wooly bugger

Hi Folks, Guided fly anglers yesterday afternoon on the Lamoille.  Water temperature has cooled down to 53 degrees which is still pretty darn good for the end of October.  Water level is up a bit and just slightly above the seasonal average.  Saw a few #22 BWO's hatching late in the day and there were also a fair amount of #20 flying ants buzzing about.  Not much for rising trout except for one very big rainbow that was cruising in a big back eddy sipping bugs without a worry.  We watched the trout for awhile and the moment we attempted to position ourselves for a cast the fish was put down.  We had more success dead drifting heavily weighted #12 olive/black wooly buggers.    We landed one 14" wild rainbow and lost 3 other fish.  All nice looking fish that fought pretty well.  Lots of craw fish in the Lamoille and the fish have to eat.  The Wooly bugger without question creates the illusion of a craw fish.  Not a glamorous way to catch trout but certainly effective.  It is important to keep the fly towards the bottom and using weight or a sinking line leader are all effective ways to present a bugger.  Trout season is winding down.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

change of pace

Hi Folks, Spent yesterday morning in the northeast kingdom of Vermont catching lake trout with a friend.  Water is still fairly warm for this time of the year as the surface temperature was 54 degrees.  Good west wind with partially cloudy skies.  We used long flexible fly rod blanks that are built with spin guides and are perfectly suited for casting braided lines off of a spinning reel.  We set up over mid lake humps that rise out of deep water.  Saw a fair amount of lake trout breaching the surface.  Pretty sure it is a spawning posture that allows the lakers to re-adjust their bodies that are full of eggs.  The breaching is like your pregnant wife rolling in bed when she is really uncomfortable.  The braided line allowed us to make really long casts so that we did not have to get too close to the humps with the boat.  We landed 7 lake trout, lost 3 fish, and missed another half a dozen fish.  We used 1/4oz. jigs in chartreuse tipped with a emerald shiner and smelt imitation swim bait.  Really subtle takes.  The trick to this style of fishing is to be on the water early. We had all of our action between 6:00am and 8:30am.  Once the light gets high over head the bite certainly slows.  Well, back to my world today and I will be guiding trout this afternoon on the Lamoille.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  have fun, Willy. 

winding down

Hi Folks, Ran the boat yesterday afternoon with clients chasing pike with the spin gear.  Still pretty pleasant outside as the cool down down look to arrive until early this week.  The water temperature was 54 to 55 degrees.  Good steady wind from the southwest that pushed the boat around a bit.  We worked the deep edges of weed beds that plunged off into deeper water.  We cast a variety of large double bladed spinner baits as well as large spinners in fire tiger and bright colors (dirty water).  No pike but we managed to catch a nice smallmouth bass and several very large yellow belly perch.  Lots of casting.  I am off to chase lake trout this morning.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

slowing down

Hi Folks, Been on the Lamoille guiding trout with the fly this week and the fishing is becoming more difficult by the day.  Water levels are still low and the temperatures are really beginning to drop.  Water temperature has been holding between 52 degrees and 54 degrees.  My clients and I have been stalking rising fish.  We have not had much success taking any trout with nymphs.  Occasional takes on dead drifted olive/black #10 heavily weighted wooly buggers.  The best fishing has been in the afternoon with fussy wild rainbows sipping tiny #22 BWO's.  I suspect that the fish have also been taking a tiny #22 midge as well.  All of the feeding has been in the foam line and lots of the fish have been cruising and eating.  Not holding steady and especially in big eddies where you can watch fish swimming in circles and eating.  All of the trout we are landing are quality wild rainbows that fight like crazy.  Patience fishing that requires selective casting and really good mending.  A couple of weeks left in the fishing season.  Get out there and enjoy before the weather turns nasty.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  have fun, Willy

Difficult

Hi Folks, Guided the Lamoille yesterday under cloudy and rainy condtions.  Nice low light for fishing and for rising trout.  Water temperature was 55 degrees and the level is still low.  Nice afternoon hatch of #22 BWOs with a fair amount of rising fish.  However, the trout were not easy to catch at all.  It required lots of patience and excellent casting and drifting.  A percentage of the fish were cruising and eating in skinny water.  Not necessarily holding station while sipping on the little may flies. All of the rising activity was in slow pools with big in stream rocks and boulders.  We had 7 fish eat the fly yesterday and we worked for every strike.  Fun fly fishing but difficult.  Off to do it all over again today.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Quality expereince

Hi Folks, Guided on the Lamoille yesterday afternoon under bright sunny skies.  Water level is perfect for fishing currently with the flow right around the seasonal flow level.  Water temperature was 55 degrees.  Lots of junk in the water with leaves coming off the trees daily.  We nymph fished initially but spent most of the afternoon casting to fussy rising trout.  We did land right off the get go a really nice 15" male rainbow that about jumped in my clients waders.  Nice fish that fought very hard after eating a #14 rubber legged copper john nymph.  We located some very nice rising fish in slow deep pools that were littered with big in stream rocks and boulders.  Some really good pushes of water and the trout appeared to be moving around while eating.  Swimming back and forth in the pools sipping in bugs.  The rising activity got better as the light became lower and the rise forms were more steady.  The trout were not easy to catch.  We were casting #20 dry flies with a grey bodied compara dun and a #20 olive quill bodied emerger and then a #18 BWO spinner.  There were #20 BWO duns emerging as well as spinners landing back on the water.  Long accurate casting with good drag free drifts were important.  We landed 4 nice wild rainbows that all fought really well.  I will chasing trout over the next few days.  Might as well enjoy the beautiful weather and fishing while we can.  The season goes until Halloween.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

still rising

Hi Folks, Spent the afternoon guiding with the fly on the Lamoille.  Still pretty nice weather out there with air temperatures remaining in the 60's and maybe even reaching 70 today.  The foliage is pretty much gone by.  The Lamoille was up a bit yesterday from rain earlier in the week.  Water temperature's have dropped into the low to mid fifties with the cool nights and frost that are now upon us.  We found a pod of rising wild rainbow trout yesterday afternoon.  They were sipping tiny #22 BWO's off the surface and in the surface film.  We could could not get a fish to eat a nymph.  We cast a #20 BWO dry and had 4 trout eat the fly.  We landed two of the fish.  All of the rising activity has been taking place in the tail outs of slow pools.  Very subtle rise forms and not easily noticed.  As the water cools off the fish will move into slower sections of river that are lined with finger nail sized gravel.  The is the water type where the tiny olives hatch and the trout can sip them most easily.  Will be chasing trout over the weekend.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

foliage fishing

Hi Folks, Guided from my boat yesterday with spin anglers for bass and pike.  Foliage is peaked right now and looks fantastic.  Always a nice time of the year to be on the water.  We got on the water prior to the afternoon rain and fished under cloudy skies with calm conditions.  Water temperature ranged from 58 degrees to 60 degrees.  Where we found warmer water the fishing was better.  The lake we fished is influenced by a major river and the water level is down for this time of the year.  We still need rain even though we received approximately an quarter inch of wet stuff yesterday afternoon and last night.  Still could use some more rain.  We fished big weed beds and Lilly pad edges off the main channel in the lake.  Set up the boat in about 10' of water and cast to the edges of the junk.  We cast bright colored spinner baits in chartreuse and red and gold with double blades.  Water in this lake is not clear and you need to give the fish a lure that they can see.  We used a steady retrieve and the fish were following.  We caught one good sized smallmouth and numerous largemouth bass.  No pike and did not even have a follow from a northern.  We did have several small pickerel chase the lures.  Nice day on the water.  Looks like good week for fishing after the wind and rain move out today.  I will be boat and rive fishing this week.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

not easy

Hi Folks, Spent a full day on the Lamoille with aspiring fly anglers chasing trout.  The water is really low and we could use some rain.  Been awful dry for weeks now.  Maybe some rain coming in the near future.  Water temperature hovered in the high fifties all day.  A little bit of afternoon breeze seemed to keep rising activity down a bit.  There was a number of #20/#22 BWO's hatching and we found sipping trout. Earlier in the day we nymphed fished and produced a number of strikes with double nymph rigs.  The nymph of the day was a #18 BWO nymph and #20 copper john.  One of the wild rainbows we landed had a bite mark on it's body that look like it had been inflicted by a bird of prey.  We spent the afternoon casting to subtle rise forms.  You could see some larger trout cruising in back eddies sipping bugs in the surface film.  We could see their dorsal fins when they rose to eat.  Pretty cool.  Not easy fishing.  Requires long casts with long leaders and really good mending.  These fish will not eat a poorly presented fly!  Still I like the challenge.  Heard from a couple of friends that the salmon are in up north and have been for a couple of weeks.  However, sounds like the water is low and the river is getting pounded by anglers.  I am off to chase pike and walleye today in the boat.  Looks little cooler outside.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

enjoying the weather

Hi Folks, Been guiding the Lamoille the last couple of afternoons under beautiful skies and spectacular foliage.  The leaves are about peaked and looking very nice.  The water level is the Lamoille is still low and we could use some rain.  We have really enjoyed a nice stretch of weather over the last couple of weeks and it looks to continue for the next few days.  Water temperatures are remaining between 60 to 63 degrees.  Cool nights and warm days and the sun being in lower in the sky has helped maintain water temps. in our streams.  Lots of #18/#22 Olives hatching.  Pretty steady all afternoon.  If we had a cloudy damp day I can only imagine how good it could be.  So, The fishing has been good and very consistent with rising fish.  We have been fishing a lot of dry dropper rigs with a #14 olive grasshopper as the dry with a #18 olive dropper nymph.  Catching fish on both patterns.  Lots of rainbows between 7" and 12".  We did have a brown trout eat a #18 pheasant tail nymph.  We have been focusing our efforts on large primary pools and slow flats that have gravel bottom.  Rise forms have been very subtle and almost look like a drop of rain on the water.  You really have top pay attention as the fish do not work any harder than they have to when eating small flies.  Fun way to catch trout with small dry flies in slow water.  Will be chasing trout for the next few days.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  have fun, Willy