Dropping A Dime, Another Winter Fly And Happy Thanksgiving

"Creeps and idiots cannot conceal themselves for long on a trout stream" - John Gierach

I week ago I reported that I found a small treble hook on the Swift. I wrote about it on this blog and reported it to the Environmental Police. Now I've been told that another has been found.

Treble hooks, even ones with power bait festooned to them, are snagging tools and HAVE TO BE REPORTED. Take the phone number that's on the top of this page and stick it in your phone. The "game wardens" have been very responsive and I've heard that they've nabbed some creeps these past two weeks. If you see a violation do one thing: report it. That gets the police down there.

Do not confront the creeps or try to reason with them. Some "good guys" have the force of presence to make someone back down and leave but most don't so drop a dime on them. It's the best way. That means not just talking about it but doing it!!!

A Winter Fly

My Swift River Serendipity is always with me from November through March. This small (sizes 18 through 24) fly just seems to wake them up on the coldest of days. I eliminated the deer hair wing on the standard dressing and replaced it with white turkey flat to sink it quickly. There is no bead or weight of any kind built into the fly, just the optional tiny split shot. Some say that it represents an aquatic worm with the red color but I believe that's wishful thinking. It's as close as I get to an attractor pattern and in the Spring it's tied in olive and becomes a real insect!

A word on split shot - I seldom use weight but when I do it's not incorporated into the fly any longer but in the form of tiny shot anywhere between a foot to 20 inches above the fly. There are some reasons for this. First, weighted flies do not have the action of unweighted flies dancing below a split shot. Second, I lose more weighted flies than unweighted flies. If anything, I snag the shot but since the shot is tied onto a tag it easily slips off with a few tugs.

Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Ken

The Seldom Fished Sections Of The Swift And A Lost Rod Section

Flyfishers become creatures of habit, afraid of trying a new stream or section of a stream because the old section may suddenly become hot - Anonymous

I have never had a problem in telling my readers exactly WHERE on a river I've had success in catching trout. I've also known that I can write about a spot time and time again and even bring clients to it to fish and STILL fish it alone 90% of the time. This is particularly true of the Swift where some fish above route 9 time and time again and then say they are tired of the Swift without even attempting to fish the miles of water below. From the Duck Pond to Bondsville, the water is cold, the fish are there and the crowds are not.

Isn't Cady Lane getting crowded? The short answer is NO. I seldom have to share a section and often I see nobody. The fly fishers that I meet are kindred spirits - they enjoy the solitude too. Often I will ask a client "do you see anyone"?. The answer is always "NO".

So, try exploring this river.The old haunts will still be there but maybe you can develop some new ones.

UPDATE - One of my favorite sections of the Swift is from the Gauge down to the Pump House. This spot has been great year after year but this year it has been almost empty of fish. Now over the last few days I've seen bows working their way upstream through this section. I knew that the bows would start heading up river once the brookies started but this is early but much appreciated.

Check this spot out!!

8/15 - There is a report of a lost rod section from the Pipe section of the Swift. It's from a 0 weight. It you find it email me and I'll contact the owner. Thanks!!

Ken

Dry Fly Evening On The Swift, Guiding Sessions And Snagging On The Swift

"As no man is born an artist, so no man is born an angler"-Izaak Walton

As commentor Chico said a week or so ago " I'm getting a bit bored with the Swift". There is some truth to this in the fact that the Swift is one of the few places with cool, running water and it gets all of our attention. It would be nice to work some other rivers into the mix but that's not on the table right now. And with the Farmington gasping at 60 cfs we will just count our blessings and fish the Swift.

Maybe it's knowing that we are going to the Swift that passes for boredom because once I get there everything gets very interesting.
Last evening I spent three hours working dry flies along Cady Lane. The trick here is to find the BIG fish which tuck themselves up against the bank, many times in very skinny water. My size 16 CDC Pale Dun bounced off the bank and bank side foliage and then drifted downstream towards me. First, a good 14 inch brown inhaled it followed by two brookies in the 11-12 inch range. Then I missed THE brown who followed the fly for a foot and then sipped it in and then broke me off. He was an easy 18 inches and he is still there. Throw in the bunch of 6 inch brookies and it was a good evening!

One of my most popular guiding sessions during the Summer and early Fall is my Evening Rise trip. 5 to 8pm and then 4 to 7pm later on are great opportunities to learn about a new spot or to brush up on technique. I still have some openings in August. Also, if you're interested in a Fall trip (September, October, November) BOOK IT NOW! I will fill those months quickly!!

August is a transitional month. Hot days but the nights are getting cooler and longer. Soon the brook trout will don their Autumn colors. August is good but September is bettor. The days are generally in the 70's and it is normally a drier month. Terrestrial flies can rule the day and I've had some of the best dry fly fishing on the Millers fishing over BWO, caddis and midges. There's plenty of trout food around and the cooler water temperature activates the trout's appetite. Get Ready!!!

READ THIS - "Anonymous" and frequent contributor Hibernation have cited examples of someone leaving glow bugs in the backs of trout above Rt 9 in and around the Y Pool. Knowing that section the way I do and the method of fishing eggs YOU DON"T FOUL HOOK AND BREAK OFF TROUT by accident!! This is evidence of SNAGGING!

Look for evidence of "Lifting", where you see a sharp upward stroke with a fly rod as was done against salmon and steelies in western NY over the years. I left the Environmental Police number in the comments section for this post. Spread the word that we are looking for the "flyfisherman"!

Ken

Low Water Conditions And The Swift

"The best fishermen I know try not to make the same mistakes over and over again; instead they strive to make new and interesting mistakes and to remember what they learned from them" - John Gierach

Ok, we are in the jaws of a drought and one just has to look at the USGA map of Massachusetts to understand why. Virtually all of the river gauges are marked in red which signifies a low water condition. Now, does that mean that freestone fishing is over? No is the answer. Over the decades I've had great summer fishing on the Millers and the EB when flows were low but fishable. Early morning and dusk are the best times for this kind of trout hunting. Remember, fly fishing for trout is a self regulating activity. Trout feed the most heavily when the water temperatures are between 55 and 65 degrees. Above 65 they begin to slow down with less need for food. Also remember that browns seem to tolerate warmer water better than their cousins.

One thing you should avoid is fishing around tributaries!!! When main stems get really boney trout will seek out the tribs and stack themselves up below them. They are sitting ducks for blue herons (seen it), otters (that too), snaggers (ditto) and harassment from fly fishers. During real bad conditions, such as now, these may be the last resort for survival in some streams. That's why Connecticut and Massachusetts BAN all fishing within 100 or so feet of certain tributaries on the Housatonic from mid June to September, a very good idea that should be enforced on all our major trout rivers.

The Swift has been great!!!! Now, I haven't been north of Rt 9 since March and have no intention of doing so in the near future. The lower river has kept me occupied. There are some trout at the Pipe, good fishing at Cady Lane and Bondsville is wonderful. Fishing pressure has been very light but that may change on Friday, 7/1, when the regulations change from Rt 9 through Cady Lane. That is a traditional stocking date. We will see.

There's a chance of thunderstorms from Tuesday through Thursday which is usually a hit or miss situation. We need a REAL storm with 2 inches of rain to recharge things.

Ken

Weirdness On The Ware And Brookies On The EB

"I fish better with a lit cigar; some fish better with talent" - Nick Lyons, -Bright Rivers,-1977

I like guiding Brad because he is a good fly fisher and his personality makes for good company. Today seemed early on that we may have chosen a day that would be a bit substandard as far as conditions go. The high 70 degree day of Saturday would be replaced with a high of 55 degrees with a bitter northwest wind howling all day along the Ware River Valley. It was a struggle to keep my hat on!!

Some observations:

First, We saw NO OTHER FLYFISHERS over the three locations that we fished, Church Street, River Run Road and behind the big abandoned mill in Gillbertsvile. I saw some at Church Street Saturday on a drive bye but nothing today.

Second, we caught trout at each location with soft hackles and then with weighted stuff and then soft hackles again. We missed a bunch!!!!!!! Most were caught on the classic drift and swing which will always give your heart a bounce at that "take". We even took a good size smallie (12 inch range) who didn't want to be caught!!


Then the WEIRDNESS

We were about a 100 yards down from the Church Street Bridge where it becomes shallow for a short span. We saw the SHOULDERS of a large fish that began to leave a WAKE as it moved through this shallow area. It disappeared but then reappeared against the right hand bank. What was it? A monster brown? (hmm... can't be), a large bass (too large for this river?), a large carp coming upstream from the Park area? Who knows but a few minutes later Brad hooked a 5 inch fall fish( first on the Ware this season). When the fall fish got to about 10 feet from us something BIG grabbed it. The instinctive hook set pulled the little guy from the jaws of this mystery fish only to have the mystery attack again!! We saw a 10 second battle before the monster finally let go. What did I see? I saw a fish that was easily a fist size wide across the shoulders. If it was a bass it was 4 to 5 pounds. If it wasn't a bass then God knows what.

Someone said that there are no brookies on the EB this year. It's way premature for that statement!! The DFW will stock this river THIS WEEK before the big TU party this weekend as they do every year. If this year is like last year they will stock many brookies in this river. Hopefully it won't be like last year when too many brookies (my opinion) went in.

So there you go. Three locations reported on the Ware. The Swift is slow as everyone knows except for our native brookies and more reports coming through on this blog. Kind of better than reporting on good days on rivers that remain nameless. Am I right or am I right????

More to Come!

Ken

A Soft Hackle September

Soft Hackles - they always work and sometimes they REALLY work. They were my top sunken fly on the EB for a year now and this year they just seemed to beat the Swift River trout especially this month. I will admit that the Swift soft hackles are a size or two smaller than I use on other rivers although a size 12 did work well.

I like to experiment with this style and I believe that I may have posted two of these flies last Spring but a refresher course is in order.

First is an olive body S.H. with size 5x tippet material wrapped around the body. The tippet worked pretty well getting the fly down quick and it gives a slight shine to the fly which also seemed to work. 5x works on sizes down to 14. I like 6x on smaller sizes. Sometimes the Grouse and Flash just seems too bright. The "6x soft hackle" does it just right. Don't ask if one brand of tippet is better than another!!

The dark S.H. has a tiny wingcase of mylar which makes this fly more visible. It works well!

Try them out.

As you all know by now we need rain. The rivers are still mostly fishable in the deeper pools and where the river's flow gets pinched down to give good flow and depth. The good thing is that the weather is now cool enough so water temperature is not an issue. Just one good 1 inch storm will set us up for the rest of the season.

The rest of the season - Last November was great on the EB and the flow was low then too. I'll show you this river. Just email me for availability. The same goes for the Millers and the Swift.

Ken

The Swift - First Day Of Fall

No rain at home during the night but 20 minutes into a 30 minute drive to the Swift I had the wipers on. When I arrived at the Pipe lot there were puddles and a light rain. So goes the first day of Fall. The upside of this was that at 6:45am mine was the only car there. That means there's only one thing to do: Hit the PIPE.

This 120 cfs flow gave me the opportunity to fish LARGE meaning size 14 and 16 soft hackles and the trout agreed. In three hours I landed 21 and missed another half dozen. The top of the food chain came to the net with some 14 to 18 inch DARK bows followed by some 8-10 inch fish of the same species. These guys reminded me of this past Spring when the place was crowded with them. Maybe they stocked some recently or this high water made those Spring fish come out of hiding. Bob O. (who was the second to show up at 9ish) floated the theory that maybe these guys are young stream bred fish which intrigues me. Then came a few 4 to 6 inch brookies. The top soft hackle was a size 14 olive and partridge tied on a scud hook. This short, heavy hook gets the fly down AND it looks buggier than a standard hook. Overall, a good morning.

I left at 10am leaving only Bob and a new arrival to have the place to themselves.

Rain - In short supply recently. The EB is low but the cool days and very cool nights have saved this place. One storm of about 1 inch of rain will fix this place up quickly. Let's hope this happens!

Ken

September - What The Rivers Are Doing And A Lost Camera

I managed to be on all three rivers over the last week and for the first time this season I'm looking for a little rain for the EB. All is not lost and in fact I like the flow flow because of the dry fly possibilities. If swinging sunken offerings is your game than the going will be a bit rough. But the water temperature is in the mid 60's at mid day but lower very early in the morning.

The photo above shows the great isonychia nymph which is all over this river. A quick, darting swimmer this nymph acts like a stonefly by crawling up onto rocks to hatch and then flying away usually around dusk. There are plenty of imitations that you can find online so I will not bother with the recipe. The dun is dark colored with smokey grey wings (unusual for this time of year) and trout will take that surface imitation EVEN THOUGH it doesn't ride the surface like most other mayfly duns. Don't leave home without them!

The other photo is of the great Hemlock Pool. As the Eastern Flyfishing Magazine article pointed out it also has another name: Les's Pool. I believe I met that man years ago when he was a driving force behind TU (when it was a driving force) in Massachusetts. I'll call it by the latter name going forward. Anyway, fish this pool and the riffles at it's head. The gate is still closed so it's a 15-17 minute walk to get there but well worth it.

The Millers - I love this low flow and I love the fact that darkness falls at 7:30 instead of 9:00. You don't have to wait f o r e v e r for surface action. Again, water temperatures are fine. Even the rainbows made it through the Summer. Don't forget to bring some large light colored flies so you can see them in the failing light. They have worked the last few times out.

The Swift - Every thing works at the Gauge down through the Tree Pool from 30's to #14 soft hackles. Also, weekend evenings have been sparsely attended by fly fishers in this section. On Wednesday evening I saw only two other anglers which appears to be the norm over the last few weeks. Spend an evening down there before our evenings are gone.

I have some open dates through late September and October. October Fridays are mostly open (weird) with a few weekend dates available. First come, first served.

Summer is winding down with Fall right around the corner. Fish the next two months before everything shuts down (except the Swift).

Ken

9/12 Update - The lower gate on the EB is open so you don't have to endure the 15 minute walk to get to Les's (formally called the Hemlock Pool) Pool. It was windy as hell which made dry fly fishing dicey but worth it. I rose 4 and landed 2 in the 3 hours there. Long floats through the pool brought 3 up with 1 hooked and then 1 in the riffles at the head of the pool. Ok under the windy conditions. Probably could of caught more with a nymph BUT I like dries. Rises were on and off and If you see a rise cast to it.

Update #2 - The lower gate was closed on Wednesday evening BUT was open on Friday morning. Go for it!!

This Just In: a camera was found on the way to the Y Pool. Email me and I'll connect you to who found it.


Ken

Swift Weekend

I've been bouncing around the Millers this past week and needed something a little less robust. I've still got tiny flies on the brain or maybe it's the cold water that has now doubled in volume. Saturday and Monday morning were spent on the Swift.

Saturday - It started off with swinging an old reliable Grouse and Orange that accounted for two trout. Then I gave a test run to a size 20 something that my friend Brad created and two more came to the net. Then it was McPhail Buzzer time in size 20. Three more but many misses and break offs was the result. The high water (107 cfs) still had the trout trying to find the surface because surface action was sparse.

Monday - Started with Mc B's and managed one below the gauge. As I rounded the bend I could see that there was one fellow at the Pipe but the Tree Pool was empty. That's where I headed. It had been a foggy start but now it was clearing and with that the hatch came on. Fog kills hatches on this river and it only took 5 minutes before a half a dozen trout began working the pool.

Now, I had a good time Saturday watching Dan and Gary nabbing the occasional riser on #32's. The smallest fly that I had was a #28. I was hoping that it would be close enough if the same insect was on the water today. It worked and in the last 15 minutes that I had to fish I took three, 2 bows and a brookie.

It was then that I realized that I had fished and caught trout in everything from a size 12, size 20, to size 28 in a 48 hour period. Not something that happens with a wet size 12 in the mix. So when someone asks me whats working on the Swift what do I say? Everything, I guess.

Ken

New Guiding Dates, A River Update And A Lost Vest

First things first - Fridays have always been a day that I have had trouble springing myself free to guide someone. THAT'S CHANGED! Fridays are now open with 9/5, 9/16 and 10/3 free and clear. 10/31 is open and every Friday in November is the same. November is a great time to fish the Swift and the EB. My evening trips are very popular and we have about 1.5 months of those before it gets too dark. Right now 4:30 to 7:30ish is perfect.


What a week!! Perfect weather and perfect flows. It started Sunday with a quick trip to the Swift in the early afternoon. The usual parking lots were only half full which seemed odd for such a nice day and that meant that I had the gauge to the intake all to myself. 4 bows, 1 brown and two gorgeous brookies made it to the net in those 2 1/2 hours. In a few weeks those guys will really be taking on their Fall colors making them even more beautiful!!

The Millers - With flows below 250 cfs this river is producing with surface action in and around the lower C&R with the best action at sundown. The darker it gets the better it gets. Just make sure that you are fishing a dry that you can see. #12 light colored comparaduns, bivisibles, HW Adams, anything that you can see. Casts don't have to be long as the trout will rise almost a rod length away. Some rain is in the forecast later this weekend so check out this site for the flow.

The EB - It could use a little rain but we are still finding willing trout. Trout are still everywhere from the pools to the riffles and fishing pressure has been light. Brad and I were their last night and saw 1 other angler. This Labor Day weekend will mark the end of the swimmers for the year which means we will have it all to ourselves until freeze up.

A Lost Vest - Someone lost a vest in the Swift River parking lot over the last week or so. If you found it and would like the owner to reclaim it then email me at ken.elmer9@gmail.com and I'll have that person contact you.

Have a Great Labor Day Weekend! The Autumn season is almost on us.

Ken

All Three Rivers Are PERFECT Now!

Ok, I'm back. All that I will say about the 10 days between posts is that I like the Madison but like the Gallatin more!!

As I write this ALL the rivers (Millers, EB and Swift) are in prime condition. Even the reluctant Millers is down into the 200cfs range which is where it should be historically. I guided there Thursday evening with all of the action occurring at sundown. Lots of rising trout and some massive mayfly hatch of some light colored fly that I couldn't identify because of the darkness. Because of the low light (sunset and heavy cloud cover)I opted for a size 14 Millers Bivisible, a big hairwing creation that floats high and can be seen at dusk. It took all of our trout. BTW, 2/3 of our catch were RAINBOWS! That's what a wet summer will do for you!

As the comments from my last two posts show, the EB has been spectacular! Flows have been great all summer with mid August water temperatures being in the low to mid 60's at mid day. It seems that every style of fly has produced if fished carefully and patiently. And for those few who think that I write too much about this river I will say that I was there last night with a friend from the Boston Area. We saw ONE other flyfisher. That's normal for this river.

The Swift is what it is - always good, always challenging!!

Let's hope that the Millers stays low.

Best,

Ken

A Saturday EB Trip And A Stream Forecast

Saturday was a late start. Not for my wife but for me. Mornings in August mean a start time on the EB at no later than 6:30am. We started at 9:30am. That's ok because it was just meant to spend some time together, getting out on the water with a light lunch of sliced tomatoes and cheese and just exploring. The "exploring" meant fishing some places that I've overlooked over these years. Catch something? Maybe, but just a day in a good place.

I rose 7 and landed 3 while missing a brown that I would like to describe as Sparse Grey Hackle did about a brown on the Beaverkill 80 years ago: "It was the size of a railroad tie". I'll never tell you where I missed it and that's a first for the 7 years of this blog!!!

How did the wife do: hooked 2 and landed 1 on her tenkara outfit. Now, she is from greater NYC who never fished BUT she is a quick study. I gave her some instruction on where trout are found, she fished those spots and then found other runs and pools to fish. Then she said that her fly was too small (#12 soft hackle)and wanted a larger fly. I said "ok" and tied on a goofy bivisible creation and she hooked up. Now she doesn't think she needs a guide!!!!

Big, fluffy clouds kept the temperatures down and at noon the water temperature was 64 degrees. The only problem was the sunbathers and their stick fetching dogs that kept me from one good place.

Tenkara technique is great for someone new to fly fishing. It teaches you to fish up close studying the water. It's not equipment heavy and is never a frustrating experience compared to a beginner with conventional equipment.

Overall a good day.

The forecast - big rain starting Tuesday night and running through Wednesday. Say goodbye (again) to the Millers. God only knows how far the EB will rise BUT it will drop quickly. Saturday (maybe Friday) will be ok. If it's at 500fs the games begin. They are predicting 2.5 inches of rain. Dial in on my site to get the flows.

I have posted some poor photos of what I've been fished for dries on the EB. They are size 12 and 14 hairwing Adams that seem to hook more trout than the hopper patterns that I've used. Those EB trout seem to rise gently to the larger flies instead of the big take and that results in some misses. The big Adams gets their attention and they can take it in. As the evening wears on we go to smaller flies. You know the drill!

I think I've got to perfect my "dry fly in fast water" technique. Too many misses.

Ken

A Short Post - FISH THE EB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, you've seen the posts and the comments. Fish this river. I had a great night last night and a comment from another spoke of a great day floating hoppers earlier in the day. I guided a newbie who rose 8 trout and if reflexes had more experience he would of hooked more than the two. Same for the guided trip the week before. TROUT ARE RISING ON THE EB!!!!!

Get up early and get there by 7:30. Catch trout until noon or so, sit on a rock, take in the environment that you are in, have lunch and a cigar and then do it again after the shadows begin to cross many pools by 4pm. You will be there for the evening rise where the hoppers downsize to generic olive comparduns in sizes #14 and #16. You cannot spent a better day in Massachusetts on a summer day than on the EB!!(if you flyfish)

Trout are everywhere here. Fish for them!!

Ken

This Weekend - Where To Go And A Lost Rod Tip On The Millers

It is dead mid Summer and logic says go to the Swift. It's a safe bet because of the cold water and the fish population but there are options.

The EB - I guided someone with limited dry fly experience this past Tuesday evening with flows below 200cfs BUT we had rising trout throughout the evening. There are many trout there and with the bump in the flow this week AND with high temperatures in the 70 to 80 degrees with night time temps in the 50's we are talking about opportunities in the evenings and especially in the early morning. Give it a shot!!

The Millers - Up and down and up and down. It's down NOW. Fish in the evening and not in the morning if you plan to get there after 7am. Maybe I should of said 4am because that's when I had my best morning Summer results. Fish the Wendell section in the evening into the dark. My best dry fly fishing on this river over the past 30 years has been at dusk on the lower river!

Back to the EB. The weekly rain, be it a regional storm or a local t'storm, has kept this river fishing as good as 2009 which was the best season in the last five years. Try to make an evening on this river!!

If you lost a rod tip (maybe a 4pc 5wt)on the Millers just email me and I will try to reunite your family.

Ken

Mid Summer Update And A Jerk On The Swift.

It was a good week! A Tuesday evening at the EB resulted in 9 trout (7 bows and two browns) taken on the surface. There was no hatch but the trout rose to a small hopper pattern and later to a size 14 hairwing adams. And they fought, especially the rainbows!! They jumped, ran and then darted away when released. The water was in the high 60's but there was a good flow which results in a good exchange of oxygen over the miles of riffles that this river has. High dissolved oxygen is vital for trout survival. These trout were healthy and bringing them to the net quickly will not hurt them.

The Millers is finally losing weight. Lets hope that the t-storm forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday doesn't cause this river to pig out - again.

Now for the Swift. Saturday morning was packed at the PIPE as the photo shows. I counted 8 from the pipe flow to the end of the Tree Pool. I found a lonely spot upstream and caught a few on pinheads. The trout have spread themselves around which is what we want them to do.

Now for the JERK. My friend Bill was talking to a fly fisher at the PIPE this week who claims that some guy in a canoe was trying to SPEAR trout in the Tree Pool!!!!!!!!! A totally illegal act and just another thing that we have to put up with. If it's not the trash dropping bait boys and the guys who keep their limit THREE TIMES A DAY it's now this. What's next, canoes with trawling nets??? Call the DFW law enforcement if you see stuff like that. 508-366-1176

Ken

The Three Rivers - Everything Seems Right But.......

Thunder is in the air as I write this. Arthur brought rain but not like his sister Irene did almost three years ago. The EB went up and went down as scheduled and if we don't get blasted in the next few hours it will be fine this week. A 1/4 inch of rain will not hurt. It will help in the long run. Right now it's a morning/evening fishery during these hot bright days but because of the flow mornings will last longer and evenings will start sooner.

The Swift - caught a bunch in two trips to the Pipe area over the long weekend and really didn't see the expected crowds during my morning (6am to 10am)outings. In fact, the place was pretty much empty when I left each morning. There are plenty of trout that took #18 and #20 pinheads and another #18 fly that I will mention later did very well. The bows are BIG, period!! Hint: stay away from the usual places.

The "But" in the title refers to the Millers. It's been fishing well if you know when to go (refer to the EB paragraph) but this river has put some serious weight on (high flow) since Friday. It's FAT again and I hope the storm that ran through the area around 5pm today doesn't add too many calories. 200 cfs to 300 cfs is PERFECT. It's over 900 right now. Wait to this weekend.

Tomorrow will be the Swift or the EB in the late afternoon and into the evening.

It's starting to rain. Looks like the Swift tomorrow but we will watch the flow and make a decision then.

Ken

Wonderful Rain - Hit The Rivers This Weekend

It's been getting dry. We haven't had any real rain in two weeks and the EB and even the Millers got down into the 100's (cfs) over the last few days. Short term that is not a problem. Long term it can be.

ALL THAT ENDED LAST NIGHT!! A line of late night storms barreled through Western Ma. and sent the EB from a placid 150 cfs to over 1600 by dawn today. IT IS PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If we hold off on additional rain the EB will drop quickly to the fishable 500 cfs range by Saturday morning and then stay steady.

The Millers got into the act too. As I write the flow on the lower river is around 350 cfs, up from about 200. This needs to be watched. Flow spikes tend to be delayed on this river.

We need these rain cycles. They recharge everything. If we can hold this pattern all summer it will great.

Fly Fish this weekend!

Ken

River Review As Spring Moves Into Summer

How have the Millers and the EB been fishing? The answer - perfect, excellent, best in years as my own observations and others have pointed out. The Millers has been running at a steady fishable pace for weeks now which usually isn't the case. The EB has had the flush of local T-storms to keep it from getting to bony. Having fishable flows and cool weather (nighttime lows in the high 40's really help)have kept the trout active.

The Swift - below rt 9 it is slim pickings and above rt 9 not too much better. We can count on the 7/1 regulation change below rt9 to give us a good stocking of trout (it always has)but why do we have to wait sooooo long for this when the vast majority of anglers who fish this section are C&R fly fishers who don't litter the place with coffee cups and bait containers and who stand in the middle of the tree pool waiting for a "bite" on their power bait which keeps everyone else from effectively fishing this pool?? Thankfully "they" have dwindled over the last few weeks because there are few trout because they caught and kept them all. Personally, I am tired of this policy. This is a fly fishing river pure and simple.

The Millers and the EB will be swinging into summer mode very soon. The great mid day catches of a month ago will cease with action occurring very early in the morning and in the evening into dark. If we have a cloudy, cool and misty day in July and August your daytime catches will improve because of that weather especially for browns. The Swift will be the Swift - flowing along at 58 degrees and hopefully some trout.

One of the above pictures shows a stocking just upstream from the Pipe last year. The trout are tossed into the river just above the intake building where they school up for days and are hammered by everyone. One would thing that the boys would swing the truck around to River Rd and toss some at the gauge and the other up river turnoff. Hopefully they will read this!!!

Ken

Sorry for the delay in posting. Lots of guiding, lots of fishing and lots of quick tying to get my fly boxes replenished.

Here it is:

Fish the EB - This river has been producing very well even through some weekend crowds(it's not really crowded) Find your way out here during the week and you will find next to nobody there. The fly fishers that you run into are just like you: friendly, low key and are just looking for a wide section to fish. There's plenty of that on the EB.

Fish the Millers - flows are very good and the Thursday Friday rains haven't (so far) jumped the flows into something that is unfishable. HIT THIS RIVER. Lots of bows and browns.

The Swift - I've heard the story about the lack of fish. It may be true or not. I've done well and so have others while others claim to be fishing a desert. One thing is true - there are fewer trout especially below RT 9 but trout are there. After the July 1st regulations change we will see more trout due, hopefully, to a late stocking for the catch and release folks who are the ones who REALLY cherish this river.

What's been working - soft hackles have been ruling the day for me on the EB, Millers and have been working well on the Swift by the Pipe. Any dusky olive pattern in average sizes works well. WB's in SMALL sizes (10-12) cut to the chase on the Millers/EB. Choose the dry fly pattern to fit the occasion on these rivers.

We are into PRIME TIME on these three rivers. Within two weeks we will be into the summer mode on the EB and the Millers - early morning and evening fishing until mid September when it is all day fishing.

I don't want to think about September now. We have three months of great fishing on three great rivers.

GO FISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ken

Forgetting What Worked....

Sometimes you wonder why you stop doing things especially things that work. Maybe because they may seem passe or old and from an other time. Maybe you stop doing something that works because you know that in a short time you will be in a situation where that technique will just have to be stripped away in order to deal with an evening rise or some other situation.

I had a short window of opportunity to work this presentation out of my brain. As I crested Chesterfield Center at 5:00pm the temperature read 83 degrees but the darkening haze to the west let me know what was in store. At 5:30 I was in the water on a very average riffle/run section of the EB. It looked more like 8:30!! On went a size 10 yellow and partridge and a size 10 tarantula as the top fly.

I used to work this set up ten years ago on this river and had very good success but I abandoned it for a single fly approach. It was perfect for the riffles and semi plunge pockets that the EB is famous for. A great trout hunting set up.

I fished for 45 minutes before the distant sound of thunder made me leave. Three large 'bows came to the net. Two on the surface fly and one on the soft hackle.

If you are addicted to indicators I would ditch the indicator and use a large dry fly like a tarantula, simulator or a size 10 Adams or any large mayfly. You can practice your dry fly technique and still catch trout!

On the way back I stopped at the Bliss Pool and saw some rising trout but the thunder was very close and I had done what I wanted to do. I felt fine.

As I crested Chesterfield Center on the way back east the temperature was down to 67 degrees. The skies opened up when I made it to home in Leeds and it poured for an hour. Wednesday (tomorrow) will be in the 70's and the forecast for the next few days will be cooler than the last two. Good news for the EB!!

I saw NOBODY fishing the river!!! So much for weekday crowds. For those who want to fish the EB in mid June please remember that early morning and late afternoon are prime. Mid day.....not so much unless it's cloudy and cool.

I'll hit the Millers again on Thursday if it's not too high.

Ken