Millers, Swift and EB Update

OK, It's time to start fishing until the ice begins to form next Winter. It's almost May so there are no excuses except when the water levels go nuts as they have on the Millers. We will have more rain within 24 hours of this writing so watch the gauges on this blog especially for the Millers. To get a good read on the EB check the gauge reading for the WEST BRANCH OF THE WESTFIELD. It is dam free and a few miles from the EB. The gauge isn't effected by a dam. If the water is dropping on the West Branch then it is dropping in the C&R section of the EB!!

The Millers - The annual stock of browns is scheduled for May 2nd. Before that moron from Winchendon howls about me talking about mentioning STOCKING when I have said that I will not LET ME JUST SAY that I have worked long and hard to get AND keep browns in this river for over 25 years. I'm also proud of this accomplishment, having scheduled the event for 5 years and have mentioned this event over the last 7 years that I've written this blog. It's the reason that the Millers fishes so well through the season. BTW, I'm told that TU is continuing to work this event again - very good!!!

The Swift - Lots of fish. I've seen them, caught them and my clients have done the same. If you are getting zeros above RT 9 then fish below RT 9. You can't really see the fish there soooo it's going to be harder, I guess.

The EB - Go fish!! As mentioned above you have to check the levels of neighboring rivers for the next few weeks. It really begins to hop by mid May!!

The guy in the photo - that's Charlie from Evening Sun Fly Shop on the Millers!! Spend your money there!!!!!!! You'll get a great deal and will be shopping local!

Ken

Millers And EB Update

A hard,snowy winter can mean a hard,wet spring and that is what is on the table for the Millers and the EB. Two days of 70+ degree weather ended with 2-3 inches of hard snow this past Tuesday night and that was followed with two days of 40 or so temperatures and a stiff, cold wind. Things will get better and hopefully soon.

The Millers and the EB are roaring. As I write the Millers in Erving is charging along at 2740 cfs. Divide that number by 6 and you get a high but fishable flow. That number is a long time away. The EB has a reading of 1170 BUT that is below the flow control dam in Knightville, miles below Chesterfield Gorge. They will hold water back for flood and canoe racing concerns which will make it seem like a reasonable flow in the Gorge when it may not be and then release water which makes the gauge go crazy down below when the Gorge flow is actually nice. Get it? Anyway, a good way to know what the flow is in the Gorge is to check out the flow for the West Branch of the Westfield. Find the Median Flow and multiply by 2.5. It usually works. 500 cfs is fishable on the EB.

The Millers has a tendency to hold its water for a long time. Check my site for the stream gauge sites and when the flow drops below 500 go to spots that will fish ok in high water. One spot is the Bridge Street Pool (check the photo) on the lower Millers in Farley. It's a classic riffles/pool setup and found on my Millers Guide.

The Eb, if we stay a little dry, will begin to drop steadily and be fishable soon.

There's always the Swift!!

Ken

One More Fly Pattern For Those Caddis

About 20 years or so ago I read an article in either Flyfisherman Magazine or Fly Rod and Reel Magazine or some other fly fishing magazine about a neat way to tie quill wing caddis flies that don't fall apart after a fish or two. This is the last of the articles that I've seen about this style of tying.

Let's face it, those old enough to remember the battle with quill wings (the style hasn't really carried into the new generation that much)remember how the wing would separate quickly. There was a solution with spray adhesives that didn't really work too well. This method works!

Take a turkey feather (used in the photo)and place it on a table face side down. Take some CLEAR scotch tape and stick it to the under side of the feather. Then cut out the taped feather segment that you want to use in the shape that you want. Then start tying your caddis or alder pattern on the hook size that you want. I use a buggy body with a darker thorax (check the photo again) and will add antennae on for suitable patterns. Sometimes I use a clipped palmered body under that quill tent but not often. I a week or two we will see a billion caddis on every bush bordering the Millers. This fly looks like those caddis. It looks like other caddis too. Try it out!!

The Millers - Toooo high

The EB - Toooo high

The Swift - just right!!!

Ken

Spring Is Here - As Usual

Ok, it's April and things are just the same as they have been for the three rivers that I cover. There was an exception back in the early Spring of 2010 when we were casting for and catching holdover browns that were rising to henricksonsons on the Millers in very late March. Not this year for sure. The Millers is roaring and and so is the EB. That leaves the Swift, of course.

The Swift fish are scattered. Around the PIPE there are few fish but this is in the general regulation section where the catch and keep crowd enjoy there current regulations. Sure, they have worked over this section and this is a sad situation for the vast majority of anglers (fly fishers) who fish this section. Catch and release year round?? Why not!!

Above RT 9 the fish are scattered but they are still there but not in congested areas. You have to hunt for them. I've managed a few after work this past week but it isn't that easy. From the power lines to the downstream bridge have produced but the trout seem sluggish and not very interested. This will change once we get temperatures in the 50's and 60's and the trout decide to play.

If you have done well on this river in the past week then good for you!!! You deserve it after this Winter!

Ken

The Swift _ Alone In The Drizzle and Some Emerger Patterns

I knew that the weekend would be a combination of watching the raindrops and having to do some personal stuff that really had to get done. So Friday afternoon, at 4:30, found me above RT 9 on the Swift as the ONLY fly fisher there!!! It was a first, my own private tailwater with the only drawback being a cold drizzle and fog that made sighting the trout difficult at times.

Where to go? First I hit a nice stretch below the power lines (you know where it is Matt) and took a rainbow that nailed a size 20 hotspot. Next it was upstream to the hemlocks where I had the place to myself and spent an hour or so taking one bow and losing another. By 7pm I was out of the water and heading home.

Just an observation but the trout that day didn't seem to have much fight in them. Maybe it's been a hard, long winter for them too. Anyway, fresh recruits will be in the river in a few weeks and they will become Swift River trout, very difficult but so rewarding!!

Still playing around at the vise to solve that stage of mayfly life as the insect breaks the surface tension and begins to hatch as a full blown dun. I think this may work:

Hook - any size for the insect you are matching

Tail/Shuck - I'm hooked on something called FROSTY FISH FIBER. Great tails on dries and good shuck material. Has a subtle sheen to it and comes in a million colors. I use olive and hit it with the appropriate sharpee.

Hackle - Here's my theory. I use a small size hackle (#18 or #20 for a size 14 hook) so the fly rides very low in the film.

Wing - cdc of the right color (grey works for everything)tied back over the fly much like a wet fly. The cdc will keep this fly poking above the surface. I also tie a larger head on this fly. It just looks good. One point - clip the hackle on top of the hook so that the cdc doesn't stand up but slants back.

I'll be at the Swift again this week.

Ken

Playing With CDC

The wind has howled all day taking a low 30 degree temperature and making it feel like single digits. More like February instead of being on the cusp of April. Four years ago we were taking rising browns on hendricksons at the very end of March. That will not happen this year. Instead we fish the Swift and tie flies.

CDC - the miracle fiber!!!!! Floats like a cork and may be the most versatile component in dry flies. First, it works on dries all the way down to size 30 which deer hair and snowshoe hare really don't do. Second, it can be used for different fly stages very effectively.

Here are two mayfly spinner patterns. Just tie the cdc in like you were tying a comparadun and then split the feathers from side to side.

Below those spinners are some cdc caddis patterns where I've kept the traditional hackle. The fly looks good with the hackle but you really don't need it.

They say that we will be in the 50's by the weekend and those temperatures will be maintained well into next week.

Lets hope so!!

Ken

The Swift, Fly Lines And The WMFF

It's a weird winter on the Swift. First, the PIPE section is fishing S-L-O-W. The access road was a rutted mess this past weekend and the stretch was deserted except for one young fly fisher. Even the footprints on the way down seemed old. Translation - Wait a month. The fish will be there then which brings up the question where did all the trout go? There's always trout above RT 9 and that's because it's all catch and release. Maybe it's time for a change in regulations!

Above RT 9 - Bring a camera and get some shots of the Y Pool otter(s)!! I just barely missed my shot as the critter slid off the ice at the overflow arm. The otter(s) has changed the fishing at the Y Pool as it seems that the trout have moved downstream and spread out. So have the fly fishers and that's a good thing.

I was asked this question about the style of fly line that I use and afterwards realized that I've never written on the subject. Well, my favorite line for the Swift has been a double taper and it has been for over 15 years. I like the double taper for a small stream like the Swift. First, most casts are rarely over 30 ft. and the line lands on the water gently which is important with Swift Bows. After hours of casting we will have a loud, sloppy cast or two which is magnified with a weight forward, not with a DT. Second, a DT roll casts better than a WT, period! And third, you are buying two lines in one. With a weight forward you will have to replace that line after a season or two. With a double taper you just reverse the line on the reel and you will have a "new" line. It's as simple as that.

My DT line is a 3 weight and I will be going down to a 2 or a 1 someday soon. Granted, my current line will not toss ugly weighted buggers or stoneflies but who needs them. This is the Swift, right?

Now the WWFF or the WESTERN MA. FLYFISHERS. This is a group of dedicated fly fishers based in Ludlow Ma. who have been around for a thousand years. I can honestly say that this group has the greatest concentration of Swift River experts and fly tiers in Massachusetts. Their home river is the Swift River and they are THE source for information on this river. They meet on the third Monday of each month September through May with tying demos for Swift River patterns and other patterns for other rivers. The tying demos are on a big screen so you can see everything. Their club house is the Elks in Ludlow ma and it starts at 7pm. If you can't attend then join. It's cheap ($15.00) and it supports a very good group.

Here's the web address: www.wmflyfishermen.org


Think Hendericksons!!

Ken