A Summer Morning, A Happy Fourth And A Lost Rod

Flyfishing does have its social aspects - on some of our crowded trout streams it can get too social -
but essentially it's a solitary, contemplative sport. People are left alone with themselves in beautiful surroundings to try to accomplish something that seems to have genuine value John Gierach

When I passed the Y Pool parking lot at 6:10 am there were a dozen vehicles there already. Tee times start early at the Y!! And from what I've heard there are a lot of fish above Route 9 and NOT a lot below Route 9. The ONE car there at 6:15 is testimony to that. The big, fat stocking on July 1 that we saw last year and the year before that and the year before that is not the case this year. It is slim pickings and a lot of empty water. For me it's PERFECT!!!!!!!!! (I'll tell you of a place where the rainbows are. Just stay calm)

I skipped the usually places and headed down to Cady Lane. I love this spot! Brookies, browns and bows are in the offering but it's the brookies that drive me there. The brookies are BIGGER this year. This morning I got deep into the double digits with a number of 8 to 10 inch fish and a beauty that hit the foot long mark. The 3 inch freshmen stayed off the hook although I could see them on the edges of the weeds. Where else in southern New England could you have this crazy treasure?

The brown came out of nowhere and grabbed the size 18 soft hackle, placed its 14 inch body against the current and then shook the hook. Fair enough because I saw him rise up from the bottom and felt the resistance for an instant. A lost fish but a good experience!!

I was down at Cady for three hours on a Summer holiday and NEVER saw or heard another angler. The only sounds were the riffles from upstream, summer morning birdsong (much subdued from spring) and some cattle mooing in the distance. Cady is a good place to reset the clock. I've been running full bore over the last three months with guiding and the "day job" and I needed CALM. I got it. (BTW, I'll have an word on that day job in a week or so)

Now, where are the freshly stocked trout below Route 9????? Local fish hawk Jim found them and he found them to the tune of 6 bows and 2 brookies (all good fish) on dries in a 2 hour span. If I found them I'd tell you where but he told me so I will not. I visited the place at the end of the morning, caught one bow and saw others. Hint: Explore!!!!!

Steak and ribs rubbed in pepper and salt going on the coals in an hour. Have a Happy July 4th!!!

Ken

P.S. A reader found a rod IN the Millers (???) If it's your rod then just go to the comments and look for Anonymous and his email address.

A Freestone Update, The Swift Is Stocked And Summer Evenings

"Fly patterns are like literature: endless variations on a handful of themes.  The good ones are the ones that work, for whatever reason, and the great ones are those that survive beyond their own generation." - John Gierach


What a difference a year makes!! Last year at this time the freestone rivers that I fish (Millers, Ware and the Westfield Branches) were toast. Now they are perfect!!!! The WB did well for me last Sunday and also produced this week. The EB worked well for Gary during a "dry fly morning" as he described it. I spent the week guiding on the Millers and we caught trout every EVENING.

I put the word EVENING in caps because it is important. There are those that still consider the Millers unfishable during the summer. They are totally wrong. If you want to fish during bankers hours go to the Farmie or the Swift but if you want some REAL summer fishing hit the water by 7pm on the Millers or very early in the morning (5am) on any of above mentioned rivers.

Also, try to stay clear of the tributary mouths. I have seen trout packed in where Whetstone Brook enters the Millers with guys fishing right on top of them. Connecticut has a law against fishing near certain brooks flowing into the Housie during the summer. So should we!!!

Flies To Use - Use any fly that you want BUT I would never be on the Millers (or any other river) this time of year without tan and olive comparaduns in 14 and 16, Soft hackles (of course) in partridge and Olive or Orange and my reduced buggers.

Another bit of conventional wisdom debunked is that trout stop hitting if there is lightning in the air. We had two good evenings shortened when storms began to approach but we continued to hook up. The trout didn't care but we did, getting off the water with plenty of time to spare.

The Swift - The regulations change below RT 9 on July 1 to C&R and that river should get some fish if it hasn't already. With the freestones running full I've had little time to fish the Swift but that should change this coming week. I'll keep you posted. Note: The Swift was stocked today (Friday June 30)!

I'll be chasing stripers from 7/8 to 7/15 and then guiding in the evenings through Labor Day. Want to try a new river during the best time of year? Contact me!

Ken

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

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

FISH THIS WEEKEND!!!!!

Listen to the sound of the river and you will get a trout" - Irish proverb
                                                                                                                                                                             

Believe it or not this mid June weekend may be the BEST weekend of the year to hit the rivers. First, air temperatures out here in trout land will barely hit the mid 70's with lows at night in the 40's. That will keep the rivers cool which is what we want. Second, the rain earlier in the week brought everything back up to a good level. Even the Millers has behaved by staying within it's banks. It appears that the dam owners in Orange are playing with the flow so keep an I on it. The Millers fished great on Wednesday at Orcutt and the Bridge Street Pool.

The EB gauge is still down but don't worry about the conditions. They are perfect!!!! This cool weather may keep the sun worshipers down to a minimum and out of the Bliss Pool. Hit the EB after 4pm to avoid all of that.

The Swift - plenty of trout at the Y Pool and slim pickings for rainbows below rt 9. That's ok because I've been dancing with brook trout and the big browns that keep trying to cut in further down stream. Remember, it's not the size of the trout that counts. It's how and where you caught it that matters. The brookies of Cady Lane are the crown jewel of the Swift. Frankly, I haven't missed the big dump of rainbows and the circus that it creates this year. I don't care if they don't throw anymore bows into the Pipe area this year and not because the bows will hurt the brookies population which certainly hasn't happened. I just like the new found elbow room and still being able to catch trout. I would do anything to get that brown back that I lost Tuesday evening!!!

The Ware is fine!! Find the Church Street bridge in Ware about a 1/4 mile south of RT 32 as a starting point. Fish upstream or downstream and against the banks!!! Evenings will be good.

An added bonus - this cool weather is supposed to last right through to the end of NEXT WEEK. Play hooky next week!!

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

Eb Update

The coffee was perking at 4:45 and the patter of rain was hitting the skylights when I started this day. First, the rain and the morning forecast was a bit north of damp and that was a good thing. Too many of these 90+ degree days. This morning would be cool and damp for two missions: one was to explore a "thin blue line" that had been in my brain for a week. More on that in a later post. The second was to hit the EB. Because of the rain this spot may not be overrun by bathers who seemed to have taken the place over. Earlier this week I saw the fabled Bliss Pool taken over by waders (sans fly rods) as late as 7pm. I guess I can't blame them given this drought and heat wave but it doesn't compute with what we do. I let them have it. With the 65 degree air temperature in the Gorge and with the rain I know they wouldn't be there this morning!

Mission number one was accomplished and off to the EB without getting out of my waders. I was the only one there - no bathers and no flyfishers. I've felt bad about not being here for a while and certainly not like last year where I seemed to live here.

First, the flow seemed just fine. Second, the trout are there too. It was only an hour and a half of fishing on the Bliss Pool ( If you're the only one there then fish the Bliss) but I took 1 bow, 1 brown, lost another of uncertain pedigree and tried like hell to tempt the only free riser that I saw. The first three came up for a size 12 bi-visible. The free riser (rising about every three minutes) had nothing to do with the big fly and since it's rise forms said "nymphing" I switched to a size 16 tan parachute. That usually works but today was no dice.

I left at noon knowing that our boys will make it through August and will still provide sport. As I left the sun began to break through and the first "beach party" appeared.

Word to the wise - Wait until AFTER Labor Day. The swimmers will be gone, the waters will cool, a hint of color will hit the "early" trees" and our season will start again!!

Ken

Millers Update

"NhFlyfisher" left a comment yesterday asking if the Millers, at 100 cfs, was too low to fish. The answer is yes and no.

I took a ride to inspect this old haunt for the first time in almost a month. A month ago we had very high water but this drought has a grip on this watershed. The first stop was the Upper Trestle Pool. Over the years this spot always had at least one rising fish but not this evening. This pool usually fishes well during low flows. Not tonight.

So, down to the Kempfield where things got strange. While standing at mid pool I saw a line of bubbles working it's way across the pool towards the shore. "Beaver" I thought but I was wrong. It was an otter with a 15 inch rainbow in it's jaws. The otter crawled up on shore dragging his dinner and disappeared into the bushes. The last of the Millers rainbows? Hardly. I took two and a brown in the next hour and a half and all on dries and all on totally different patterns.

Was the fishing good? Not really and that was because of the low flow. Some favorite runs were almost unfishable. We need rain and this river needs to spike to 200 cfs for a good fishing experience. BTW, all fish fought hard and quickly swam away at release.

Ken

Is The EB Really The "East Branch"??

Start in Westfield along Rt 20 and begin to follow the Westfield River upstream. In Huntington you will see a tributary, the West Branch of the Westfield, come tumbling out of the Berkshire Hills to join the main river. That's what tributaries do.

Soon you will see another stream entering to join the flow. That's the Middle Branch of the Westfield. Now you will keep an eye peeled for the storied "East Branch" but you will never find a tributary or any notice of one after the mouth of the Middle Branch. Why is that? Well, it's because there is NO EAST BRANCH. The EB (East Branch) is really the MAIN RIVER (THE WESTFIELD RIVER).

Why do I say this? First, topo maps and the Army Corps of Engineers call the river above the Middle Branch the "WESTFIELD RIVER", pure and simple. Second, how can the EB be a tributary when it doesn't flow INTO a river and when it's daily flow, measured for close to a 100 years, so more than DOUBLE the flows of the West and Middle Branches combined. It's watershed, above the Middle Branch, is as long or longer than the the Westfield River from the Middle Branch mouth to the Connecticut River!

In short, the EB is really the WESTFIELD RIVER and not a branch at all. Forget what other groups say. Kayak folks call it the North Branch????? It is the Westfield River.

Am I about to change the name to something other than the EB?? No way. Just making a point on a cold Saturday afternoon when I've been tying a zillion flies and waiting to plow more snow tomorrow.

Think Spring!!

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

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