If you’re a parent, you too are familiar with schedule-juggling, seizing short windows open to fishing, and making time for your family.
Today, I found myself in a familiar situation, which called for the “run, gun and done” play. It meant getting up early to fish and striving to be home by noon. We have extended family visiting.
It’s all good. Out-of-town family members are awesome. But, if I need to sacrifice sleep to squeeze in some fly fishing, even better.
Before I went to bed, I wasn’t sure as to where to go, given another ample rainfall. I awoke at 3.30 am and checked the flow gauges. All signs pointed to the Swift River (overviews here, here and here). It was at a high 188 cfs, but other rivers were much worse. I’ve never fished the Swift at such a level and looked forward (finally!) to seeing something new there.
I texted Alex, who also was heading in the same direction, and we later crossed paths and shot the breeze. What a great guy! The best nympher at the Swift, IMO.
I hit Spot A, below Route 9, and thankfully tightlined some good fish right off the bat.
With that, I reeled up and decided to explore. I walked a long way, looking for signs of piscatorial life and didn’t see anything. Once I’ve landed fish, I don’t mind pursuing low-probability forays to learn something new.
Later, I headed above Route 9. Water was coming down the spillway, which swamped the usual currents from the Bubbler, making the Y Pool seem more like a lake. I tightlined one fish in that area and then fished my way back to the parking area, until I ran into eight anglers crammed into a 100-yard stretch.
I found some open areas, but the same guy came in a few rod lengths away on two occasions and cut me off. I decided it was time to move on. It just wasn’t meant to be.
So, I headed to a favorite area south of Bondsville and tightlined one fish. The flows were high enough for streamers at some areas, and it was nice to cast, swing and retrieve.
Soon, the wind really started to kick in, leaves poured into the river, and it was time to finish the morning outing. I gunned it back home.
In our town, a bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese made for a great lunch. Piquant capers added a nice zing. A hot cup of coffee was very soothing.
Another run-and-gun now done. A chance to be outside, on the water, is always a peak experience. We are very fortunate to have public lands in our country.
Great trip considering the weather conditions.
Thanks! At 188 cfs, it was interesting to see the Swift, but not a priority for me going forward.
A great lesson on how to make the most of your time on the water. Many of us (including myself) have to squeeze in trips around family obligations. Well done.
Thank you, Jon, for writing. It definitely was brutally hard when our children were very young, which is why I fished just once a year for a while. But, it gets easier as they hit adolescence and prefer to be with friends over family; so, a silver lining there.
Any brook trout in the mix?
No, amazingly. I saw just a few redds (and, avoided them) amidst a lot of walking and scouting. For some reason, the brookies haven’t pushed up in droves, as in years past. Not sure why other than everything seems a few weeks late this year, from the temp. change to the foliage falling.
Thanks for the kind words! Always great fishing with you my man, higher water definitely changed the fishing dynamics. Cool to see that river take on a new personality, wonder if we will see any new species there with that spillway having opened. A lot of the old timers seem optimistic. With higher water we had to adjust weight and tippet length accordingly, but we got into them. Fish count went down as we found ourselves battling heavier winds, but was a great day overall with some quality fish to hand.
Nicely done!
Way to get it done Jo! There’s something to be said when the Swift has high water just like everywhere else.
Thank you!