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

The Farmington - How To Get Started

"There's always a hot new fly. Precious few of them are genuine breakthroughs destined to last for a hundred years, but more often they're idle comments on existing traditions, explorations of half baked theories, attempts to use new and interesting materials, to impress other tiers, or excuses to rename old patterns.  The results are often pointless fads like the craze in some pretentious restaurants of plopping fried quail eggs on everything or calling sandwiches panninis". - John Gierach


Whenever I guide someone I will always express the opinion that the Farmington River in Connecticut is the best trout stream in New England. Many that I guide, through their own personal experience, will wholeheartedly agree while others have heard the rumors but haven't been there. This post is for the latter crowd.

Ok, where do you start? You start a few weeks before your planned trip by doing two things:

1. Visit the website for UPCOUNTRY FLY SHOP. They have made it a habit to give river updates twice a week for years now! They will not only tell you what flies to use but will tell you where to us them. A great example of this was back in the brutal winter of 2014 - 2015. They gave locations for the best opportunity for surface action. You can't beat that!

2. Get a copy of "A Guide To Fishing the Farmington River" - This Guide, written by the Farmington River Anglers Association, may be the BEST river guide ever written about a New England River. This group certainly cannot be considered tight lipped and secretive like some other "friends of the river" are. Run by run, pool by pool, it's all laid out for you and can save you years of leg work. Want to fish Whittemore, the Wood Shop or Ovation? Now you know where to go and how to do it.

Pick up a copy at Upcountry in person or online.

We owe this group a big "THANK YOU"!

Ok, when do I fish the Farmington? The truth is I used to fish it more often 10 to 15 years ago before my guiding business took off. Now it's my Winter and very early Spring river. By the time the hendricksons begin to pop up I'm back in Ma guiding.

Where are my favorite spots?

Campground Pool - great dry fly pool especially up at the head of the pool. I used to camp there and hit the top of the pool at dawn. Size 24 BWO's in the mist!!!!

Wood Shop Pool - a good spot

Spare Tire Pool - Love this spot because I usually have it all to myself and I've done well there.

Ovation Pool - Caught my first brown on the Farmie right here

Church Pool - Usually packed but if you get lucky and have few other anglers you can have some great fishing here.

Whittemore Pool - some like it a lot.  I'm so-so on it. Not my Farmington experience.

Greenwooods - Great water but becoming a very-trendy-to-be-seen location.  That's why I opt for Spare Tire right below it.

I should make the time to fish the Farmington this Summer. Hell, I'm less than an hour away!!!!

BTW, I receive no consideration for endorsing the above entities. They deserve it!!

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

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

The MB And The EB This Weekend

"Take care of the fish and the fishing will take care of itself." Art Neumann

I met Lenny at the EB around 7:30 Saturday morning to take the drive over to the Middle Branch of the Westfield River. I really wanted to work this river hard and started down by the mouth of the river by Littleville Lake. Lenny saw one rising bow and that was it. We met a local fly fisher who believed that the DFW never stocked the place!!

Now it was time to go trout hunting. We began to work upstream for a few miles and then hit pay dirt. We found lots of trout but catching them proved to be another story. They were holding in some very skinny water and were easily "lined".

Finally a piece of the puzzle was solved with a #18 black weighted nymph. The 16 inch bow took off ripping line from the reel and putting a healthy bend in the remade 6 foot 4 weight Paul Young bamboo rod. Two more got hooked but slipped away. We left around noon and my plans were to get back early the next day.

The MB is a gem and seems more remote than it's bigger brother the EB. This may be because the River Road along the EB may get more vehicular and foot traffic than River Road along the MB. You fish ALONE, period!! It is a gorgeous New England trout stream with the right mix of deep woods and pastoral settings that just makes you feel that you are in the right place. The river has the size of many places on the Swift without the crowds and on that 90 degree Saturday the water temperature barely made 57 degrees. Will that stand up to high Summer? My friend Christophe took a 17 inch bow there in late June two years ago in very skinny water. It we get enough rain who knows what can happen.

I made it back at 6:15 the next morning for an hour of fishing. Tough fishing but this time three came to the net and I was the only one there.

Bridges are a good spot to try out although today's rain got the MB pumped and jacked which will scatter the trout which is a very good thing. Fish this place!!

The EB was a mob scene Saturday with swimmers in the Bliss Pool and the complaints about low water. I do avoid the EB on holiday weekends for the obvious reasons.

Today I took my two clients out on the EB at 7:45am in a downpour that lasted for about an hour and a half. My guess was that the flow was around 200 cfs (remember, the gauge is broken) when we started and still clear. That changed between 10:45 and 11:15 when a monster flow hit us and raised the water level by over 1.5 feet and turned the water coffee colored. My guess was that the flow was about 800 and climbing. We still hooked up with trout by fishing the banks where many trout go to avoid the strong current. As usual this high flow will be gone in 48 hours and things will be back to normal.

I hope that they fix the gauge soon!!!!

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

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

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

Seasonal Change And A Note On The EB

Things are changing. You may notice it if you are an early riser. On June 21 the sun rose at 5:07am. Today it rose at 5:38am and sets at 8:02, a full 22 minutes earlier than that first day of summer. We've lost almost an hour of daylight over the last five weeks and at the end of this month we will have lost over an additional hour. What does this mean for the fly fisher? It means that fishing conditions are getting better.

First, August is historically cooler than July. There's less sunlight to heat things up. Temperatures cool off more during the longer August nights. Many of the larger aquatic insects are done for the season but are replaced with terrestrial insects like hoppers, beetles and crickets and ants. Especially ANTS. It seems that over the years the best weeks for winged ants are the 3rd and 4th weeks of August. I have fished over an ant swarm only to be told that someone was doing the same thing 60 miles away from me on the same day. My ant pattern is simple: size 16 and 18 hooks, a dark brown/rust colored body tied in an hour glass profile with two small blue dun hackle points tied at the "waist" and pointing backwards. Very slim wings of grey CDC does the trick too.

Another good autumn pattern is the pumpkin caddis. The Millers used to have swarms of this large rusty orange fly, the EB less so. Maybe that's why a grouse and orange works so well during the Fall.

The EB - this is the best year since 2009 which was an unbelievable year. Water levels have been great in July and with the slow cool down of August things will just get better. With luck we will have another 3 or 4 months fishing this treasure.

Watch, August will have two weeks of 90+ temperatures and no rain. Maybe, but things are still changing.

Keep Fishing!!

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

The Rain - The Good And The Bad Of It And A Lost Rod Tip - See Comments

The weatherman said look out for storms last Tuesday but as I headed east at 5pm the sky was nothing but hazy. Paul headed west towards Wendell Depot after a big storm hit his town just outside the watershed. We were hoping for a few hours on the Millers.

The flow had just nudged over the 500 cfs level when we started. Some may like this level but I don't especially in the Summer. Cut it in half and I'm fine. When a inch smallie rips line off your reel because he's broadside heading downstream the flow is just too high. I spent the next hour or so practicing my casting.

Then came the lightning. We made it back to the cars before the skies opened up with the heaviest downpour I've seen since Irene. The result of this: the Millers went from a rather high 535 cfs to about 2000 cfs in 24 hours. As I write this (6am on 6/19) it's still roaring along at 1250. It will take a while to come down.

The EB rose like a rocket too but has come down nicely to 272 cfs. That is PERFECT!! Fish this river this weekend!! This weather pattern has been great for the EB. That whole watershed is WET with every brook and spring keeping the river cool and at a good level between storms. This year is much like 2008 and 2009 where the EB was great through the Summer and the Millers was unfishable.

The Swift just keeps rolling along with the trout beginning to spread themselves out. I can't say the same for the fishermen who still school up in the usual spots. I took two new fly fishers to the Swift, showed them the crowds, and directed them to an empty stretch of river where they both caught their first Swift River rainbows.

This is considered "High Summer". It's that two week period in July when we have, historically, our warmest temperatures
of the year. The EB has made it through this period this year. The Millers???

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