The Millers - It Has Survived!!!

This past week was hard. Sometimes personal things change everything and they did. Fly fishing was something far from my mind as my drive back home found me near Wendell Depot. I needed a break and the chance to check out the Kempfield, take some low water photos and the idea to just chill a bit seemed right. With only my camera a took the walk over the trestle, into the woods and down the hill to the top of the Run. The island at the top of this run is now connected by dry land. (see above photos) I've never seen that before. The big, slow pool at the end has a large rock breaking the surface. Never seen that before either. I've never seen such a low water condition on this river!! I hadn't been here since early July. I saw the low flow online, heard the stories of dieing trout and even began to believe that my brown trout would not make it. Like I said, I've never seen it this bad before. I sat down and spent a half hour just taking it in.

In a while the sun sank below on of the tall pines on the opposite shore, putting me in the shade. The air felt cool. It was 6pm with an hour till sundown and that's when I saw it - A RISE!!! Back to the car I went for waders and a 4wt (never leave home without it) and then back to the spot.

Here's what happened. The water felt cool and a quick temperature check registered 67 degrees - the same range as every 20+ years on this river on an early September evening. The air was filling with a small (#18) yellowish mayfly and rises were beginning to mark the surface in that beautiful glide above the large, slow pool. I fished for a half an hour and took three dark, beautiful browns on dries. I could of fished longer but after snapping the leader on the last release I called it a night. The browns fought hard with that bulldog "nose in the gravel" battle that browns are known for.

I've fished this river, this spot, for 26 seasons and have never seen such dry conditions. Even I, who have waved the pom-poms for browns for all these decades, began to lose faith in their survival. I STAND CORRECTED!!!!!

As I say on my home page - Browns are the ONLY trout that belong in the Millers!!

There's your proof!

Ken

Labor Day Weekend On The Swift - So Far..

I was the first at the "Pipe" at 7:15am this Labor Day Saturday. What a difference a week makes!! The flow at the mid 40cfs range should not have mattered. It didn't a week or so ago when big, dark rainbows charged the fly. My hour alone produced one middle size 'bow. So I walked upstream just below the gauge and cast a few dry fly casts to those riffles. Above me was a young father, a dog and a young daughter. Dad had a fly rod and both he and the girl waded wet across the stream to fish that set of riffles. Dad hooks a trout, the girl is spellbound and the dog even seems interested. It reminded me of years ago when I would take my girls on trips such as this. That dad is doing the right thing!!

Upstream I go to the crib dam. A land a "triple" - 'bows, browns and a brookie!! All are on an olive parachute, size 16. All are small. The rainbows are between 5 and 7 inches, the browns run 7 to 8 inches and the brookie (so beautiful)made the 10 inch mark. For a while I forget that this is a tailwater where cold water means lots of trout, even big trout. For a while I was in a Northern New England state-of-mind!!! I'll take those small fish. They remind me that I am damn lucky to find rising trout at the tail end of a horridly hot and dry Summer here in the Baystate.

You will know when you get there that this water below the "dam" is best fished from the left side, looking upstream.

I've highlighted this section before. A number of you have commented on it (thank you) but I usually still have the place to myself. Then again, I fish during the early morning and in the evenings.

I posted a photo of the short section that is directly across from the hatchery intake. Last year it was the home of rainbows. This year it's the home of brookies!! Here's the catch - there are a lot of 5 inch fish here but if you work the water carefully and totally the 10-12 inch brookie will show. I fish size 18 CDC emergers on a short line. These fish are beautiful and a lot of fun.

I hope to be there tomorrow (or maybe Bondsville)

Ken

The Swift - 8/26 through 8/29

The 122cfs flow fell like a rock on this Thursday afternoon. A 7:am check read 112cfs but at noon the flow was shut down to the 45cfs level and that was the story for the "pipe" section. Where were the trout?? They were there!! I took 13 below the pipe using scud patterns with and without a bead head. These fish were BIG, dark colored bows.

Sunday morning, 8/29 - I'm the only one there from 7am until 8:45am. I took 10 using a size 14 flashback scud with a micro-shot about a foot above the fly. It was heaven!! By 10AM I had 5 fly fishers working this area so I took a look upstream. Just across from the intake I saw rising trout. The place was alive with rising brookies, all small, but RISING!! I took 7 of these beautiful fish on size 18 dries. All of the brookies were between 6 and 9 inches but they made the morning for me!! My 4wt seemed heavy for these guys. The 3wt was in the car, the 2wt bamboo was back home. Go with what you have!!

The Swift is a special place. Cold water, an good flow (60CFS would be PERFECT) and lots of trout that are wise to us fly fishers!!!

The Swift - 8/21 Through Now

It was strange to find myself at the "Pipe", at 10:30am on a weekend morning, and find NOBODY THERE!! The trout were there, maybe not in the numbers of seasons past, but they were there and the few souls who ventured there caught fish. The 'bows were old timers, nice and dark, as was the tiny five inch brown that also came to the net. I took five, two on hot spots and three on hoppers (yes!!).

Bondsville had me dualing with some very selective fish last Friday evening. Rainbows and brookies were working the surface but I could only manage three fish. The rest kept me puzzled. A rise here, a rise there but nothing chasing the sparse mayfly hatch that was in the air. In any event it was fun.

I'm still praying for rain to bring the Millers back to normal. September is approaching and that is my favorite month on that river.

Ken

Plum Island Strpers And Blues

It was a much need break from the drought and heat that has blasted the trout fishing scene through much of New England. It had been two years since I took out the 8wt or tied up anything larger than a size 4 but I did just that to prep myself for a week at Plum Island. I had some good early morning tide changes to play with which would leave the rest of the day to spend with my other half. Not a bad deal!!

The first thing that I wanted to do was catch a blue for the grill. That was easy and it was delicious. The second thing was to break the 28 inch striped bass barrier, a feat that I hadn't accomplished in 15 years. That wasn't easy! This shore bound angler got as close as 24 inches with one of the two bass that I landed. That's when blog reader Jim Chase came to the rescue.

Jim, by the way, is a Plum Island resident and had read that I was staying there. He called me and extended an invitation to get "on the water". Invitation accepted!! At 5:15AM we were heading down to the mouth of the Merrimack in Jim's 21 footer. The next four hours were pretty good if you like catching striped bass!!

A few notes must be made:

1. Jim knows what he's doing. His 10wt and large flies resulted in 15+ fish in the 24 to 36 inch range.

2. My 8wt was not up to the task of throwing the large flies (rambos) or fighting the wind. Note to self: invest in a heavier option!!

3. I had forgotten that my backing was a goofy yellow color. I saw my backing on a number of runs. Thanks Jim!

4. I have no "sea legs".

5. I still managed to cast well enough to take 5 bass. The 28 inch barrier was broken!!! Thanks again Jim!!

I'm back home in Northampton where I plan to hit the lower Swift in a day or so. I've noticed that this Bondsville section is now being mentioned on various blogs and forums which I think is a good thing. I'm also scouring the internet for a 10wt set up which will not break the bank. That will be a good thing too!!

Ken

July - A Review

It may have been the hottest and driest July on record or at least it was in my memory. I've always said that heat by itself is not the culprit in slamming trout streams but that drought is the main enemy. 2006 is a good example - very hot BUT very wet and the fishing held up on the Millers. This year is another story. The photo of the lone fly fisher was taken on July 31 from the bridge on Bridge St. looking downstream. Too much exposed stream bed for my taste. Pray for rain!!

The EB - I'm waiting for a good deluge here too.

And that leaves the Swift, especially the Bondsville section that has been a pleasant surprise. With the exception of today (8/1) I've caught trout on every outing. The dry fly fishing has been great. I don't know what's up with the flow on this river which has seen levels of 38cfs 115cfs, 55cfs, 38cfs, and now 110cfs over the past three weeks. I'm not complaining. It's COLD water and there's plenty of it.

On August 7th I head to Plum Island for a week of striper chasing. Maybe my week at the beach will end the drought!! I'll squeeze in a trip or two this week in the evening. Maybe the EB!!

Ken

The Lower Swift - Very Different And Very Cool!

The Heat is on and has been on for three weeks. Add in a lack of rain over the last two months and you will a situation that we don't want to see. The Millers is too low to fish and the EB is right behind it. That leaves our little tailwater - the Swift.

Late afternoon on July 20th found me eyeing the 8-10 cars at the Y Pool lot. No way!! The "Pipe" section had almost as many. It was then that the old idea came back - what about the Lower Swift? Not Cady Lane but much further downstream, that Bondsville section. Why not.

Five miles later found me looking at a river that was totally different than its upstream section. Gone were the shallow, placid runs with their sand and gravel bottom. In their place was a shaded, turbulent (for the Swift) river with plenty of boulders but with plenty of deep pools mixed in with plenty of riffles. What was also missing from the lower river were the hordes of anglers (I was alone)and the kayaks and tubers! The water was clear but not the gin clear condition seen miles upstream. One thing that it had in common with the river around rt9 was the water temperature. It registered 62 degrees which was surprising when one thinks of the impoundments just upstream.

The fishing - it was all dry fly. First with a stimulator in the heavier water and ending with #16 sulphurs as the hatch began. I took ten rainbows on this trip and they ran from some pint sized 10 inch trout to a few that pushed the fifteen inch mark. BTW, this place is a nymph fishers dream. It's classic water is that respect.

So, in this horrid Summer I have found an intimate, shaded river that looks like a mountain stream that is running in the low 60 degree range. Will it now become crowded?? I doubt it. The "Y" and the "Pipe" will continue to draw their faithful but if you are looking for some solitude go WAY down river!!