River Report for April 14, 2000

OF BOSOX AND BROOK TROUT

April 14, 2000 - Not unlike our beloved hometown heroes the Red Sox, the 2000 trout season has also previewed to somewhat mixed reviews. The recent onslaught of weather fronts that have pummeled central New England, and much of the east coast, has put a temporary damper on local stream and river conditions and early season trout fishing could only be rated "fair" by even the most optimistic anglers. Combine the promised warming trend with dropping water levels and things should change for the better in a hurry.

QUINEBAUG PRODUCES

Bob Shay, of Sturbridge, has been religiously haunting the Quinebaug River, along Rt. 131 in his home town, and scoring well on brook trout despite the deplorable weather. Shay credits his success to deeply fished nymph patterns in conjunction with a very slow retrieve. A few of the brookies he recognized as native fish due to their diminutive size and vivid coloration.

CAPE COD KETTLES

Steve Halley, of Oxford, has been making the treck to some of the Cape’s kettle ponds and reports only modest success to date. Halley has been able to tempt only a handful of rainbows from Big Cliff Pond in Nickerson State Park, and Scargo Pond in Dennis. On recent visits he witness no surface activity, sentencing him to sessions of radically sinking lines and heavily weighted wooly buggers.

It’s more of the same for Felix Stolulonis and Charlie Peters of Worcester. The duo recently worked Flax Pond in Nickerson on a gorgeous mid-week day, and despite a respectable midge hatch, only a few fish were observed surface feeding. Water temperature on the impoundment was a chilly 46-50 degrees which might explain their dilemma. They did manage to dupe 4 or 5 rainbows while employing Halley-like tactics. From there it was over to Scargo where Felix was treated to a lengthy battle with a smallmouth bass estimated to be in the 3-31/2 lb. bracket, which highlighted his abbreviated trip.

EAST BRANCH FLOPS

Bob Thunberg of Worcester recently scoped out the East Branch of the Swift River in Petersham. The remote Nichewaug Road section seemed absent of "stockees" and he was rewarded with only a handful of landlocked salmon smolts for his effort. Despite rumors to the contrary, my impression is that some of the less prominent watersheds have received only token stockings as evidenced by the many reports we have received from seasoned veterans experiencing similar results.

DON’T SPREAD THE WORD

Ever here of the Prince River in Barre? It intersects Rt. 122 just below the IGA plaza, and straddles Valley Road before dumping into the main branch of the Ware River near Barre Plains. Rumor has it that a few locals in town have been experiencing more than good fishing to 12" brown trout. If you ever get in the prospecting mood, check it out, it’s one of the best kept secrets of central Mass.

THE MILLERS HEATS UP

The Millers River has been giving up fish in the Orcutt Brook area along Rt. 2A in West Orange and behind Erving Paper adjacent to Rt. 2 in Erving. With all the high water, we were, quite frankly surprised to receive two glowing reports of substantial catches from very reliable unnamed sources. As many anglers realize this watershed usually does not reach peak form until the beginning of May because it’s water level is greatly influenced by even modest rainfall. Pronounced mayfly hatches are not yet in evidence, and only a few caddis, small black stones and tiny blue-winged olives were present. No fish were observed surface feeding subjecting the anglers to standard down-and-dirty tactics to achieve their success.

CONNECTICUT OPENS

Saturday, April 15^th, is the official opening of trout season in Connecticut, so anglers will no longer be restricted to TMA areas. Despite marginal conditions in our home state, we continued to receive numerous reports of exceptional fishing in both the Willie and Farmington Rivers. Be prepared to encounter dark caddis (16-18), quill gordons’(12-14), hendricksons’(14), red quills’ (16) and blue-winged olives’ (18-20) should you venture south of the border. In the near future these hatches should dominate the local trout scene and will continue to produce surface action for a 10-14 day period. This is by far the most encouraging news we have receive regarding the local trout scene this year.

Good fishing and safe wading,