TL;DR: Best flies and spots for the Westfield River East Branch. The prettiest river in Massachusetts. As spring arrives, I often will be fishing the Westfield East Branch. It is my favorite Massachusetts river. I once hooked a massive brown there, and there is a report of three- to four-lb. browns living in the more
Quick Update
Orvis Dedham. It will remain open! They were able to renew their lease. Ty and Cynthia there are great, and so, if you’re in the area, say hello to them. They have great advice and also guide. Swift River. Ice sheet is gone from the hatchery lot. Some anglers continue to battle the cold weather and fish.
A Pig Brown Trout and Lopstick Outfitters
That’s a fat brown trout taken below Murphy Dam, up in Pittsburg, NH. That’s Greg Inglis, a guide at Lopstick Outfitters, which is an Orvis-endorsed lodge. That’s why I’m headed up to Pittsburg again this summer, for my 11th trip, to fish the beginning of the Connecticut River. I love it up there (more here).
Nymphing at the Swift River
I fished the Swift for about four hours and landed nine trout, all on nymphs. Lost two others. A total surprise, as I had low expectations. Nearly all of the 11 trout took a Hare’s Ear variant, size 18. I caught fish both above and below Rt. 9. I was the eighth car in the