much needed rain

Hi Folks, Looks like some wet weather.  Nice day of rain would be fine by me.  Guided a small brook last night towards the valley and was on the Winooski main stem this morning.  The mountain brook last night had a water temperature of 58 degrees.  It was really low and clear.  Watched a lot of fish dart off prior to ever casting to them.  Great attention had to be payed as to how we walked up the river so as to not spook fish.  Longer than normal casts were required and a little longer leader.  Usually I like a 7' leader on a brook trout stream.  Last night we used a 9' leader on a 6' rod and just directed the leader and fly with the rod tip through each pool.  Never putting fly line on the water's surface.  Also scaled back the fly size with a more natural looking pattern.  How about a #14 foam bodied ant.  Lots of brook trout between 4" and 8" and with even more spooked and lost.  Pretty steady action and missing and scaring a few fish did not matter.  The Winooski this morning was 69 degrees and low.  Good numbers of stone fly shucks on rocks that looked freshly hatched from the previous evening.  Seeing more and more #12/#14 Isonychia shucks as well.  There were trout rising this morning and they appeared to be eating small caddis.  We got them to eat a #12 hare's ear parachute.  Looks like a Isonychia dun that is crippled and blown onto the water.  All wild rainbows today between 9" and 13".  We did nymph fish with a #14 flashback pheasant tail under indicator as well as a red head #14 prince nymph.  Both nymph patterns hooked fish.  Found lots of #16 Rhyacophila caddis or the green rock worm crawling around on rocks.  Isonychia and Rhyacophila will be the dominant bugs available to our trout in big rivers for the next month or so.  Good to have few of those patterns in your box.  Well if we get a 1" of rain or so it will be good for the whole, but maybe not so good for river fishing tomorrow.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy