Kempfield Pool on the Millers Tailwaters drive me crazy especially on a cold wet Spring such as we have had this year. The Swift turned into a freestone want-to-be with a 3 month flood with its flow overtaking rivers like the EB and the Ware. It is, as we know, an artificial river with it's flows mainly controlled by the guys who run Quabbin. Frankly, I like the Swift on days in the dead of Summer but I really love the freestones like the Millers, EB and the Ware on Summer evenings. They are not artificial rivers and are not crowded like the Swift or the Farmington. It is the way trou ..read more

  "When your friend on the next pool tells you that he's just seen a few "Sulphurs" hatching he is really just suggesting a fly pattern, because the name might mean anything from a size 24 Baetid to a size 10 Anthopotamus Distinctus, two insects with very different behavior.- Thomas Ames Jr. It was back in the mid 1990's when we had a good Spring flood, nothing like this year, but still epic.  It didn't keep me off the Millers but it kept me fishing from the shore and fishing from the shore sucks.  So did the tackle I concocted to get the distance and depth required: a 9 ft 8w ..read more

  This fly is another "old school fly" without any artificial material in it's construction. (I'll give myself a pass on the nylon thread and the metal hooks and wire). Other than that it could of been tied in 1900! Hook - size 8, 10, or 12 standard wet or dry fly hook Body - It's all rabbit including the tail and dubbed loosely then held in place with fine copper wire. If you want  you can weigh it with lead free wire or just drop shot it. Hackle - I like partridge but any soft hackle will do Head - As I mentioned the body is rabbit (natural color) except for the head which is ..read more

  "Give a man a fish and he has food for the day. Teach him how to fish and you can get rid of him for the entire weekend." - Zenna Schaffer Red Quill The dry fly was created in Jolly Olde England by a Mr. Frederic Halford. Samples were sent by mail to a Mr. Theodore Gordon in the USA who immediately began to modify them. This transaction changed the lives of both of these men and anyone who else who liked the idea of catching trout on a floating fly. The first generation of transatlantic flies floated on stiff hackle tips and really didn't look much like the natural aquatic insects th ..read more

    " Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction"-Steve Mathewson Yes, some of the rivers are receding and some are not.  The Millers dropped 690 cfs in the last two days. At 2550 cfs it's in tough shape but heading in the right direction. The Ware has dropped 156 cfs over the same time span and as I write it sits at 345 cfs which is fishable if you are a good and careful wader. The EB and the Swift are a mess!!! The great news is that there is no real RAIN in the forecast for the next week. Ken ..read more

In "normal" years we hit the rivers by late March, toss leaden flies to stupid hatchery trout and then by late April Spring is upon us with shrinking flows, warmer temperatures and rising Trout!!! That will not be the case this season. There's just too much water on our part of the planet to recede that quickly and before we know it the shad will start charging up our coastal rivers followed by striped bass. That's when the real fishing starts!!!! I'm getting to the point where if the fish I catch was stocked I'd just as soon fire up the grill and enjoy it.  It's probably a rainbow wi ..read more

  I could see the trout working the choppy surface and I really wanted to take a shot at it BUT made it almost impossible to float a dry amidst the chutes rapids and the boulders. I came back 3 days later with a fly that would take the abuse and still float. 1. Size 10 or 12 standard dry hook 2.Wing - white deer hair 3.Body- Senyu Laser dubbing (a light color)  4. Tail - Golden Badger hackle fibers 5. A long Grade A golden badger hackle This fly really shines on rough pocket water ( Millers in Erving) or the EB but is only so so on glassy water like most of the Swift.   ..read more

  There's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot" - Steven Wright The great deluge may be over.  Rivers, which have been busting their banks for two weeks, seem to be in retreat. Here are the numbers for today and where they were last Wednesday, the day with the highest flows this year. Millers (today) 1670 cfs, last Wednesday 3000 cfs EB (today) 1080 cfs, last Wednesday 1830cfs Swift (today) 650 cfs   Last Wednesday 716 cfs Ware River (today) 690 cfs  Last Wednesday 841 cfs Don't start fooling yourself that it's safe wading because i ..read more

  No, I didn't catch this brown recently because the rivers have gone crazy.  As of this morning the river flows are as follows: Millers - 3000 cfs Swift - 716 cfs EB - 1830 cfs Ware - 841cfs I believe that this is the highest I've ever seen these flows and I'm not being overly cautious by saying that you shouldn't even attempt wading flows as dangerous as these.  These rivers could drop by 80% and they would still be too high. I could suggest a "thin blue line" but they may be flooded too. Hold your horses and take a deep breath, Real Spring will be here shortly followe ..read more

   "The two best times to fish is when it's raining and when it isn't." Chesterfield Gorge Access Road I've had a couple of flyfishers sniffing around to see if any streams are producing, the EB in particular. The answer is NO, especially the freestones. As of this morning (3/8/24) the EB is flowing at 348 cfs and that is with them reducing the flow in half yesterday. With more rain this weekend.........!!!   The Millers is at 1790 cfs. Forgetaboutit!! Freestone temperatures are hovering at 40 degrees.  Your best bet  would be to hit a blueline this weekend. B ..read more