Line Weights And Flies And A Lost Fly Box

"Every fly rod, regardless of its action or length, is capable of casting several different weight fly lines.  The rods casting potential depends on the actual weight of the line beyond the rod tip.  The weight of that length of line dictates how the rod will cast.  Although the taper of the fly line has some effect on how the fly is presented, tapers don't affect weight". - Jim Bartschi, Scott Fly Rods. 

Read the quote at the top of the page.  Those are the words of an honest man as were the words of another rodmaker, E.C. Powell I believe, from 50 years ago.  The conventional wisdom is that you MUST match the rod to the line as in a 4wt rod to a 4wt line.  That's good for starters but it's not the end of the game.

The weight of the first 30 feet of fly line is supposed to maximize the casting potential of that 4wt rod. But what if you are casting 40 feet?(5wt land) It doesn't mean that you have to go and buy a 5wt rod because your 4wt rod can handle it easily. Remember that some fly casters will overload their rod with a line that is one or even two weight classes heavier than the rods weight designation to cast for distance quickly.  They may sacrifice finesse but they get the job done.  Some line manufactures try to help them along by building their lines on the heavy side of the designation making a 5wt a "5.75wt".

What about casts shorter than 30 feet?  Nobody will suggest that you have  to rig up a 3wt for the occasion.  Your 4wt is fine.  In the last decade I've gotten into the habit of underlining my 4wt rod with a 3wt DT line on the Swift and the Farmington.  I can manage to get the distance I need  and still get the delicate presentation.  Lefty Kreh taught me that (not in person but in print).  One thing I will not do is rig a 3wt rod with a 1wt line if I need some real distance or if it's a windy day.  I can handle any tiny fly situation with a 4wt bamboo, a 3wt DT and a 12 foot leader.  I will be loaded for bear!!!!

Size 20 BWO Emerger                             

 

Make sure that you have plenty of these for August AND especially for the Fall.  Find yourself on the Swift, the Millers or the EB on a cloudy cool day and you will see these critters.

I tie mine with a new "secret sauce" as far as the thorax is concerned and I've dumped the Dun version and go with the emerger exclusively which is visible on the surface even when the the body is below the surface.  The wing material floats like crazy.

Size 20 DHE

Or use the finest deer hair that you can find and use this traditional wing material instead.  

Lost Fly Box - Someone lost a loaded fly box down in Cady Lane around the 3rd of this month.  Contact me if you find it and I'll connect you with the owner. - Ken

The Rivers

This tropical storm will really dump a lot of rain WEST of the Connecticut River which is GOOD as it will really recharge the aquafers which we really need for a good Autumn.  The EB and the Millers will be fishable for sure (once the water goes down.)

Ken

Fiberglass Vs. Graphite: A Short History

 

My father was very sure about certain matters pertaining to the universe. To him, all good things-trout as well as eternal salvation-come by grace and grace comes by art and art does not come easy. NORMAN MACLEAN 

I met a young guy on the Swift who said that he was interested in buying one of those NEW fiberglass rods that are being offered. I mentioned how more companies seem to be getting BACK into the fiberglass business and he seemed puzzled. That's because he wasn't even born when graphite swept fiberglass aside over 40 years ago. It was a new material to him. Here's a brief history and a personal opinion.

Bamboo ruled the fishing rod business until just after World War ll. Bamboo came in all grades and sizes. Some were junk and some were treasures but they all had a certain limitation - 8 ft was the maximum length for a easy casting trout fly rod and that rod topped out with a 6 wt.(sometimes a 5 wt) fly line. The "odd" length of 7 1/2 ft was an American invention to make the lightest long rod possible. It stopped there.

Then came fiberglass and the mass producers of bamboo rods were doomed. Fiberglass was cheap, very strong and lighter than bamboo in most cases. Now, some fiberglass rods were also junk but some companies really ran with this material and made very good rods. Fenwick was one of them. Up until the late 1960's glass rod makers used metal ferrules just like the bamboo boys. Then Fenwick invented the SLIP ON ferrule (feralite) and that was a real game changer. In my opinion it was the most significant improvement in the manufacturing of rods EVER!!! Less weight and no dead spots!! But fiberglass still had it's design limits. increased length = increased weight was the main one. The best fiberglass rods for fly fishing for trout topped out at 7 1/2 ft.

My first quality fly rod was a 7 ft Fenwick FF70 for a 5 wt line. I caught a ton of trout with it under ALL conditions and actually thought that I may never need another rod (HAHA). Then came GRAPHITE!

There are certain times in ones life where one experiences something that is far greater than anything experienced before. My first cast of a graphite rod did that. It was 8 1/2 ft 5 wt that was the same weight as the above mentioned Fenwick. IT WAS SOOO LIGHT!! It loaded like a dream and shot line like a cannon. An added feature of that rod length was that now I could back cast above tall bank side grass and shrubs, an act not done successfully with a shorter rod. In short order we were introduced to 9 ft and 10 ft rods and 4 wts and 3 wts. That's when things got crazy and that's for another post.

How does fiberglass stack up to graphite? It doesn't  and that's my humble opinion. Fiberglass rod makers still run up against the 8 ft/light weight barrier (even with rod design improvements) but will charge you more than 10 times what I paid for that Fenwick 40 years ago and that Fenwick still casts the same as newer models. Every rod maker will offer a 9.5 foot or LONGER graphite rod at a 4WT or less but you're NOT going to find that in fiberglass (or in bamboo either). "But isn't graphite really too stiff in the shorter sizes"?  Some are and some are not.  My graphite rods tend to be a bit slower  because that's what I want. I still occasionally take out that Fenwick for a few casts on the Swift but it's retired and replaced by better things.

Why the resurgence of fiberglass?  After graphite kicked fiberglass out to the fringes of the market there was nothing new in rod materials with the exception of a few brief forays into boron. "Newness" drives markets and there was nothing NEW. "So why don't we bring back fiberglass?  Half the rod buyers today weren't even born when fiberglass was king and we will charge a lot for it and they will pay it"!!

MARKETING rules the world and fly fishing is no exception. I bought a new, 5ft 9inch glass rod three years ago on a recommendation. It is a POS in my not-so-humble-opinion!!!!!

What about bamboo??  If you get a good one you will enter a spiritual world that is hard to explain. "But isn't bamboo heavy"?  Yes, and that's because the rod maker puts his whole soul into it.

Western Ma got zero rain and central New Hampshire got 3 inches. Go figure.  I'm praying for an inch of rain per week through Labor Day.  

Ken

Soft Hackles Seize The Day And Trouble On The EB

 

"There are people in my life who sometimes worry about me when I go off into the fields and streams, not realizing that the country is a calm, gracious, forgiving place and that the real dangers are found in the civilization you have to pass through to get there". John Gierach

What type of fly would I use if I were expecting a hatch of any standard mayfly? It would be a soft hackle of course of the appropriate size. I could fish this fly deep early in the day under a micro shot and then ditch the shot and swing that fly across and downstream to imitate the emerging insect. Remember, most rise forms that we see are NOT trout taking mature insects but the taking of immature (emergers) in the surface film. The soft hackle imitates this perfectly. I've even dusted up a SH to fish it on the surface because I didn't want to take the time to change flies. IT WORKED!!!
What patterns work the best? THEY ALL DO!  Don't leave home for any river without the Partridges  (orange and olive) in sizes 12 through 16 and don't leave home without a few Starlings from size 16 through 20 with an olive body.  Above is client Joe with a Swift chunkbow that fell for a Partridge and Orange.
                                                                                                        Starling & Olive

Trouble On The EB

First it was someone ripping down the C&R signs and now we have some trout heads and guts littering  Les's Pool.  If you see anything like this on the EB call the Environmental  Police number that's found on this blog.

The Swift Gauge

The Swift stream gauge stopped working in the early afternoon on Saturday July 6 and as of this writing is stuck at 166 cfs. This may have had something to do with the T'Storms.  In any event the Swift flow is around 130cfs  and dropping and all spots are fishable. The fish are not in the usual places such as the Pipe but have scattered and that's a good thing.

The Millers

Plenty of water with a flow this morning of 388 BUT it is an evening stream until Labor Day.

Bill with a massive Y Pool bow

Ken

The Swift????

"Gag flies are the fly-tying equivalent of rubber vomit. Sooner or later most tiers break down and make one, realize it's nowhere near as funny as they thought it would be and never make another." John Gierach

The July 1st stocking of the Swift below Route 9 can be considered stingy at best. Now, I've been fishing this section for over 30 years and I just fail to see the normal number of "July 1st" trout. Looking down the embankment of the Tree Pool one would seem dozens of trout. Now it's a dozen, maybe. Granted, I don't like to see schools of trout all in one spot but instead like to see SOME trout. Maybe we have gotten used to ultra heavy numbers of fish instead of a number that fits the size of the stream. When you think about it the number of fish we have now is probably the normal amount for a stream of that size.

One thing that is nice is that crowds are GONE. 10 to 15 anglers from the Pipe to the end of the Tree Pool was a normal weekend occurrence in July. Today I saw a total of 4 from 8am to 11am. It made for a lot of elbow room which was refreshing. Cady Lane was empty and it was great. Now we have to work for our fish and that's ok with me.

We Need Rain

There, I said it. Right now we are (except for the Swift) about at the average flow for the rivers that I fish. That's ok but the last 2 weeks have been dry and I just hope that it's not the start of something BAD. One inch of rain every 7 to 10 days would be great!!!

P.S. There are a lot of brookies below Route 9

P.S. Again - Friend Gary saw and got the license plate for someone ripping up the C&R signs on the EB.  It's a blue pickup truck. Keep an eye out for this guy!!!

Ken

 

June Wrap Up - A Good Month!! Book Me In July

 

Summer weather here now means the best fishing will shift more & more to early and late in the day. - Upcountry Fly Shop 6/24/19




Well, this may have been the greatest June ever and the Swift was never really a factor. The Millers, Ware and the EB kept us busy and now the Swift, at 189 cfs as of this morning, is fishable below route 9 and we are catching fish!! Count on the DFW to give us our July stocking soon which will hold us through the Summer. Please call the DFW hotline to report poachers.

The Millers, Ware And EB
All of these rivers are running higher than their average flow for this time of year and that bodes well for July. Just remember one thing and that's the quote from Upcountry Fly Shop at the top of this post. So being on the Millers, Ware and even the EB between 11am and 4pm is NOT what you want to do. Fish from 6am to 10am, then tie flies or take a nap and start fishing from 5pm til dark or beyond.  All of that should give you success in July.

Bug Life On The Swift

Is it just me or am I seeing far fewer insects on this river this Spring? The verdict = there are far fewer insects this Spring. The famous Sulphur hatch just isn't what we've seen in the past.

I'd appreciate your observations on this.  The Millers still seems as buggy as ever so let's concentrate on the Swift.

Nymphers get Religion

Another reason June was good was because I converted two "nymphers" over to swinging wet flies, namely soft hackles, and catching fish!!!! They loved the slashing strike of a trout in the top third of the water column instead of that dull "thud" of a hit on a heavily weighted fly.  Remember, the best fly fishing is weightless fly fishing!!!  I fish soft hackles through a hatch casting to bulging trout that are picking emergers out of the surface film. It's not Dry Fly fishing but "Damp Fly Fishing"!!!

Book Me In July

Fishing the Evening Rise on a Summer evening is the epitome of the Northeast fly fishing experience. No blazing midday sun to deal with but just sunsets, hatching insects and rising trout. 5pm to 8pm works fine

Want to try mornings??  Let's give it a shot. We can start at 6 and fish til 9 if you like.

BOOK ME

Ken

A Rainy EB Day

"There are three stages to fly fishing. First is to catch as many fish as possible. Second is to catch the largest fish possible and third is to catch the most difficult fish to catch" Edward Ringwood Hewitt

Note - a reader lost a cherry and ash net that he had just made. He lost it on the Millers.  If found just notify me - Ken

You knew that it was going to happen - another rainy day although our river of destination, the East Branch of the Westfield, was flowing low at 153 a 6am and it would take a lot of rain to make it unfishable. I was hoping for some dry fly action but rain can put a damper on that thought and it did as the drizzle turned into a light rain. What to do?? Keep fishing!


It was a day filled with the occasional rise, the light "tap" of a trout and the changing of flies to see what worked. My Kens Caddis Emerger brought a hit or two but nothing in the net. It wasn't until we threw on a BWO Wet that we got our first trout, a good rainbow.

It seemed to me after a few hours that the river was beginning to get a bit cloudy and the current just a bit stronger so we opted for a large Pat's Rubber Legs (thank you Gary) and we landed an outsized brookie that actually jumped out of the net before the camera was ready. It was a beautiful fish!!!


The BWO Wet to the right is made with a body of olive floss, Uni-Flex 1X olive to be exact, and a wet fly hackle from my prized wet fly cape that I found in the  bargain barrel at a fly shop.  Always check these sources out!!!  BTW, it's a size 16.

You have to love this time of year because the WORLD is in bloom and the Rhododendron will take center stage as it should!  You will find them everywhere.

The Rivers

I mentioned that the EB was at 153 on Sunday and it rose with the rain to 524 on Monday and as I write on Tuesday morning it's a very fishable 272.  Keep that in mind. It goes up and down quickly.

The Swift is dropping (272) and I want to fish below Route 9, especially Cady Lane.  What I really want is 60 cfs!!!!!!!

The Millers?  It went up again (607) but it's fishable if you know your spots.  Watch the USGS gauge for this river.

Book Me

We are leaving the Spring season and heading into early Summer which means that the best hours for fly fishing will be in the early morning and in the evening unless you only fish tailwaters. This condition is perfect for the three hour trip( 8: 00am  or earlier to 11:00am and 5pm to 8pm).

Happy Summer (Friday 6/21)

Ken

A Good Caddis Fly, A River Update And Book Me.

"And then there were the aesthetics of the situation. My gear, with some notable exceptions at both ends of the scale, is largely of moderate quality - serviceable, but not extravagant - and my camps are cozy but far from posh. Expresso seemed out of the question. Not long ago I spent hundreds of dollars on a fly rod but an extra seventy-five cents for a pound of coffee still rubs me the wrong way. Once established, priorities must be maintained." - John Gierach from Trout Bum

                                                                                                                                                                          

 A Caddis Pattern
I like the looks of this caddis. It is best described as impressionistic with it's use of rabbit fur dubbing, partridge and ostrich herl. The ostrich is the icing on the cake, representing the head of the caddis better than anything else. I tie this pattern in sizes 12 through 16 with either a gray or olive body.  The body is good, old rabbit with a little copper wire for the rib. Tie some up for this Summer.

Go Fish

FINALLY our long piscatorial nightmare appears to be over. The rivers have receded to normal safe level and the fishing has really picked up.

Millers - 580 cfs, down 143 cfs from yesterday. This may be the lowest reading for this river since last September and with little rain in the forecast for the weekend I would fish this river!!

In case you are unaware there have been some access issues on the Millers. The Orcutt bridge construction is in full swing and the whole area is fenced off.  Then there is the problem with the Bridge Street Pool. The traditional parking area on the Wendell side has been blocked off with boulders and signage.  I guess someone doesn't like fishing!!!! In 35 years of parking there I never heard of any problems.  Very limited parking can be found on the other side of the street.  Good luck!! BTW, the Bridge Street Pool is full of browns!!

The Swift - 565 cfs, down from 628 yesterday. Slowly but surely this river is trending down and with it coming down we will be able to fish below RT 9 and see if the smallmouth have invaded the land of brook tout.  Remember, you can keep fish below Rt 9 until July 1st so maybe we should start keeping smallies. Kill a smallmouth and feed a cat!!!!

The Westfield System - The flows are perfect and the trout are there and there have been NO CROWDS. We have had to work for our fish which makes it interesting.

The Ware - 238 cfs this morning.  Fish this river!!!

Ken

April In May But It's Getting Better

Hell, give me Greenwell's Glory and Campbell's Fancy, all wet and about size 12 and May on the Big River, and anyone else can have whatever else he wants. I won't need it" Sparse Grey Hackle on the Beaverkill River circa 1930

Well, there's a bright side to this crazy Spring and that is that we have been forced by conditions to fish "other waters" and those waters are not the marguee "names" or the "places-to-be-seen" but those hidden, quiet streams where you know you'll be the only one there. I've revisited some of these streams, caught some trout in a beautiful place and left feeling very good about it. I also feels good that these streams will probably have a good head of water going into the Summer so we can enjoy them longer. Take advantage of this condition.  You will not have to throw weight to catch these fish.

The Flows

The Swift is up again going from 823 cfs on Sunday to 886 this morning.  I am so sick of that flow that I'm staying away until the flow goes below 200.  See you in September!!!!! (well, maybe not)

The EB, MB and the WB have been a godsend to us because they will rise quickly BUT then drop quickly and that's where the action is.  The Ware ticked up since Sunday but still can be fished from the edges and the Millers is the Millers, high but coming down.

The Quill Gordons are still on stage with some Hendricksons popping up here and there. Look for lots of action on the Ware and the Millers.
                                                                                   A Brown Eel  from the Farmington

BTW, Central/Western Ma have not been the only spot for swollen rivers. The Farmington, below Stillwater, is at 1164 this morning.  The median average for about 60+ years is about 320 for this date.  We will survive!!

Ken

The EB, MB, Quill Gordons Tenkara, A Few Good Fish And Book Me

"Above all,observe the fish. Better yet, observe the trout as if you were a predator that needs to catch it, not just a participant in a game. Edited-for-action fly fishing videos, won't really prepare you for approaching big, spooky trout. Watching your pet cat will give you a better idea of how a predator moves when stalking it's prey" Bob Wyatt,What Trout Want:The Educated Trout And Other Myths

Well, it was certainly a pleasure fishing in the midst of a genuine, traditional mayfly hatch, namely the Quill Gordons. We saw the first of these, in limited amounts, on the EB Friday and Saturday but the heaviest hatch was on the MB on Sunday during an all day drizzle with water temperatures in the high 40's and the air not much higher. The rainbows loved the feast with a traditional QC Wet and a size 16 Zebra Midge splitting the action. It was good to see that old, wet fly do its stuff!!

The MB is the smallest of the Westfield Branches and is about the size of the Mill River along Rt 9 in Haydenville and like the Mill is totally overlooked.  There seems to be a growing population of fly anglers who thumb their noses at any river that isn't a Class A tailwater.  GOOD!!! That means more great water for the rest of us!!!  The MB and the WB are in the same neck of the woods. One makes a good 3 hour trip and together they make a good 6 hour trip.  BOOK ME!!
                                                                                   A Quill Gordon

Tenkara Spring

This high water Winter and Spring have forced us to fish the smaller waters that have been been ignored in the past. These rivers can get into shape quickly and they are PERFECT for a Tenkara rod. Say hello to "Asian Nymphing" and book a trip!!!

Tenkara Water

State of the Rivers

The Millers - 1580 and dropping a 100 cfs a day. Without rain we will fish it by the weekend

The Ware - holding steady at 730 which is really too high

The Swift - slowly coming down at 1110 cfs as I write. It was at 1200 on Friday and this decline isn't FAST ENOUGH

The EB - 747 as I write but only 643 on last Friday means rain in the Berkshires!!  WE WERE ABLE TO FISH IT IN SECTIONS and caught trout. We only need 48 hours of dry weather to make this river drop like a rock.

The MB - The top river of the weekend!!!!

The WB - This river should get some fish this week and I can't wait!!!!

Ken

Rounding Into Form - the State of the Rivers

 "Now if fishing larger waters I can definitely see the benefit of using a 9' or 10' rod (graphite) to keep as much line off the water as possible, but for smaller or mid-size waters, or where I can wade further out, I think an 8'ish glass rod is fine. Now I do think that the best all-around nymphing rod is 10' 4 wt, but I generally grab the rod I want to use on a particular day and just make it work. " Comment found on the Fiberglass Flyrodders Forum.

Things are getting better. The rivers are coming down with the smaller water leading the way. The Swift and the Millers are STILL too high but the Ware should hit that 3oo cfs flow soon where it is  wadable. The most improved river flow is owned by the EB which has dropped to 638. It was 200 cfs higher just 24 hours ago. Without rain it will drop further. The WB is right behind at 345 cfs. P.S. You must fish the WB!!!!





This wild wet Spring has FORCED many to find smaller streams with wadeable flows  to get our fishing fix.  Count me in with this group. I've been working the Mill River  and around Haydenville with a Tenkara setup which has filled the bill nicely. Yup, you guessed it, I'm fishing soft hackles with a Hornberg or two thrown in and it is FUN!!

Book Me

I have a few openings left for May but they are going quickly and now June id filling up. Don't get left out.  Book a trip!!!

The photo at the right is of the Tree Pool on the Swift during more civilized times. (50 cfs).  Don't worry, those times will reappear. It seems impossible that we haven't seen those wonderful low flows since October and my 2wt setup hasn't since seen the Swift since then.



Ken

After The Deluge - What To Expect

 

FYI if you are fishing in either the Upper or Lower Fly Zones on the Salmon River in NY, you have to use fly line (no running/shooting/Euro lines) and no more than 15 feet of leader (as measured from the end of the fly line to your fly). The mono rig is perfectly legal on the rest of the river. Torrey from UpCountry. 4/19 (Sooo....maybe you can't use those rigs in the Fly Zones because it's not considered fly fishing.
                                       

There has been a lot of speculation regarding the effects of all this water in our rivers this Spring. There is talk of scoured stream bottoms and destroyed aquatic habitat. I say "Wait A Minute" because I recall events that were worse than this one.

In late August of 2011 Hurricane Irene flew in and dumped IN A VERY SHORT TIME about 20 inches of rain in Western New England in about one day. The Mill River behind my house went from about 30 cfs to 7500 CFS during that time with whole trees being uprooted and swept downstream. I thought very few fish could survive that beating but in 5 days the flow came back to normal and I saw hundreds of minnows feeding in the current. I caught a few trout too.

The worst event that can happen (IMO) is bulldozer effects of ice dams but the Ware survived a monster dam last year that tore up stream banks and dug out the river bottom. The Ware survived because its famous mayflies survived.  The same with the Millers over the years.

I bet is that the Swift will do fine!!

I've spent too much time tying streamers and now want to fish large stoneflies.  It's called stoneflies on the brain and I have it bad.  I'm going to take the cure this afternoon on a smaller stream or two which are in my area.

The experts at Weather Underground are predicting only about a half inch of rain through Friday.  That would be a relief!!!




Ken

Is It Raining Yet, Book A trip And Equipment Thoughts

When your weekend playing partner starts whining about how he isn't good at golf because he has bad equipment, remind him of this little factoid:  The Golden Bear  was using near-ancient clubs to win on the PGA Tour, including six Green Jackets.- Kyle Porter CBS May 27, 2015 

As I write the Swift River is roaring along at 821 cfs and the Farmington below the Still River is around 1280. Now, how is that for a controlled flow!! You can hold only so much water back and with this constant rain we will see this current condition through the week. The freestones are ripping along too. BTW, it appears that someone is playing with the flow on the Ware because it's acting like a tailwater going full throttle and then down to a trickle. Now is the time to hit some of the smaller seasonal stocked streams or a favorite "thin blue line". If we get two weeks of dry weather the freestones will roll into shape. The Swift is another story. Quabbin is overflowing AND the major tribs are pumping more water in. The East Branch of the Swift is at 380. It's average flow for this date is 105. Get the picture??

I'm waiting for the "Bamboo Season", when the leaves are really beginning to sprout and the mayflies are on the wing. That time of year will find me on the Swift during the evening with my 71/2 ft 3wt rolling out my double taper on some of my favorite spots like Cady Lane. (Notice that I said "evening" because it's the best time to fly fish and it will always mystify me how so many bail out when the sun is at an angle.)  I also make it a point NEVER to throw weighted flies with cane. That's what other materials are for.  There's a story about how someone with no bamboo experience claimed that the rods are too heavy.  The answer to that is yes and that's because the rod maker puts his whole soul into the rod.  Try out a bamboo rod and really start fly fishing!!!

I find the quote at the top of the page applies not only to golf but to fly fishing also. The two sports are perfect for collecting toys and draining bank balances. We always need the newest thing and the sad part is that we actually believe that it will make us better flyfishers. "It's not the arrow but the archer" the old saying goes and it is right on!!! In the Tenkara world the wise saying is "A rod, a line and a fly" because that's all you need!  I use the same rods year after year like Nicklaus used the same clubs!!!!

Even with this goofy weather I'm still booking trips with mid week booking quickly and Fridays still fairly open (very weird). Reserve your spot for May and June. 3 or 6 hour trips, 3 hour lessons, tenkara lessons and trips all on the best streams in central and western Ma.

The soft hackle fly above has no name but here's the recipe:

Hook - 10 to 16 wet or dry

Tag - orange thread

Body - olive thread

Thorax - fiery brown ostrich

Hackle - sparse partridge

I like the way it looks

Ken

River Update And A One In A Million Chance

"Rivers and the inhabitants of the watery elements are made for the wise men to contemplate and for fools to pass by without consideration".  Isaac Walton

Ok, here are the numbers:

Swift - 530

Millers - 2060

Ware - 635
\
EB - 902

WB - 332

No, that's not the number of fish I've caught this year but the cfs for these streams. Yes, there's high water out there but the margins can be fished slow and deep. Think sinking tips or better yet, full sinking lines with 5 feet of leader ending in 3x or 4x and a weighted fly. Offended by the above rig?? Then go fish the smaller streams that are in fairly good shape (you always said that you wanted to now here's your chance). I'll be on the Mill River, a neat little freestone that runs behind my house that I try to visit at least once a year.and at 162 cfs it should be in shape for a while.

A Million To One Chance

I've been fishing the Swift for over 30 years and this was the first time this has happened: It's 9 am and I'm at the Y Pool with two clients and NOBODY else when a stocking truck pulls up and starts, well, stocking!! We fished for another hour before we saw our first flyfisher. It took a while for the trout to settle down but then the hits started. My clients didn't leave and ended up having a banner day!!!


Millers Stocking

Yes, the Millers was stocked yesterday and the trout and the anglers will have to put up with a flow of over 2000 CFS.  My advice is don't wade but look for spots on the shoe where you can roll cast from. Safe wading on that river starts at 600 cfs.

Nobody Asked But....

Will the camera carrying fly fishing community please stop with the "head shots" of trout and photos of your trout lying in a net that's on the ground.  By head shots I mean photos that just show the mouth to the gills.  They remind me of mug shots!!! Take your photo just before you land the fish, like the photo on the left, or while in the net  gently cradle the trout with wet hands for a quick release.


Leave the "famous" places alone this week and fish the thin blue lines!!!

Ken

Home Waters

I live well within an hour of the following rivers: The Millers, the Swift,the Ware,the EB, WB and the MB of the Westfield. What does that mean? It means I'm a lucky guy who can pick a different river for almost every day of the week and sometimes I do. Sometimes I'll fish the same river 3 days in a week BUT I'll fish 3 different sections which can be like fishing 3 different rivers. The Bears Den and the Lower C/R of the Millers are almost like fishing different rivers. And please don't forget Bondsville on the Swift which IS a different river from what's above. The same is true of the MB of the Westfield. We realize this after a few years casting over the same water, we learn what it's like and we learn it's secrets. And most important of all we, if we love to fish freestones, usually have the place to ourselves. I'm beginning to think that freestone rivers, if they have a spirit to them, actually repel the "it's all about me" angler who must be seen AT and be able to talk ABOUT destination tailwaters like they are the only rivers that count! (Yes, I fish tailwaters but my BEST moments (and fish) have been on homely, old freestones).

This season one should take the path less traveled. Find a new spot or get reacquainted with an old one and try to learn its secrets.

River Reports

Yup, the trucks are rolling as is the Swift and the Millers - with water that is! Both rivers are flowing at full bank and that has been going on since early October.  Don't pray for rain if you can help it!! What I would love is a normal Spring and Summer and not like the last 3 years (flood or drought). I think that it needs to warm up a bit to get the insects going (that's why we call it flyfishing.)

Ken

                                                                                                                                                                 

 

Over The Top And The "Dark Season"

Over the last decade or so, as the growth in the number of fly fishermen has plateaued, it’s become harder and harder for the large wholesale fly companies to grow or even maintain their sales. As a way of combating this, the introduction of new fly patterns is something they’ve come to rely on. The same is true for many fly shops and independent fly tiers. At all levels of distribution, new flies represent both monetary incentive and reward. How well they catch fish isn’t nearly as important as how well they sell. - Hatch Magazine

                                                                                                 

Well, it had to happen with the two months of steady rain that we have had. The Quabbin finally crested the overflow arm and began to flow into the Swift. The  photo to the left was taken at 9:30 am on Saturday November 3 and although it's not a lot of water it can be enough to change the strategy for this river. Fridays' heavy rain blew the river from 55 cfs to 100 overnight. Much of that increase was due to the RAIN hitting below the dam and not from the overflow but the overflow may keep everything higher than it's been for a few months. The river leveled off  but it may not drop to that "sweet spot" of 55 cfs for a while.  Wherever it lands I hope that the BWO action doesn't stop early.  It's been the best in years.

The Bubbler Arm will be the least affected but this rain. There is no increase in the release so it should be fine.

What to expect - the overflow may last for months meaning that there may be some LL Salmon taking the plunge as in 2011. There was a lot more water back then so we will see. It also means if that if the overflow continues through the Winter and Spring we could have some SUPER dry fly action on that arm on warm March and early April days. We always have. My concern is if we have too much water downstream it may hinder the brookie spawning. Again we will see.

The Dark Season

I'm a traditionalist which makes me lean towards freestones and the best time to fish freestones is on a Spring or Summer evening. Insects are hatching and trout are rising and I am in heaven.  Sadly, those days are gone until late March where we will have longer days without balmy temperatures for a while.  Until then the tailwaters will have to do.

The Quote At The Top

I found that quote to be fairly accurate but a bit limited in scope.  If the number of flyfishers have "plateaued" then it would effect all parts of our game and not just flies.  There are many more types of rods now than "back in the day" and I believe that it is an attempt to squeeze every $$$ out of us by creating  a solution in search of a problem. We now seem to need a rod for every situation instead of a rod for all occasions. The industry is turning many of us into gear heads.  I still fish 10 and 20 year old rods and never felt undergunned or handicapped.

Ken

The Rivers, Swift River Brookies And Book Me!

"Fishing in a place is a meditation on the rhythm of a tide, a season, the arc of a year, and the seasons of life" - Carl Safina

FINALLY, it appears that the rain has stopped and the rivers are coming down. As I write this morning the numbers are in: The Ware = 230 cfs, the EB = 407 cfs, The Millers = 982 cfs! All of these numbers are trending DOWN with the only real high water being the Millers. The Ware and the EB are fine AND there is NO RAIN IN SIGHT until a week from Saturday.

That means we will be on the Ware, EB and Millers this weekend for sure.

BOOK ME - There's been a lot of pent up demand to hit the other rivers and I think that I'm going to get some guiding requests for the next two weeks. If you want a day or a half day on the river EMAIL ME with a few dates that will work for you. This weather has been great with temperatures reaching the high 40's and low 50's just like in April!!

Swift River Brookies
I saw my first surge of brook trout rounding the bend down in Cady Lane this week. There were more of them on Tuesday then I've seen in months with a story of one of 14 inches being caught "above the Pipe". This is what we've been waiting for!!!  Keep them coming!!!

The Y Pool continues to produce in the strangest ways. One fellow lands a trout on a size 24 and another on a size 8 stripped through the water like a demon. My merganser fly and even the lowly wooley bugger got into the act. Also, check any rainbows in the Swift for clipped fins and mark the location. They want to know where these guys disappear too.

Note - All of the photos of trout caught on this post were taken by clients just this week. Get in on the action and book me!!!

EB Musings And A River Update.

"And never fall into that statistical macho trap that's so prevalent in fly fishing these days. If you keep score you can be beaten, but if you refuse to compete you can leave the impression that you have long since risen above that kind of crap" - John Gierach 

The Ware and the Millers in Royalston/Winchendon were stocked on 10/11.

The Quinapoxet River was stocked 10/12.

Well, it's about time! The EB has pulled off an imitation of the Millers by holding on to its water FOREVER! On Monday 10/8 we worked our way through a flow of 505 cfs and then on Tuesday we still had to deal with a 475 flow. The latter number allowed us to get across the Bliss Pool which is the best way to fish that lovely piece of water. Clients on both days caught fish.

Now, last Fall this river did not receive a stocking because someone in the DFW thought the flow was too low (it wasn't). This year the stocking occurred with a flow over 1000 and that moved the trout around instead of being all balled up at stocking points. We caught trout everywhere and in numbers that didn't make us look like we were fishing a trout hatchery. Bliss, Chronicle, The Bend and Les's Pool all produced.

We tossed heavy metal at those guys in the form of cone and bead buggers and a size 8 beadhead breadcrust. Having sink tips also helped. Now we are going to get some rain tomorrow so watch the flow if you intend to fish there. Under 600 cfs is a cautious "go", over 600 is a "no go".

River Update

The Ware finally got its Fall share of trout and its flow is perfect right now. Last year we caught a mixed bag of bows and browns with the browns being a bonus because browns were only stocked in the Spring. The Swift is fishing well. Remember to check for clipped adipose fins and mark the spot where you caught them and then email me the info. The Millers continues to misbehave with a flow of 800 as I write. One reader mentioned that he saw rising trout in the Second Run below Rezendes up in the Bears Den. As the flow goes down the first place to fish will be Orcutt which can be carefully waded at 700 cfs below the bridge.

Book Me

I still have some good dates in October and November is only half full (it will be 80% booked by Halloween). Contact me !!!!!!!


Ken

Stocking Update, River Update AND Book Me

Adipose fin clipped trout were stocked  by the Y Pool last week.  Make a note of any caught anywhere on the Swift and then email me.  - Ken

"For the moment at least, we fall into that class of fishermen who fancy themselves to be poet/philosophers, and from that vantage point we manage to pull of one of the neatest tricks in all of sport: the fewer fish we catch the more superior we feel"
- John Gierach

Conventional wisdom would say that the DFW would not stock the Millers with this high flow but they would be dead wrong. As in the past (I have a lot of experience here) the DFW NEEDS to stock trout and they generally have a two week window to do this and they will do it come hell or high water during this Fall season. This has happened before. As I write the Millers is chugging along at 1250 cfs which is not safe for wading but the flow is trending down and barring rain it will continue to drop. 700 cfs will get you into the Millers below Holtshire bridge but be carefull.

The EB

At a flow of 574 cfs at 6am today this river can be carefully waded but not CROSSED!!Wait until the flow is below 350. As with the Millers the EB has been running high during the stocking and that will spread the fish out WHICH IS A VERY GOOD THING!!! Over the last three years we have had very low autumn flows which yielded big catches but far from pleasurable fishing. (like shooting fish in a barrel).

Fly Selection

You know the drill here. Freshly stocked trout = any fly works especially if it's weighted.

The Swift

This river has been the only river to wade safely over the past three weeks. The number of Connecticut plates in the parking areas was proof of that. It was stocked from Ware to Palmer with a decent number of trout.

You will have crowds as you already know so spread out. Try Cady Lane if you haven't already and keep an eye out for brook trout. They seem pretty scarce this year.  In fact, email me if you catch any!!!




Book Me

My calendar is filling up but I still have choice slots available.


Ken