If there is one sighting on the quinnie I enjoy the most, it might be early stoneflies hatching from the snow. Tons of them, ranging from light tan to black, from 1/8" to 1/2" littered the snow covered banks this past weekend. Its ONE of my first signs that spring is on the way. I fished from the closed river rd section to about a mile upstream for 4 hours or so. No rises, but I did manage a few small bows (including the 9" one pictured), all coming to a caddis nymph (my quinnie special). Cant wait to head out this weekend, but if the weather permits, I may head out west to the Millers, or even north to the Nissitissit. Wonder how this river holds up over the winter?
Hi, just found your blog, looking forward to more posts. Quinnie is my favorite stream in MA, wish it got more "respect" - special regs, C&R etc. I had heard (and the stream gages bear out) that the flows are (and have been) very low for some reason - lower than would be expected at this time of year. Do you have any idea why? I was hoping maybe it was because they were finally taking down the dam (as has been rumored for several years now). If there is an issue, do you think it will be resolved soon?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mike from Andover
Mike, thanks for reading. The Quinnie is definitely an over-looked stream in MA, on many fronts. And you are right, the flow is somewhat low for this time of year. Historically, we're looking at 300-400 CFS thanks to runoff from Wachusett. I wonder if it has anything to do with the lack of snowfall this winter (excluding the past few months)? Other than that theory, I don't know why we're at only 70 CFS in March. If it has anything to do with the removal of the "dam" I would be pleasantly surprised. The Worcester T&G did an article in 2008 on potentially removing this structure, and about a year ago I heard through CMTU that it was "on the list" for the DCR. I also stumbled across this document http://www.mwra.state.ma.us/finance/cip/fy11final/appendix03.pdf (dated 2011) which confirms what I heard from CMTU. I haven't heard anything about it since, but I do know that it is still of interest for CMTU, and if it garnered more support, it could gain some momentum.
ReplyDeleteNick