for their Autumn trip upstream and so are the browns. In a week or so the clonebows will be dumped in. Remember, the browns and the Brookies are the real prize on this river.  In my not-so-humble-opinion a 14 inch brook trout in worth more than an 18 inch rainbow.  Why? Because bows of that size are commonly stocked but a 14+ brookie is fairly rare and a large Swift Brown is a fish for the season!(Yes, the Swift holds 20 inch brook trout and 15lb browns!!!)

Look for the browns below shallow riffles where the brookies are spawning.                                                           

Don't bother hoping that this year will be a repeat of 2018 when Quabbin overflowed and the LL Salmon entered the river. It appears that even with all this rain there will be no overflow this Fall, hence no salmon unless we get many inches of rain quickly.

All the rivers are in perfect shape and should remain that way so book a trip for October or November (the best months)!!! The Millers, Ware, EB and the Swift await you!!

Ken