I on Saturday fished the Swift. It was a hard-work type of day, during which I hooked five and landed only two. It’s a far cry from last week’s ten-fish-landed outing. Was it the bright sun? Trout more experienced in just a week? Perhaps, both?

The Swift giveth, the Swift taketh away.

Effective flies included the JT Special streamer at dawn and nymphs the rest of the day. I decided to invest the bulk of my efforts at the Y Pool, which I don’t know well. I started fishing the Swift only last September.

I knew testing dries and emergers at the Y Pool would be a “learning opportunity” that wouldn’t yield many fish but would be beneficial for me. But, I wasn’t catching much with my usual Euro-nymphing, and so, why not?

I cast near Mark of Burlington, MA. He’s been fishing the Swift for over a decade. He gave me three of his favorite flies and shared some techniques. Very kind person.

An old-timer did well fishing dries. He fished from 9 am to 3 pm and caught 15. I saw him use a stomach pump on the trout and store the insects in little vials, no doubt to create more super flies.

I particularly value the chat I had with Mark. We talked about fly fishing and how recuperative it is. Back when his job was really stressful, he said: “My wife understood–I just had the need to fly fish.”

So, whether it’s two fish or 12 or 20, I was still grateful for the chance to fish. Recuperative.