Past, Present, and Future

The Past
So I fished with a friend this past weekend where we floated a river "out west" with the help of the Harrison Brothers. Dan and Tom are fantastic guides, they know every inch of the rivers they fish and have endless knowledge on tips, tricks, and techniques that can not only help you catch some fish, but become a better fisherman. Sometimes I feel like they can put you on a fish of your choosing! After a slow start, the rain held off and we were able to net double digit fish by mid day, yet still looking for the big one. I ended up getting the big one on a double streamer rig (he followed the white attractor and nailed the trailing bugger), a beautiful 20" wild brown. Thanks to the Harrisons for a great day!

The Present
With yesterday and today's rain, the Quinnie is making its way back up to 100 CFS (perfection) after a steady decline over the past week. Should make for good fishing this this afternoon and this weekend. The only negative I've noticed this year about the Q has been the lack of 14"+ fish in "my spot." Last year there were more than plenty but all but 1 or 2 made it through July with the heat, lack of rain, and low flows. This year, its exactly the opposite, yet where are the fish?!  Since I have not hit the Millers yet this year, I have to make it there this weekend. Hopefully the rain will hold off enough to keep flows where they are now (700 CFS in Erving and 400 CFS in South Royalston).

The Future
If your looking to fish the Q in the late months of summer, you won't be productive at any of the easy access spots. The combination of heat, low flow, lack of feeder streams, and # of fisherman will make these spots worthless. If you want to catch fish on this river into July and August, follow these guidelines:

• Fish Early and Late - you will not catch many fish at noon. Get out at sunrise and fish until mid morning, or head there around 4 and fish until and even after dark. The evening hatches on this river are quite the Blitz. Hoppers and Chernobyl ants will take fish in mid morning and maybe early afternoon. Sulphurs, light cahills, and summer caddis will take fish at night.
• Fish Stealthy - the low flows and high water temperature will cause fish to move, so don't assume that where you stood and where you were catching fish in May will be the same in July. Don't be so quick to jump in the water, fish from the banks until you are positive there are no fish in close and out of the sunlight.
• Fish where other people don't - Easy access is great when the fish are plenty and the flows are full. This time of year you have to work for your catch, and that may mean spending time walking when you'd like to be fishing. Some good areas where cover, and cold feeder streams make for good fishing include:
• Upstream from the 190 bridge. You can park on the North side of the closed River rd and walk down the hill to the trail head on the left. 
• Upstream from the Mill st bridge. Its a bit of a walk, but 12" brookies (some wild) await your hare's ears and caddis dries.
• Confluence of the Asnebumskit and Quinnie. Park at the bridge of the Asnebumskit on Mill St and walk downstream to the Q. Fish the 100 yards below the fork.

-NC

DIDYMO ALERT

My first blog for the month of June, and it's about Didymo - partially a clue into how fishing has been recently...

The Massachusetts Fish and Game and DCR are reporting the first confirmed finding of Didymo in Mass in the Green River in Alford and Egremont (western MA). The invasive algae favors cold, clear, nutrient-poor waters with a neutral or slightly basic pH. Blooms can produce dense covering on rocky substrate and eventually result in long, unsightly stalks. Didymo may appear gray, brown or white and have texture comparably to wet wool or cotton balls. Extensive didymo blooms can cover river substrate, and may temporarily impact aquatic habitat, specifically cover stream bottoms, and make swimming, boating and fishing difficult and/or less desirable. 

Difficult and/or less desirable might be the understatement of the year. Just google "Didymo river" and see first hand what this rock snot can do. If bad enough, this stuff can get to the point where it actually inhibits water flow. This stuff is a trout killer, and with the rivers of central MA already dealing with conditions that most other areas of the US are not (extensive stormwater pollution, high fishing pressure, fluctuating flows and temperatures) this would spell DISASTER for our rivers, especially the Quinnie. Check out the link here for more information about the finding in the Green River and about what you can do to stop the spread of this crap. First and foremost NO FELT!!! Make sure you thoroughly clean or dry your boots, waders, and equipment after every trip. http://www.mass.gov/eea/pr-2013/didymo-discovery.html

I happened to run into a DCR officer at the Quinnie yesterday afternoon when fishing for a few hours (5 small rainbows, all on a foamy, buggy creature floated and skimmed on top). Not only did we talk about the Didymo finding, but also about another invasive species they are dealing with locally - some sort of water flea that sticks to your line. So its important to clean that as well. I'm in the process of finding more information on this flea to share.

I'm heading to the Q this afternoon to fish (246 CFS and coming down). I'll have some fliers with me to put on cars. Say Hi if you see me there.

-NC

Fish, Flies, and Flow

This river is on fire right now. Anyone whose fished the Q since our recent rain event I'm sure has seen as stellar action as I have. I fished it yesterday evening until dark. I can't say it enough, 100 CFS is the perfect flow for this river, especially for the spot I frequent (if you've read this in the past you know where that is). I hit all the usual pools, runs, and riffles and ALL of them had fish. Rainbows and Browns 12-16 inches. The setup of the day was a Chartreuse-headed wooly bugger with a caddis pupa trailer slightly weighted. Fish were hitting both flies, the caddis usually on the drift and the bugger on the swing. The beastly brown pictured above smashed the pupa on a swing - he came out from underneath the tree you see in the water in the picture below. Speaking of, the rain changed this river, not as much as Sandy and Irene did, but you can see the new piles of sticks/brush downstream of where I fished. Anyways, I fished from "the wall" to "the pump." Caught fish all the way down - easily 20 fish. I even got a double - a 6" brookie took the caddis pupa on the drift and just before I set the hook, a 12" rainbow hit the bugger. The brookie came off at my feet before I netted them. I ended the night with an elk hair caddis on the 3-weight. Caught 5 more on the dry, all rainbows. Caddis were everywhere and there were some light yellow mayflies coming off as well.

It was a great night. The river is absolutely perfect right now, hitting all 3 F's (flows, fish, and flies). If you can get to the river this week, I suggest you do it. Because as we saw last year, who knows how long the flows will remain where they are.

-NC

Streamside Blog

Caddis, sulphurs, and march browns all coming off the Q right now. If it wasn't for the gazillion CFS flow I might catch something...

NC


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Cinder Worms and Caddis Pupa

So much to update, so little time... I'll try to be brief.


Stripers: I went to a RI spot with a friend the weekend before last to target some stripers for my first time. Pun intended, I'm hooked. My friend was gracious enough to have me on his boat and showed me some of the popular and easily accessible wade spots. We hit the clousers early, nothing much doing. Around 3pm we made our way to a spot Todd was sure there'd be some cinder worm action. He was a great guide, sharing insights about flies, spots to go and when, what to look for, etc. The only thing missing was me paying him.... I caught my first striper (although not a big guy) on a cinder worm I tied in one of Todd's classes. It was a great time and I'm looking forward to future outings chasing line siders.

Trout: I went to Indian Hollow this past weekend (sat-sun) for the TU council outing. Fishing was slow saturday morning and throughout the afternoon. Come 3pm it was like somebody turned on a switch. Quickly caught a bow and a brookie on trailing caddis pupas. Then a hefty rainbow on a drifting hares ear. Come sunset, both March Browns and Caddis flies were coming off. I took 3 bows and a brown on a march brown dry. When they stopped hitting that I tried a caddis emerger, fished well past dark, and landed 7 more (browns and bows). Easily the best outings I've had this year. The Westfiled is a beautiful river, it's too bad it has such a hard time holding up throughout the summer. Sunday morning was productive as well, 3 more rainbows came to the net to a swinging caddis.

I'm heading to the Q today and Friday afterwork, then its the Millers this weekend for the big browns for the first time.

Tight Lines,

-NC

Fish are spreading out

Two great things I've noticed this week: the fish are spreading out and theres rain today and tomorrow. I fished downstream of the Harris st river st bridge yesterday, WELL below the the big turn. Caught a healthy 16" rainbow subsurface (pictured). Nothing rising but still tons of caddis coming off. Got more takes even further downstream. With the rain, the fish will probably even spread out more, which is ideal for a long summer of fishing. Get those healthy stockies to spread out early and find the holding areas and feeding zones. Then it's up to you and me to find them. Its not as easy as throwing bait off a bridge.

Right now flows are at ~50 CFS and still climbing from the sub 40 it was earlier this week. I've always said I love this river at just under 100. Well see if the rain can get us there.

Quinnie update

Well, the hendricksons are here, and according to the DFW, so are more fish. I was at my spot this evening after work, didn't catch a fish, but spotted both dark and reddish-pink hendricksons coming off around 630pm. Should make for good dry fly fishing over the next few weeks if the fish get to normal eating habits quickly. My spot has been very unproductive for me so far this year, I am surprised to say, and I am wondering if they have not or will not stock it this year. This would be disappointing as its some of the best water on the river. I assume all the other normal suspects were hit with fish this week (Harris st/river st bridge, lower harris st bridge, the cable pool, rte 31 bridge, and mill st bridge). Rail Trail bridge off Harris st may have gotten fish as well.

If you are looking for something to do with the kids this Saturday, head on over the the Fulling Mill Trout Park in Charlton for their FREE fishing day. This stretch of the river will be freshly stocked with plenty of fish to catch and you'll have a great time doing it!

-NC