"Fly-fishing is solitary, contemplative, misanthropic, scientific in some hands, poetic in others, and laced with conflicting aesthetic considerations. It's not even clear if catching fish is actually the point" - John Gierach
Top of the EB Access Road
We are all itching to get out there to the freestones which are the heart and soul of our pastime BUT it's still too early. " Wait a minute. I drove by my favorite stream and it looked fine" one would say but let's look closer.
A lot of water in central and western Ma is still locked up in ice and snow and hasn't come close to melting yet which will raise the rivers. We haven't had a good spring rain yet which will raise the rivers. March is known for being one of the snowiest months and that snow will melt and, you guessed it, raise the rivers!!!
Here is a sampling of our rivers showing the current flow conditions and the historical average flow for this date. March 6th.
Millers - Current flow - 493 cfs Historical flow 630 cfs
Ware - Current flow - 120 cfs " " 238
(The Ware looks good but the water temperature is only 33 degrees)
EB - Current flow - 127 cfs * Historical Flow 281
(they are playing with the EB flow)
West Branch Westfield - 94 cfs " " 143
Squannacoock - `111 cfs " " 130
Assabet -269 cfs " " 283
The Millers, Ware, EB and the WB still have a lot of ice and snow in their watersheds and even without added rain or snow these rivers will go UP in March and April. The Squannacook and Assabet may have already lost some snow pack, or never had it, and that is why they are running close to normal.
Looking at the Gorge
Here's the Lesson
It's way too early to hit the freestones and it's way too early to stock these rivers. Yes, I know that the truck chasers can hardly wait so have them hit Lake Cochituate or Jamaica Pond for fresh stockers but don't stock the rivers too early. We have plenty of time to fly fish this year. BTW, if you are a truck chaser you're on the wrong blog.
Bead Chain Soft Hackle
My personal best Smallie on the Millers went about three pounds (caught on a size 12 stonefly nymph) and I've caught a number in the two pound range without really targeting them. I used to clean house on Wachusett years ago by slowly working a weighted leech on a sinking line. I think it's time for a pilgrimage this year.
Let's book a trip!!!!!
Ken
14 comments:
Ken agreed on it being way to early to stock but ive always found this time of year esp on the squanacook or similar streams to be a great time to nymph up some held over fish before the snow really melts and rains bring the flows way up
The reason I mentioned early stocking is that there is some movement to stock very soon which is a joke. If there are holdovers that you are targeting fine but fresh bows right now are a joke. I brings the worst out in many anglers.
Ken
Yes, still much snow in central and western Ma but It will probably be gone by April Fools Day (I hope). More snow and/or more rain will give us another slow start to a season which is ok with me because real fly fishing doesn't start in central Ma until April. I like the take on smallmouth, a totally underestimated fish. It's wild, fights hard and beats rainbows most of the time. If it only freely rose to dries we would not need bows.
JW
Jw,
The Smallies are totally underestimated. I might want to catch a 14 inch smallmouth than a 14 inch rainbow but I'm talking about rainbows in the Swift which are a very different critter -moving around without any real purpose until they disappear.
Ken
Try skating a stimulator on a choppy evening on the chu chu or fish a hex hatch they will deff be in the rising mix...smallies are a blast to fish on the fly
To Anonymous, I’ve had luck catching smallies on the Millers in the summer on dry flies. I see rises and target them. Earlier in the evening they are often smallies and later they are trout. It can be fun to catch smallies on size 16-18 dries. Their rises are surprisingly simliar to trout, at least to me.
Chuck
Chuck,
I conducted a dry fly battle under the Holtshire Rd bridge years ago with what I thought was a good sized brown sipping emergers. The brown turned out to be a smallmouth about 15 inches. A beautiful fish!!!
Ken
Ken,
After having Ken correct my source before I won't quote this author, "pound for pound the gamest fish that swims" or some thing like that. I think it was Henschall talking about the smallmouth bass. I once hooks what I thought was a large trout (like others) on the Kennebec R. on a #22 BWO. Fought that fish for about 15-20 min until I got it close to the net only to discover it was a smallie of about 15 inches. Not disappointed. One fish that went into the memory book. A beautiful fish. Smallies do eat tiny dryflies and do fight like hell!!!
"Doc"
I've had some great fun with smallies on the fly in Maine, fishing stillwaters from a kayak. When hooked, a good size smallie would tow the kayak around!
Planning to hit the Swift on Tuesday. First day off in a looong time!
Cheers, Dave P
Ken,
The first fish I ever caught on a fly rod was a smallmouth bass, Gate 43 at Quabbin in 1969. Mom and Dad took us boys there once in a while aiming for crappies, fishing minnows on a bobber. What a nice fish fry Mom would make for us after those trips.
One trip I broke out my new Ted Williams fly rod I had saved up for. I have no idea what the leader was, probably a 6 or 8 foot piece of mono. I knew nothing of tapered leaders back then. I managed to get that popper fly out there and a smallmouth blasted it. To say I was thrilled would be an understatement!
I have heard there are smallmouth in the Chicopee River where I live. I think this year I will spend some time trying to catch some. They really are a great game fish.
Sam
Sam,
There's a stretch on the Chicopee, behind an Elk's building, that looks like great smallmouth water.
Doc,
On a #22 BWO. Good job!! And pound for pound a smallmouth is better than a hatchery rainbow.
KEN
Thanks Ken,
of course I had 2 advantages over that smallie, I caught it on a cane rod and on a Daiichi hook.
"Doc"
***UNRELATED TOPIC** YOU MAY NOT WANT TO PUT IT IN
Cicadas are coming! Probably not to New England from what I have heard but up to NY and NJ. Once every 17 years I guess. Is anyone thinking about trying to catch this phenomenon somewhere (the Delaware might be an interesting place to try)? While they are not expected to be present in MA this time around they are expected to hit in 2038. I have a friend who fished them in NZ and he likened it to piranha's feeding on small animals in the water which is my favorite kind of fly fishing LOL.
BobT,
If it has to deal with trout eating bugs then the comment gets published! I was thinking of the Delaware too!
Ken
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