Fishing in the Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts
Fished the lower Swift River in Massachusetts a few weeks ago but the trout were lethargic. One angler I encountered said he was able to get a trout to follow his fly but it didn’t commit. He did better than I did because I didn’t even see evidence of trout. Two anglers in a Kayak said they saw trout bunched up near a waterfall. Not sure what falls they were talking about, though. But they were reporting a skunk.
Fly Fishing Show – Marlborough, MA 2013
So I went to the Fly Fishing Show in Marlborough on January 18th, 2013 and talked with the Tenkara USA guy and a number of old timey American fly tiers. They were generous with their time and advice. Gallardo of Tenkara USA did a fly fishing demonstration of the Tenkara rod and afterward was available for one on one hands on demonstration. Unfortunately I spent too much time wandering the stalls and didn’t get back in time to test out the rods. But supposedly Tenkara fly fishing is so easy it’s intuitive, particularly the part about landing a fish, where you simply grab the line by hand and pull it in until the fish is close enough to be netted.
In case this is the first time you have heard of Tenkara, basically it is a fly fishing system consisting of a telescoping lightweight fly rod, typically around 13 feet, and a line with a fly at the end of it. No reel. I know it sounds odd but it’s actually quite functional and popular with hikers who enjoy fishing in remote areas. There’s not much gear involved and it’s all lightweight.
