A Cold Millers Morning, Working The Swift, The Last Word on Mops And Felt Soles Are Back

'My fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed or impressed by power" - Robert Traver

I love Black Friday because I suspect, along with Thanksgiving merriment,that it does keep the number of anglers down somewhat. A morning with an air temperature of 35 degrees and a water temperature of 38 will do the same thing and that was Friday morning on the Millers. The flow was an inviting 190 cfs which is perfect for fishing Erving Center and I still had Mop Flies on the brain so off I went.

I've done a complete 180 on this fly. From a POS to Perfect Imitation is my opinion. It is the perfect hellgrammite and leech imitation and will be a standard with me on the Millers (a big hellgrammite river) going forward. I tie it in somber, natural colors (gray body, dark brown back and head). None of that day glow nonsense for me. I'll throw that neon stuff into the SWJ, squirmy wormy junk draw!! Which begs the question: Why do the detractors of the Mop still fish that other stuff that doesn't represent ANYTHING on this planet let alone a trout stream???

Get a gray car wash mop at Walmart ($6.00), a size 8 scud hook (use scud hooks for this fly. They give the fly more action instead of the less lively longer shank hooks), some brown or black marabou for the thorax and a brown or black sharpie and you are in business.

How did I do? I took 3 good bows in an hour and a half. One was over 20 inches and when he hit I actually thought I was snagged. I was about to throw a rollcast to dislodge the fly when the "snag" began to swim off! I don't like throwing weight with bamboo so my old TFO 4wt got called into action. At one point I didn't think the rod could stand the strain of that fish in mid current but after a few minutes he was in the net!

The Brookies are still at it on the Swift but I think the "run" may have peaked. It will NOT be over in a week as some say but will continue into mid December just like last the last few years. The rainbows will be going nowhere. Squeeze the last few hours out of your 2016 license and get out there!

Good news on the equipment front. Vermont has lifted it's ban on felt soled boots and for good reason. The ban was enacted to stop the spread of Didymo, the noxious diatom that was supposed to befoul our rivers. Well, it appears that didymo has been everywhere FOREVER (it's native) and has gone into the occasional bloom stage due to climate change and not to felt soles. (10 years ago an aquatic biologist told me the same thing. He was certainly a minority opinion back then!)

I like felt but changed over to studs which I don't think live up to expectations. Let's hope that the other states lift the felt ban.

Ken

The Millers Fly Fishers Guide, Screwy Millers Flows, And A Fishing Report

In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing. We lived at the junction of great trout rivers in western Montana, and our father was a Presbyterian minister and a flyfisherman who tied his own flies and taught others. He told us about Christ's disciples being fishermen, and we were left to assume, as my brother and I did, that all first-class fishermen on the Sea of Galilee were fly fishermen and that John, the favoite, was a dry-fly fisherman."-Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It.

It still amazes me how popular this book is after all these years. The first was sent out back in the Spring of 2008 and I've hit "send" a few thousand times since then. It's gone to most of the "trout" states in this country and as far away as Denmark and Australia. Frankly, it's introduced more people to trout fishing on the Millers than any other document or publication out there. My only regret, besides the few copycat documents out there, is the fact that I've sent this ebook to people who would NEVER tell anyone where they catch fish on this river. They benefit from the knowledge but would never share it!!!

So, thanks to my 40,000+ monthly readers and I will continue sending the Millers Guide to whomever wants it!

The Millers Flow - Well, it's happening again. Someone, most likely the operators of the dam in Orange, have sent the flows into a yo-yo pattern over the past week. Here is the flow pattern for Friday, November 4: 300cfs, 190cfs, 380cfs, 150cfs, 350cfs and all of this in a 24 hour period. The Bridge St. Pool was almost unfishable at 8:30 am yesterday but then dropped like a rock only to rise like a rocket a few hours later. None of this is good for the fish, period. We know that the Orange dam is ground zero for this mess because the flows up in the Bears Den, below Birch Hill, have been uneventful.

Now, electrical power has been generated by the facilities at the dam for years but they have always been a "run of the river" generation, no impounding of the flow to be released later. Maybe there's some temporary work being done at the dam and this will be over very soon. If anyone has any information on what's going on please email me.

How's The Fishing - Catch the Millers at a reasonable flow and it can be great. We caught fish even in the high flows but it can be a chore. Orcutt and the Kempfield Section had hits and fish. The water temperature hit 50 yesterday and if the sun hadn't been so bright we would of seen some BWO's for sure. We did see the occasional rising fish.

The Swift - I've been catching brook trout in the 12 inch range and not by fishing over visible fish on their redds but by fishing the deep holes and runs that are adjacent to the spawning areas. The redds are populated by 6 to 10 inch crowd but the big boys are holding back and are taking tiny nymphs (#18 pheasant tail, #18 bwo soft hackle, #16-18 half & halfs, ect) in the drift.

The rainbows are staging up in the riffles below spawning beds and some of these fish are HUGE! Where are they? THEY ARE EVERYWHERE that you find shallow water and clean gravel. Just make sure that you don't walk on the gravel!!!!

The browns are getting into the act. I lost a good one below the gauge last week and fish hawk Lenny landed a 20 incher (photo included)

The EB - Fished it in the late afternoon this past week and took 5 small browns which was fun and certainly worth the 15 minute drive from my house but it may be a stretch to travel longer for what's available. I have to say that I truly missed the place this year and the October fishing was a blessing. Hopefully next year we will get rain!

I still have some Guide openings available for November. Contact me if you are interested.

Tonight we start the "Dark Season" with the turning back of the clocks. I hate it because it kills evening fishing which won't return until March!

Ken

Some October Dates And The State Of The Rivers And Updates

I think it's now more a matter of unspoken agreements among friends than pounds of fish, and that's probably why I spend more time hanging out with fishermen, as opposed to whoever all those other people are. Among those others are some well-meaning types who don't enjoy life nearly as much as I do, but who none-the-less believe I should be doing things differently."-John Gierach

First off, here are my open dates for half or full day trips for October: Friday, 10/14, Sunday 10/16, Friday 10/21, Saturday 10/22 and Sunday 10/23. I can squeeze in a 3pm to 6pm trip on the first three Thursdays of the month. First come, first serviced and these dates will go quickly so contact me if you are interested. You choose the river (Swift, EB, Millers, Ware River) and we will see if it works.

The Rivers - As I write the Millers is at 86 cfs and the EB is at 24. That is low BUT it is COOL as rivers in October should be. The question is will the inch or so of rain this weekend bounce the flow up enough for the DFW to stock the rivers? More rain is due early next week so I think that we may see some fish. I don't like to talk about stocking trucks but after this dry summer I'll take anything before the freeze up. The Swift - still flowing nicely and it has plenty of fish that seem to like the small stuff. More on the "small stuff" in an October Post.

Any updates will be posted on this front page and in the comments section.

9/29 - The DFW stocked a number of ponds today. Hopefully the rivers come next.

9/30 - The Deerfield got stocked and the Quinnie is up. Watch for increased flows on the river gauges.  We need it!

Ken

September Dry Fly Fishing, The Comparadun Revisited And An Update

"Do you need a 50-fish day dredging the depths with three jig-head nymphs drifting under an indicator? Or will half a dozen trout rising to dry flies prove equally fulfilling? - John Shewey, Editor In Chief of Fly Fishing Magazine, September/October 2016 edition

It seems that there is some "conventional wisdom" being cast upon the waters that dry fly fishing, outside of #28,#30 and #32 midge fishing, is at some kind of low spot during September here in New England. This is a half baked idea that doesn't stand up to even casual scrutiny. For starters let's look at what UPCOUNTRY FLY SHOP, (Farmington experts) suggest for a late summer, early fall dry fly selection:Tan Caddis 16-18, Light Cahills 12-14, White Flies (good on the Housy too) - 12-14, Ants #20 and Blue Wing Olives 20-24.

These are not midges. These are the flies that hatch throughout New England (fewer white flies, very many BWO's) and give September the reputation of being, next to June, as the BEST dry fly month of the year. And let's not forget the terrestrials because September is the best month for them. Grasshoppers, crickets and ants rule the month. Take a walk up the railroad tracks to the Upper Trestle Pool any day during September. You will see hundreds of grasshoppers in that short walk fleeing your approach. In June you could sit on your back deck in the evening and the landscape would be fairly quiet. Now it's September and you will hear a million crickets. I've had my best ant action in September when ant colonies split up, sproat wings and end up landing in trout streams.Terrestrials mean surface action!! It happens in September!!

The Blue Wing Olive is the MAJOR hatch of the Autumn and the Millers is a great place to see wonderful surface action to these insects. My best dry fly day was in early October on the EB and it was to the BWO. The Millers still has Cahills in September and that is a size 14 fly. The Pumpkin Caddis drifts in WAVES over the Millers in late September and it is best represented by a size 12 or 14 imitation. I still see Cream Cahills on the Swift in September. Never a populated hatch it continues from late May into September and the trout like them. I remember casting size 14-16 Light Cahills on warm September days years ago on the Squannacook when it seemed that every trout in the river was rising to SOME fly that my limited entomology failed to recognize. The Cahill matched what the trout wanted. They were not after midges.

In short, carry midges because you may need them but don't start dredging the depths because you think that dry flies with "meat on them" are through for the year.

COMPARADUNS - It's my favorite dry fly pattern and I have now tied most of my standard dries(including BWO's) this way for 30 years while giving up on the standard hackle patterns. Why's that? It's because it puts the body (the most important part) down in the film while hackle patterns really do not. And most rising trout are going after the insect caught in the surface film and not the dainty little sailboat floating downstream. Look at the comparadun photo above and you will see a small ball of dubbing in front of the deer hair. It's used to anchor that hair in place. I'm still surprised how many of these flies don't incorporate it. What about the Parachute?? I love to tie them because they look so nice and the body is in the film BUT caparaduns are easier to tie and are more durable. Dubbing and deer hair and that's it. What about the small sizes? Ultra fine deer hair works to about #18 then go to poly yarn or even better CDC. Kill the tail, use a curved light wire scud hook and you REALLY have a great emerger pattern.

Another BWO pattern that I like in #18 and #20 is nothing more the a wispy tail, olive dubbing and two turns of green dyed grizzly hackle (shown above). The green dye comes out a nice shade of dark olive on a grizzly hackle and it's mottled too. It's a dun or a spinner. I have to do something with all those hackle capes!!!

The Swift - up and down goes the flow. We need a stable flow for successful spawning of brookies and by stable I mean 50 cfs. That's perfect. To get that we need RAIN to jump the Connecticut River to lower the Swift. In the meantime keep fishing this river!

Ken

Fall Guided Trips And Bondsville Again

"I go fishing not to find myself but to lose myself" - Joseph Monniger

Ok, this past Friday I booked five guided trips for this Fall. I guess the rush is on and soon openings will become scarce. Do yourself a favor and contact me with a date, preference of a full day or half day trip and a river selection. Remember, I guide on the Swift (not just the crowded spots but the hidden spots), the EB of the Westfield, the Millers and the Ware River. All of these rivers are on the FALL STOCKING LIST and I know where to go. I require NO MONEY DOWN and there is NO CANCELLATION FEE! So contact me and reserve a date!!!

Saturday morning found me at Bradley airport at 7:30 dropping my wife off for her month long retreat at the Esalen Center in Big Sur. I waved goodbye and then made a bee line to Bondsville which took me about 50 minutes and gave me an appreciation for the miles that many of you put on in the pursuit of trout. In any event I was on the water by 9:00 am.

Some observations: 1. I would see only TWO OTHER ANGLERS in the 3 and a half hours that I was there which was perfect!! 2. Although the flow had dropped from 115 to 45 cfs since my last trip on Tuesday there still were many holding areas with knee to waist high depth. 3. I had left my thermometer in another pack but I could tell that the water was in the low to mid 60's and would stay that way because this section of the Swift is in constant shade. In short, this is a nice place!

I decided to start down at the Cabin Run (you'll know it when you see it) and work upstream to the Cul De Sac Pool (you'll know it when you see it). It was going to be a big dry fly day with stimulators and a few size 10 Wulff patterns. Launching these offerings would be a 6 foot Paul Young bamboo fitted with a 3 wt double taper. I found the value of the shorter rod last week when I kept getting my 7 1/2 foot Swift River bamboo caught in overhanging foliage. I didn't feeling like snapping a bamboo tip so the 6 foot rod was the perfect choice. I will tell you that this section is a good place for a shorter rod. A 9 footer will get you into trouble in Bondsville.

I caught trout in every run and pool that I fished. All were brookies, all were between 9 and 12 inches and all fought like hell!!! They were also free of any obvious hatchery scars although they probably were hatchery born because of the uniform size.There were a few in the 4 to 6 inch range which has always been the case but not in the numbers that you see at Cady Lane.

I ended the day at the Cul De Sac pool where I saw my second fellow angler. I decided to wait him out by taking a lunch break on a streamside rock because I REALLY wanted to work that pool. He was making some long casts over to some slack water and then after a while moved on. I always fish this lower section of the Swift from the left side facing upstream and this pool would be no exception. I got up to the head of the pool and worked the fast water and took more brookies which put me over the 30 mark for the day.

It seems strange to me that some fly fishers actually look down on these wonderful fish preferring to chase something non-native like a rainbow. I love to fish for all trout but brookies are my favorite. We are lucky to have the Swift!!

On the way home I drove past the usual hot spots. THE RIVER WAS PACKED!!! I guess some prefer shoulder to shoulder to solitude. I like solitude and it appears that my clients do to! The fact is many people hire me to show them uncrowded places and I'll introduce them to sections that have fish but no fisherman. Bondsville is a place like that.

Ken

Check Out Bondsville

"If I fished only to capture fish my fishing trips would have ended long ago" Zane Grey

It had to be the the reports in my comments section by Chico and Parachute Adams and others about the fishing down in the Bondsville section of the Swift. Now, I know the area well, fished it years ago and did well this past Spring but I had not been there since early June having gotten under the spell of Cady Lane. So that's why my friend Brad and I found ourselves late Tuesday afternoon knee deep in this very interesting place.

First off the water temperature was 65 degrees which is excellent. Second, as the Swift below Route 9 looks different than the section above Rt 9, Bondsville is different than Cady Lane. First, it has pools, pockets and riffles. Secondly it is devoid of weed growth as commenter Chico noted. This may be because of the 4 mile long ponded area upstream acting as a barrier by settling out any vegetation drifting downstream (just my theory). Anyway, you will have found yourself in a bona fide New England trout stream, a shaded oasis and you will have it pretty much to yourself.

Brad went downstream and I worked a 50 yard flat that began as a good riffled run at it's head. The bushy dry fly was cast to likely spots and it began to connect with brookies. I went into the double digits with most of the brookies being around 10 inches with one in the 6 inch range. I took one rainbow and broke another off in the short 2 hour trip. It was certainly worth my while and I'll be back.

I don't believe that this place will ever get hammered because it is off the beaten trail and many of us are just creatures of habit and don't want to leave familiar places. Plus, it's a fairly large area which allows for some solitude. If you enjoy crowds, habitually keep score and are afraid to take a break because you may lose your spot then this place is not for you.

The Drought - we got a few breaks in the past week or so but the extended forecast says "DRY". I need to hit the Millers and I'll do that next week!!!

Ken

August Fishing And The Swift's Cream Cahill

"You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows"- Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues

Yes, It is the driest Summer since 2010 and it looks like we will beat that evil record before this Summer is through. But all is not lost. Native trout always seem to be able to make it through dry times. If the browns of the Millers made it through the summer of 2010 they will make it through 2016!

What about aquatic insects? They will be fine too. First, virtually all summer mayflies are evening and night hatching insects. The local Isonychia is a good example of a fly that hatches at night but by Fall hatches at mid day. Check out the streamside stones along the EB to see the proof. There will be many nymph cases. The dainty Blue Wing Olive will never hatch on a bright sunny day BUT will hatch on an overcast one.

The Swift is still hone to one larger mayfly that hangs on throughout the summer. It's the Cream Cahill and it's about a size 14 and it has a dusky, beige color. It's never a full fledged hatch but a slow dribble of insects that last until late September. Check our Thomas Ames book Hatch Guide for New England Streams for a good description.

The Swift is the only trout game in town east of the Deerfield River and it is fishing great! Now, one would guess that it would be packed with anglers and if the Y Pool parking lot is any indication that C&R section is packed BUT I guided two beginners on Sunday for 3 hours BELOW Route 9 (from the Gauge Run to the Horse Farm) and saw only 4 other fly fishers. One of my clients caught her first trout on a fly rod - a 14 inch brown!!! We basically had the place to ourselves and it was a great time.

I've always felt that the Swift below Route 9 is superior to the CR above Route 9 as a trout fishery!

Although it doesn't feel like it we have lost 45 minutes of daylight since June 21 - the longest day of the year. By the 3rd week in August there will be dew on the morning lawns and we will know that the season is changing.

August is a beautiful time to fish the Swift. A 3 hour trip fits into any schedule. I'll show you places away from the crowds and where the trout live and if it's a morning trip you can stay and fish all day. What could be better!

Ken

A Swift Update And This Blog And Happy Easter

Fly-fishing is solitary, contemplative, misanthropic, scientific in some hands, poetic in others and laced with conflicting aesthetic considerations. It is not even clear if catching fish is actually the point. JOHN GIERACH - DANCES WITH TROUT (1994)

Some readers of this blog will notice that I used this wonderful quote a few months back. It sets the tone for this post.

Wooley Bugger George drove down to the PIPE parking area in the pouring rain and said HI. He had been working the Y Pool with streamers during the week and had done well. "I hadn't seen much down here" he said and by the fact that there were only two other cars in the lot it would seem that his observations may be right. He left and I entered the river above the gauge at 8:00 am. A size 14 olive and partridge was on the business end.

One bow was taken in that wonderful spot and another was lost. I worked down to the flats where I had another take the SH but not as beautiful as the bow from last week. In the meantime the occupants of the two cars left when the rain picked up. One was a flyfisher and the other was lugging a joint compound bucket and a spinning rod.

I got down to the PIPE around 9:30 and kept the same fly on AND I WAS THE ONLY ONE THERE!!. I took about a half a dozen from the outflow to the deeper water. Frankly, I couldn't see any trout but they were there. Nice dark fish instead of the shiny stockers which was nice to see. Finally three bait boys showed up and I decided to call it a morning. A short lesson - there are trout there but you have to work for them. Work that soft hackle in the drift and.......

Well, here I go again, telling fellow fly fishers where I fish and having it read by those who can't stand me doing it even though they are frequent readers of this eight year old blog. One blogger, who had three different blogs, used to rant against me in comments and emails that I was giving away SECRET spots on the EB (a public CR section - is it a secret?? DUH). He used to write about rivers that he would NEVER mention. His blogs sank without a trace. Go figure.

Someone else last year met me on the Swift. He asked me how I was doing and I told him that I did very well and named the place where I fished. He tried to assure me that he wouldn't tell anyone BUT as a reader he should of known that I name all places and I did with that one. He doesn't like to name "places", just a "look at the fish I caught" photo.

I wrote the Fly Fishers Guide to the Millers River to share those great places on a river that I've experienced. It's available to everyone and will always be. Rivers become famous due to the stories of great fishing and legendary trout. Much of this has always been in print but which is read by those who would like to keep it under wraps. I keep nothing under wraps unless it's an unstocked brookie stream.

In conclusion - I still name the places where I go and catch trout and I still have plenty of room to fish even on the Swift!

Happy Easter!!

Ken

The Isonychia - A Mid Summer Hatch

We have to think seriously about conservation now, although it is chilling to realize there are catch and release fishermen alive today who don't know how to clean and fry a fish Jobn Gierach

Photo by Thomas Ames, Jr.

Years ago I was fishing the Miller's Upper Trestle Pool deep into a mid Summer evening enjoying the dry fly action that this pool is noted for. As the sun became a memory and the moon began to rise I began to notice a rather dark, large mayfly in the air and also on the water. A specimen flew in front of me and I grabbed it, mangling it in the process. Even with the wrecked sample I knew what it was - a Leadwing Coachman, AKA Isonychia!!

The late Bob Rouleau, a great fly tyer and friend of the Millers, said that the leadwing coachman was the go-to wet fly on the Millers back in the 1930's and 1940's. It was the wet fly that is important because of the way this fly hatches. It thinks its a stonefly or a damselfly because of it's habit of crawling out of the water onto rocks and such to hatch. It's not like other mayflies that ride the surface and fly away although it can occasionally be seen doing just that.

Thomas Ames says that this is a season long hatch but I've only seen them in mid and late summer at nightfall. The Millers has them BUT the EB is loaded with them as evidenced by the nymph casings found all over the river in late August.

You can fish a leadwing coachman if you want but I prefer a robust pheasant tail nymph fished with short, quick strips. This nymph likes to swim and swim quickly!!

photo by Thomas Ames, Jr.

Although this fly hatches on stream side rocks a grey bodied comparadun in a size 12 cast upstream in fading light will bring the fish up.

Ken

Tenkara Revisited and the Western Ma. Fly Fishers Expo

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 cramp. When someone says to you, "I caught forty-eight trout and ten of them were twenty inches or better. How'd you do?" say, "Yeah, we got some. Couple of nice ones too." John Gierach

When I first introduced myself to Tenkara (Japanese for "from heaven")a few years ago I was taken in by its pure simplicity and it's minimalist approach. Let's face it, the collecting of fly fishing weapons is not driven by necessity but by marketing and clever marketing at that. Owning rods from 0 to 6wt in every length to fish for TROUT is being over loaded. Tenkara wipes the slate clean. A rod, a line and a fly. Perfect!

Tenkara was developed for small streams. I consider the Swift a small stream as are most in this State. It is not your best choice for larger rivers (Millers, EB, Ware, Deerfield) but there are sections of these rivers that contain ample pocket water which is a collection of small streams within a larger stream. My wife has become pretty good at Tenkara pocket picking on the EB and she had never fly fished before!

Now it seems that the winds of marketing have swept over Tenkara Land. Where a 12 ft rod has been proven to be the only rod that you will ever need you are now given the choice of multiple lengths and weights. All of a sudden you can't fish a 15 ft mountain stream with that 12 ft rod. You need an eight footer or a ten footer or a six footer.......!!!

Resist the temptation at least for a few seasons. Nobody would suggest that break into fly fishing by purchasing rods from 2wt to 6wt at the start. Keep it simple. As a 5wt rod covers most situations a 12 ft trout action Tenkara rod will do the same. Buy a level line (hint: mono or floro with a diameter of .014 should do) the length of the rod, 4 ft of 5x leader and some soft hackles. You are equipped to handle all small streams and at least the first 20 ft of the larger rivers. This strategy has worked for me.

I also teach this form of fly fishing. It gives you a chance to "try it out" before you buy ANOTHER piece of fly fishing stuff!!

I belong to a GREAT group of hardcore fly fishers called the Western Mass. Fly Fishermen. This group will be having it's annual expo on Monday March 21 2016 at the Ludlow Elks on Chapin Street in Ludlow. The doors open at 6:30 and you will be greeted with product booths, great tying demos, a giant raffle and Dan Trela will be our speaker focusing on the Upper Connecticut River and Montana's Bighorn!

Tickets are only $7:00 at the door. I will see you there!!!

Ken

Still Winter In Those Hills And A Millers Presentation.And The Need For A Reel

This was going to be the last 50 degree day until this weekend so I decided to visit a vein of a major artery out in the "Hidden Hills", that section between Rt 20 and Rt 2 west of the Connecticut River. It was going to be a chance to work this new 5'9" 3 wt. fiberglass rod but I decided to use the veteran instead of the rookie. The veteran being my 6'bamboo which had been sending me subliminal messages this past week that it needed to be fished. The rookie will make the lineup later!

It wasn't 50 degrees where I was and the terrain looked like the tail of a retreating glacier. Foot thick slabs of ice hung from both shores of this little stream and the woods still had a blanket of snow. In fact I didn't even see drops of water dripping from the overhanging ice. It's still Winter here!!

Fished for an hour working some brookie flies that I believe resulted in one "tap". That was it but it was good to visit this place. In three weeks.....

Took a detour to check out the EB. The ice barricade is still there and the road below is a bobsled run. In three weeks....

I'm doing a slide presentation on the Millers River for the Western Ma. Fly Fishers on Monday, April 20th at the Ludlow Elks. A 45 minute fly tying demo by Dan Trella starts at 7pm and then I'm right after that. It's free!!

Ken

P.S. A friend of mine has a need for a Loomis Syncrotech 678 fly reel. He is in NEED. If you have one contact me and we will go from there. KEN

A Short Trip To The Pipe On Friday

No cars at the Y Pool lot but the Pipe access road is plowed. Hint: there are no dirty tire tracks here. Just pure white snow. There are footprints going down to the Pipe. Hint: there is new snow covering the prints. The last real snow was last weekend. There was one set of tracks entering the river by the Tree Pool. Mine were the first entering the river by the Pipe. The flow rose to over a hundred the day before but I don't think that was the excuse for only one 10 inch rainbow in the hour that I was there. Or maybe it was. Maybe the flow will drop by Sunday or the trout will settle down after getting used to higher water. Or maybe it's still too early. We will see.

The wind was cold but the sun was warm and felt good on my face. It's better than January for sure. In a couple of weeks.....

Ken

The Rains Came - Finally!!

September was as dry as a bone. Less than an inch of rain fell and the EB and the Millers, still both fishable, needed an infusion. That break came yesterday afternoon and evening. The EB went from 70cfs to 600cfs overnight and now is dropping as it always does. It should level out to 200 or so for October barring another big storm. The Millers fared nicely going from 140 or so to 300 as I write this and now it appears to be dropping which is unusual for this river. It usually goes through the roof and then stays there for a week. I'll take what's happening now any day.

Speaking of the Millers - Saturday, before the heavy rain started, the Millers had a great BWO hatch going on which brought the trout to the surface. The flies were in the size 18 range with both emergers and duns being taken. It was perfect BWO weather, cool and cloudy, until the skies opened up around 1pm. The rain put everything down. We'll have more chances this month if the flows stay fairly low and the weather stays cool and the skies stay cloudy!


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

Back From Florida- The Swift And A Word On The Millers

Ok, back from Florida where the average temperature at 1:00 pm was 80 degrees for five straight days. No fishing but lots of beach combing, eating and drinking and looking for fly fishing areas. They are there and I'm looking for something a few years down the road that will get me away from these New England winters with guiding in mind. We will see!!

Made it to the Swift this morning and worked the Pipe and Tree Pool with two trout in three hours. Not so good! In fact I saw very few trout in all the likely places. I don't know how the previous week/weekend fished for all of you. I hope that it was better. Note: I was the only fly fisher in the three hours that I was there (left at 10:30am). Bad fishing all around OR maybe better fishing later in the day. Your thoughts....

Let's talk about the Millers and in particular the UPPER Bears Den section and more exactly the area ABOVE the C&R Bears Den section. Most who fish the Bears Den follow the line to Rezendes Pool, fish a few hundred yards up and down and the leave. I'm talking about the area around/below the village of South Royalston.

The center of South Royalston is Pete & Henrys Restaurant. The fishing is good across from this establishment through it's rocky chutes but I'm talking bout a half miles downstream.

Take the side road next to the restaurant to it's end. There are two things that you will see. First, there is an island in the middle of the river. The riffle/glide section closest to you is trout PERFECT!! This small flow in May and June can give you 6+ fish per outing. This section also has produced more 4 - 6 inch browns for me than any other section on the river! I like these fish because they are NATIVE BROWNS!

Now for the Pool!! It's just below the island and you can't miss it. Most who attempt to fish this pool don't bother to cross over to the OTHER side which gives you much better wading and casting room. You will see that it is a no-brainer. Cross over at the downstream tip of the island if conditions permit!

The photos on this post are from this section and were posted on this blob last May when I was writing mostly about the Swift (DUH). I'll post them now that I'm writing about this section.

If the Wendell Depot section seems crowded and Rezendes seems crowded GO HERE!!! Chances are you may be the only one there.

Think SPRING!!!

Ken

A Word On Tenkara And What Happened To My Blog

Somehow, my blog got F'd up. Everything got rearranged without me having anything to do with it. I reconstructed it to something that resembles the original. It's not a virus thing but a google thing. I will work it out. The message will continue but I have to post again my Tenkara comments.

Tenkara- This technique has worked its way into the fly fishing word. It was developed in the mountain streams of Japan for their trout. I have used this technique on and off for the past 18 months. Here are my thoughts and observations.

THE GOOD

It is fly fishing, pure and simple! A 12 ft (on average) rod with a mono line attached to the tip of the rod delivers a fly. A 12 ft. rod generally has 12 ft of heavy mono to which 5 or 6 ft of 5 x leader material is attached. Even though there is no reel or standard fly line it is still fly fishing. It is wonderfully basic. Remember that a lot of "high sticking" is done without any standard fly line touching the water. We are all guilty of that!

Tenkara rids us of dealing with drag that comes with using a standard floating fly line. One can pick pockets at leisure and catch trout. It is perfect for mountain streams and pocket water on larger rivers.

THE NOT SO GOOD

LANDING TROUT is not so easy. Check out the standard Tenkara video and you will see an angler hooking a fish, playing it out and then skidding it over the top of the water to a Tenkara net. Two things are obvious: the trout are small (6 to 12 inches) and the Tenkara net is SMALL. Remember, this technique was developed in Japans mountain streams. Small water usually means small fish. Hook a 15 inch Swift River Bow with a Tenkara outfit and you will not be able to let that fish run (the line is attached to the tip of the rod) and you will have to chase it. I have done that fully knowing that a standard reel would have given me a distinct advantage. I have snapped the leader doing that have seen other Tenkara anglers do that and had Dan Trela, the Dean of the Swift, say that he has seen the same thing. What is the remedy? Have someone with a net close by to assist you or be prepared to run downstream with those larger, aggressive trout.

My new wife has caught trout with a tenkara setup. It is perfect in a mountain stream filled with small, beautiful native trout. It may be the best setup for that environment.

TENKARA FLIES - Fagetabotit!!!! Japanese entomology has years to go before it's at a western level. Where are the size 20 BWO, the scuds, the streamers, the basic nymphs?? Those Tenkara flies are so huge and generic that they may only be dependable on small mountain brooks. I'd use soft hackles instead.

Tenkara - It has it's place and it is very enjoyable in that place.

Ken

This January And The Grouse And Orange

What a difference a year makes. Last January we had days in the 60's. This January we are in a deep freeze. My January started off with The flu that lingered for a week and a half. I did get to spend a week in Florida with it's 80 degree days which were perfect. And now back to the arctic where I've been hunkered down restocking my fly inventory. Today, the 27th, was my first fishing trip of 2013. It was 2 degrees at 7am and not much more at 10am when I quit. Two small 'bows were all that I got from the Swift. February will be better.

The Grouse and Orange - An ancient soft hackle fly that gets a modern makeover. Ditch the silk or floss for the body and go with orange kevlar. This glass thread gives a waxy shin to the body that the traditional materials don't.

Size 10 to 14 hooks (you can go smaller if you like)
Kevlar body
rusty brown natural dubbing for the thorax
Grouse, chicken hen or any soft material for the hackle

Many times we have a grouse cape that has been picked clean of the popular size hackles and all we have left is an abundance of hackles that are to large to wind on the fly. Here's how to use these feathers.

Pluck a large feather from the cape. Strip of the fibers from one side of the feather and position them on top of the hook, concave side on top, and enough fibers extending in front of the hook eye to equal about 1/3 of the hook shank. Do this before you wrap the body. (don't use too many fibers, keep it sparse) Then wrap your thread loosely around the hook and fibers allowing the fibers to encircle the hook. Now wrap the body and thorax (covering the butt ends of the fibers)and tie back the hackle fibers.

With practice your flies will all have that "wrapped hackle" look and you will be using all those feathers.

Ken

Time To Tie Flies (And Fish The Swift) The Swift Serendipity

This is the time of year when we tie flies, mountains of flies!!! For those of us that live within two hours of the Swift we can tie those flies and not have to wait until April to get them wet. I finished 2012 working a Swift Serendipity below the Pipe. It works anywhere that you have riffles or choppy water.

Here's the recipe:

scud hook - size 14 through 20
Body - red kevlar for the body. I like the waxy shine of kevlar. Keep it slim.
Wing - a tag of white turkey flat
head - dark red or reddish brown dubbing.

That's it!! A very simple fly that loves fast water

Ken

The "Revisionists" Are Out There - Renaming Of Millers River Pools

It started in 2004 when a "local" decided to "rename" some famous pools on the upper river (Bears Den) of the Millers. It was strange BECAUSE these places ALREADY had names that stretched back a half century!!!! I thought that baloney sank without a trace but it's back with an internet presence. Out of nowhere came the name "McKenzie's Pool" in place of the "Gorge Pool". Where did that name come from?? I had 20 years of fishing that river(at that time) and I had never heard of it. Neither did any of my local fly fishers friends who fished with me "back in the day". The late Bob Roleau, a local commercial fly tier and instructor NEVER called it "McKenzies Pool". When researching my Millers guide I fact checked the name of that pool and he said "It's the Gorge Pool and we called it that back in the late 1930's" Rodney Flagg of Flagg's Flies backed him up: "My dad and I fished the Gorge Pool in the 40's and 50's until they stopped stocking the river". Red Sox great Ted Williams and Heavyweight Champion Jack Sharkey, who fished this river in the 40's and 50's, would NEVER recognize the name "McKenzie". They would know the name "Gorge Pool".

The McKenzie label and any other labels are 21st creations. They lessen the legacy of this river that goes back at least 80 years and add unnecessary confusion to new generations of fly fishers.

Why do they do it?? Your guess is as good as mine. Me? I like a sense of local angling history. It's important and I don't feel the need to make it up. It's like renaming the Y Pool on the Swift and calling it "Kens Pool". We fished the Gorge Pool long before anyone tried to rename it!!

I'm glad to see that the Gorge Pool is now a favorite section. Since I first wrote about it in 2008 I've received many emails about this place. I've brought many fly fishers there too. If Ted Williams were still alive he would know where I was talking about. "McKenzie Pool"??? Ted wouldn't know where that was!!

The above photo is of the GORGE POOL!!

Ken

Saturday Morning On The EB

The rain was supposed to hold off until mid day but 10am found a light drizzle turning into a light rain turning into a ........ You get the message.

8:45am found me at slant rock pool only because I was too lazy to work the section below the gate a half mile or so into this section. There is a stretch below the gate that has entered my dreams - deep, smooth, classic, but I chickened out. I'll pay for that with "could of, should of" dreams for the next week. Anyway, slant rock forgave me. Five 'bows came to the dry. The tail end of this pool will keep you awake at night. Classic dry fly water!!!!

Next stop was the Bliss Pool. Three more surfaced to take a large stone fly. I made the mistake of tying this #10 stone to a 5x tippet. Talk about a messed up tippet!! 4X brought three 'bows up in the fast water at the head of this pool.

I thought about this river as I cut vines and other invasive growth away from my deck over looking the Mill River this early afternoon. Maybe tonight.......

The above photo is an old photo. I didn't have my camera today. Sorry!!

Ken