DROUGHT
RELIEF
May 6, 2002 -
Much needed precipitation
has placed a temporary damper on many central New England watersheds and
has cold water zealots scrambling to local impoundment's to pacify their
craving. Massachusetts's rivers and streams are still in need of
additional water to insure consistent angling throughout the balance of
the spring and on into the torrid summer months. At last report, the
Millers, Westfield, Ware, Quinnie, West and most branches of the Swift
are a bit out of shape and running high and cool. It won't take long for
things to revert to normal and good fishing can be expected in a few
days provided no additional rain falls.
NEFT STOCKING
The New England Fly Tyers, in conjunction with the Mass Division of
Fisheries and Wildlife, has reinitiated their program to locate
hatchery-reared trout away from easy access areas and disburse the
bounty throughout more remote sections of local watersheds. On April
26th the group focused their attention on the Burnshirt River, adjacent
to Rt. 62 in Barre, and on May 3rd the Barre Falls Dam area of the Ware
River became the beneficiary of their effort. Both streams maintain
wilderness areas that can be quite rewarding to prospecting fly anglers.
TOPO MAPS
If you are in need of a good geological reference for central New
England we would encourage you to scope out www.topozone.com.
According to MassWildlife database manager, Sergio Harding, the site is
particularly useful for downloading and printing USGS maps as well as
locating specific features.
CAPE PONDS
Considering the elevated condition of local watersheds it may not be a
bad idea to consider investigating one of the many kettle ponds located
on Cape Cod. Pressure has dramatically decreased with the arrival of our
migrating saltwater species and in many cases is totally nonexistent.
Bob Thunberg of Worcester recently floated Schoolhouse Pond in Chatham
and reported excellent success. While no fish were evident surface
feeding, an aggressive sink-tip line in conjunction with a weighted
nymph brought numerous trout to net. If you need help in selecting a
specific location for a weekend foray we would be more than happy to
make a recommendation (508.752.4004 or jbender@gis.net).
It is not uncommon to find trout actively pursuing midges in both adult
and emerger stages, particularly during warmer daytime periods. This
fishing is often quite challenging and can be the ultimate test with
floating line and size 20 imitations.
HATCHES
It is apparent that the Hendrickson/Red Quill hatch has concluded with
only random insects being reported. Look for darker caddis (14-18) and
BWO's (18-20) to become more important during the early part of May.
Round out your box with a selection of nymphs (hare's ear, prince,
casual dress, caddis pupa and pheasant tails) along with a leech pattern
or two and success will be yours.
“Y” REOPENS
We have just been informed
that as of 7am, May 6th, the Swift River north of the Rt. 9
bridge has been reopened to fly-fishing. This includes the celebrated
“Y” pool section of the river. The regs will revert back to
catch-and-release, fly-fishing only status and should provide an
excellent opportunity for anglers to pursue trout that have not seen a
fly in some time.
Good fishing and safe
wading,
JB
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