Thinking About Winter on the Swift River

Winter is fast approaching. Here in MN we had our first frost this past weekend, and the leaves are transitioning from brilliant hues of red, yellow, and green to a uniform brown. The Wisconsin trout season is over, and the only streams open in MN are too far to make a trip worthwhile. Luckily, the bass fishing in the Mississippi should still be good for at least another month. There are also some pike hanging around and I'd love to get a few of them before it gets too cold.

A Swift River Rainbow from a cold day in January 2015 

So, despite some opportunities to fish, I've transitioned to a planning stage in regards to fishing. I'll be home in MA for Thanksgiving weekend and then for about a month in December/January. I already have a trip planned to the Swift on Thanksgiving weekend, and hopefully I'll have time to hit a few small streams if water temperatures cooperate.

Planning for the Swift

The Swift River can be an intimidating place. There are tons of large, picky trout in its crystal clear water. Flies must be small and presentations perfect. This can easily add up to a frustrating day on the water, but this can be avoided with some planning. A few tips:

• Bring small flies. No one likes using small flies (well, maybe there are a few masochists who do), but on the Swift they are a necessity. Though you can sometimes get fish on streamers or other large flies, fish in the Swift will generally feed on tiny midges, especially in the winter. My favorite is a size 24 tung-head zebra midge, but I've done well on size 20 midge dries as well.
• Be prepared for company. The Swift is ALWAYS crowded. Even in winter. The least crowded day I've seen on the Swift was a day last January with highs in the teens. Even then, I saw three other anglers. Luckily, people who fish the Swift tend to be helpful to beginners, and they know it will be crowded too, so they won't likely be upset at the company. You should make an effort to give other anglers as much space as possible, but realistically you'll be in close proximity to others.
• Move around. There are many "famous" sections of the swift - The Y-pool, the Pipe, the Tree pool, and so on. These spots all have fish, but there are plenty of less-known areas with plenty of fish as well. Last winter I found a huge school of Brookies in the shallow water downstream of the Y-pool. I was hooking up with fish after fish while the guys in the Y-pool got nothing.

A nice brookie from that same January day.

The Swift River can be a great spot to fish, and is probably our best winter fishery in Massachusetts. So, if you haven't already, give it a shot this winter.