Hey guys, its been a few days, but I’ve got a quick rivers report.
Hit the Squannacook on Saturday. I started by dredging nymphs and San Juan Worms in the bottom of every pool I could find, but got nothing. I switched it up and put on woolly bugger. I hooked and lost a few, before finally landing a 13 inch brown. It’s weird- I was expecting the trout to prefer nymphs, instead of chasing streamers (because it was cold), but you never know with these trout.
Then on Sunday, I hit the Parker. Flows were decent in my spot, and I landed one nice holdover trout, measuring 16 inches. Thats my best in a while. I lost several more, all on streamers. A black zonker was the hot fly, stripped through any deep pool.
So now that it is getting colder, and the fishing is getting slower and slower, many rivers are gonna stop producing. What does this mean for us fly fisherman? THE SWIFT!!! The Swift is one of the only rivers that will hold up throughout the whole winter, and still produce fish. Now occasionally some other rivers are still fishable through December, but don’t count on it- expect to be hitting the Swift a lot from December to March. I’m planning on breaking down this river further in the next couple days, especially focusing on winter fishing. Get a few trips in to local rivers soon, before they’re done for the year!
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Thanks so much for the reports (past and future). I keep saying I'm going to get out there in the winter but never do. We talked before about the wild brookies in the Swift. Are the other fish mainly stockers? Do they holdover?
Thanks again,
G
G,
I'm glad you find the reports helpful! I'll be sure to keep posting them. Just wondering, do you usually fish in Northeast MA? Any other rivers you'd like reports on? I fish a lot of rivers that I have yet to mention on the blog.
The Swift is definitely worth making a trip for, despite the drive. Like we discussed earlier, it is THE SPOT for native brookies right now, but it is also loaded with big trout. Plenty of rainbows are stocked every Spring and Fall, and although some are kept (weird laws as far as limits and bait at the Swift), many do hold over. The water is crystal clear, and you will usually have no problems locating fish. You can see them (many up to 20 inches) all over the river, and many will come right up to you and swim through your legs! The trout are EXTREMELY picky though, and tiny flies and tippet are vital for catching them, with a few exceptions. Check again tomorrow, or the day after- I'm gonna do a post breaking down the Swift, focusing on winter fishing. I'll discuss all this and more!
Thanks for watching the blog,
~Troy
Troy,
I don't fish a ton in MA itself although I did try the Nissitissit unsuccessfully years ago – it seemed like a put and take type of deal, but that was just my impression. I've been getting out to the Farmington in the last couple of years which has been good but the distance is a bit tough to make it a regular thing. It's probably the spot I'll try this winter if we get a 'warmer stretch'. That said, if the Swift is worthwhile in the winter, maybe I'll give that a try.
This year I haven't been able to get out much at all save for the annual excursion out West.
If the trout are swimming through your legs, they probably would most effectively be caught with a fish pellet fly 🙂
Thanks again for your help,
G
Oh yeah! It's funny you mention it- the pellet fly can be a Swift killer! I'm hopefully gonna hit the Farmington a few times this winter, but the Swift is worth checking out too.
Thanks for taking the time to read the blog,
~Troy