As much as it pains us to say it, welcome to the heart of winter. Conditions are pretty frigid at the moment, making for some tougher fishing, but there are still bites to be had if you can bear the cold. A warmer alternative will be The Fly Fishing Show in Marlborough on January 17-19. We will have a booth there again this year in the same spot adjacent to the food counter so stop by and say hi if you make it there. The shop itself will be closed from Thursday the 16th through the weekend and then open regular hours after that.
On the Deerfield, flows have ticked way up from what we were seeing throughout the fall. Fife Brook is running just over 1100 CFS as this report is being written, with other sections reflecting similarly high water. This uptrend has continued for about a month now and has definitely breathed some new life into the river despite the cold. One caveat is wade fishing is a bit tricky with the high water as access is pretty limited. Our best advice for wading this higher water is to stay mobile. In many situations you may only have a few drifts before you run out of viable water to fish so be mindful not to get bogged down in the same spot. This is not say that you shouldn’t be methodical in your approach, but be wary of beating a dead horse. Pick the accessible seams apart with some good presentations and be ready to move on if you’re not getting bit. This approach will also help keep you warm as you’re moving around and keeping the blood pumping.
Another note for wading anglers: Exercise a lot of caution in navigating the river’s banks right now. Not only does the high water present obvious hazards, but the recent cold has left a ton of ice on the banks. Move slow, use a wading staff, wear studded boot soles (felt soles are dangerous in the winter!), and consider fishing with a buddy, especially in areas with no cell service—it only takes one icy rock to make a really bad day. Speaking of ice, also know that areas of slower water have begun to ice over entirely, and shelf ice has begun to develop even in areas of faster water. Avoid fishing over ice shelves as it’s very difficult to both manage your drift and land fish and never walk out onto river ice in any situation.
As far as approach goes, you guessed it, nymphing will be king. By this time of year and especially with how cold it’s been, many fish will have moved into wintering patterns, usually seeking out slow depth in which to operate. With the high flows, this means that fish will either go deep below the fastest currents or move to the margins of the river where stable structure like rock and wood creates soft water for fish to hold in. Both indicator and contact nymph rigs will fare well, just make sure you’ve adjusted your rig to compensate for the added depth the high water presents. In terms of fly selection, there aren’t many active bugs at this time of year so all-purpose ties will be winning tickets as fish are generally taking whatever larvae that get dislodged from the bottom. Pat’s rubber legs and other stonefly nymphs, hare’s ears, Walt’s worms, pheasant tails and the like are all solid options; and don’t forget about junk/attractor patterns like mop flies and eggs.
The high water also presents a decent opportunity for some streamer fishing. The best streamer opportunities are certainly behind us as fish slow down significantly with the cold, but a solid presentation in the right spot might just turn a few heads. Fish looking to take a streamer will likely be seeking the highest value, lowest effort opportunities possible so consider starting with larger patterns on slower retrieves before changing things up. A few patterns we like in the shop are the Strolis alter-ego, the Strolis hog snare, and Fulling Mill’s bank robber sculpin for a bit of a smaller pattern. Whether wading the shore or on a boat, it will be best to run a line with a sinking head such as Airflo’s Streamer Max, Scientific Angler’s Sink 25, or Cortland’s Sink Tip 15, all of which we have in the shop. Sinking lines help deliver flies to the fish’s depth, especially with buoyant streamers that would otherwise float or hang up at the surface (the alter-ego being a good example). If you’re not ready to make the investment in a sinking line system, consider a detachable sinking leader like Rio’s VersiLeader which attaches straight to a floating line via a loop-to-loop connection. All this being said, keep in mind that fish are sluggish in the cold, and you may find yourself searching for that one bite; as always, be wary about forcing the issue.
As for the Millers River, the river has seen significant flow spikes in the last couple weeks which have given fish some room to stretch their legs after low flows throughout the fall. Beyond that, much of what’s been said about the Deerfield will also be true on the Millers. Fish have moved towards wintering areas in slower, deeper sections of the river. Streamer fishing could be productive especially with the current downtrend into ideal flows, however, nymphing tactics will likely remain the most productive approach. Like the Deerfield, be thinking about all-purpose fly selection as bug activity will be modest and fish will likely be keyed in on whatever happens to drift past rather than on something specific. When in doubt, stonefly nymphs are always a solid option and of course, don’t be afraid to get junky with eggs, worms, leeches and the like if the going gets tough.
On the Westfield River, the flow situation has improved considerably. Remember, though, that the Westfield did not receive a fall stock owing to low water, so pickings are likely to be relatively slim. As you might expect, holdover fish will be making moves towards wintering areas so, again, focus on slower water with solid depth adjacency. This being said, the Westfield continues to fish pretty tough right now and is certainly not the first place we’d send you at the moment. Much like on the Deerfield, both the Millers and Westfield are picking up significant amounts of ice so exercise caution if you head out to fish either.
Below Quabbin on the Swift River, flows have dropped into the mid-40s CFS range after an extended period of higher water throughout the fall. The lower flow rate makes for easier sight fishing and a greater ability to target fish relating closely to structure, however, it also demands an increased level of care in navigating the river to avoid spooking fish. When in doubt, exit the water when moving from spot to spot which will not only minimize disturbance but will also aid in one’s ability to spot active fish and groups.
The winter transition on the Swift functions a little differently than on rivers like the Deerfield or Millers as fish make less significant moves towards slower and deeper water; most water on the Swift is slow and depth tends to be relatively uniform. In the fly-only area above Rt. 9, you might see an increased number of fish file into the depth of the Y-Pool but keep in mind that just as many trout will continue relating to wood structure and tree overhangs on the river’s margins. Further down below Rt. 9 where the river deepens out a bit, you’ll likely find fish working their usual detail, moving between and relating to sandy cutouts between grass banks on bottom. Rolling egg and scud patterns over the grass is often a very productive way to target fish in such areas with the challenge being getting down to the appropriate depth. The decrease in flow should do a lot to aid in depth finding but don’t be afraid to add some weight if necessary.
Lastly, keep eyes peeled for fish rising to midges, one of the Swift’s wintertime specialties. Dan Trela’s wicked pissah midge emerger—a version of which we carry in the shop—is a time-tested classic for converting cold weather risers. This is an absolutely miniscule fly that often demands using tippets as light as 8x in order to avoid drag. It’s also easy to lose sight of the wicked pissah so consider dropping it off a small but more visible lead fly such as a small parachute or hi-vis Griffith’s gnat. When in doubt, hook sets are free so if you see something rise in the vicinity of your rig, don’t be afraid to give it a yank.
As for local small water, flows are up a bit from the dead crawl most systems were at throughout the fall, however, fishing will likely still be tough. Creeks get cold quickly and begin freezing over with just a few days of low enough temperatures so fish make moves to wintering depth quickly. It has been more than cold enough recently to completely freeze over especially smaller creek systems. Not only do they freeze from the surface, but as ice crystals flow downstream, they get stuck to rocks and then stick to each other, creating a literal snowball effect as big mounds of slushy ice seem to grow upwards from the creek’s bottom. This effect is usually the kiss of death in most creek systems. You might get lucky and find a few fish hanging around some deeper water, however, the creeks are certainly not the first place we’d send you right now.
As for the world beyond trout, pickings have gotten pretty slim with recent weather trends. You can pretty much count still water opportunities out as most lakes and ponds are iced over at this point. There is still some lingering opportunity for riverine northern pike, however, ice conditions will be the difference between getting a shot at them or not at all. The cruel reality is that we are experiencing some serious winter conditions, and the fishery is responding proportionately. You can try to force the issue, but the tying bench may need to be where you live for the moment.
Off the water, we’re back in Bugs & Beers season and are doing things a little differently this year. We’re hosting two sessions each month; the first is on the first Thursday of the month at Dirt Church Brewing Co. in Charlemont, the second on the third Thursday of the month at Progression Brewing Co. in Northampton. The Dirt Church sessions are free to join and are completely free-form—no tying theme or specific flies, just bring in materials and tools for whatever you’d like to spin up. That said, let us know if you want to work on something particular ahead of time and we can try to bring materials for a specific pattern or technique. This is also a great session for more novice tyers and if requested in advance we can bring materials, vise and tools for folks. The Progression sessions are more typical to what we’ve done in the past with a tying theme and specific flies. These sessions include a $10 cover fee which will set you up with all the materials necessary for the session.
In addition to Bugs & Beers, remember that drop-in fly tying will be happening every Saturday at 10:30am at the shop. All are welcome to join, just bring along vise, materials and tools for whatever you’d like to tie—and of course the shop will be open for any purchases you need to make. We will also be offering some classes geared toward beginners and novices, with Our Tying the Woolly Bugger class for absolute beginners and those recently starting out on Jan. 26 at 3 pm and Feb 11 at 5:30 pm. And a class for those with introductory experience wanting to take another step: Beyond the Bugger Class on Feb 4 and March 4 at 5:30 pm. See our website for more details on these and all our other offerings.
As always, thank you for your continued support from all of us here at the Deerfield Fly Shop, we hope to see you soon.
