River Report for December 3, 2000

IT’S DIEHARD TIME

December 3, 2000 - With the recent onslaught of colder than normal temperatures (some petite ponds in central and western Mass already have a few inches of ice), many fly anglers have experienced deflated momentum and hung up their gear for the season. Prior to the past few rain/snow events, however, many central New England waters were still producing better than average results despite the somewhat challenging conditions. With a little help from above we may yet be able to postpone the fly tying season for a few more weeks and enjoy some late season trout angling.

STILLWATER/QUINNIE/AND BASINS
Just to clear up any confusion you might have regarding this fishery. The Stillwater River and accompanying basin remains open to fishing and wading year round, despite the closing of the Wachusett Reservoir proper on November 30^th. It is not uncommon to experience decent runs of landlocked salmon well into December, particularly preceding heavy rainfalls. The current fishing has been somewhat stalled due to lack of water but could be remedied by a modest downpour, encouraging a fresh contingent of spawners to enter the system. The best producing flies have been boldly colored streamer patterns (6-8), and Marabou Muddlers (6-8) fished on floating lines.

The adjacent Quinapoxet River also remains open to fishing above the Quabbin aquifer on River Road, however the Thomas Basin section is considered to be a component of the main reservoir and corresponds to the Nov. 30^th closing. The Quinnie can offer good fishing to native brook trout below the confluence of Trout Brook throughout the remainder of the fall spawning season. This area typically receives little pressure throughout the balance of the year and can present a very rewarding and solitary experience, something every fly fisherman can appreciate.

WARE RIVER
The Ware was fishing the best it had all season up until the past few rainfalls which drastically elevated water levels and considerably dirtied the water. As the river begins to recede there’s no reason to believe that angler’s won’t be able to squeeze another few weeks of superb action before calling it quits. Just prior to the rainfall, John McCarthy of Springfield and Lee Robinson of Grafton experienced stellar outings on the Creamery Road section of the watershed. McCarthy gained his success by unitizing a variety of weighted nymphs and wets while Robinson had his dependable Griffith’s Gnat in employ. After casual observation, Robinson noticed a number of barely discernible bulges within the current tongues that attributed to his peculiar fly selection. While that hatch of record appeared to be tiny baetis, the GG was just the ticket. There appears to be a good mix of browns and rainbows still in the offing with larger specimens located substantially upstream of the Creamery Rd. tote bridge where a beaver lodge is located.

SWIFT RIVER
Despite the fact that there are still good numbers of fish throughout the system, fishing on the Swift has tapered a bit, which is typical of mid to late fall. With the spectacular fishing experienced during September and October it had no where to go but down. Best patterns remain, San Juan Worms (18-22), (which is a superb pattern to mimic the many diptera in their pupae stage), RS2 (20-22), Midge Pupa (20-22) and Midge Larva (20-22). The use of a strike indicator in conjunction with a short line, dead drift approach when fishing these nymphs and emergers will greatly enhance your success on the river. Surface action continues to decline which is attributable to the cooler than normal air temperatures, limiting adult insect activity. When more seasonable conditions prevail, surface action will resume and mature midges and smaller caddis should make up the trout’s table fare throughout the balance of autumn. Keep in mind that the watershed ceases it’s catch-and-release status south of Rt. 9 on January 1^st and anglers will be allowed to kill limits, historically decimating the fishery below the Rt. 9 bridge for another year, so get your licks in.

Good fishing and safe wading,