River Monster

Hi Folks, Visited the land of big fish yesterday morning.  Pretty chilly out there with snow falling while we fished.  Water has cooled off with the river temperature 48 degrees.  Level was great after a weekend of rain and snow.  We swung streamers that were weighted and unweighted.  For any of you lifters out there, and you know who you are, no need to dredge flies to get the salmon to elevate to eat.  We caught two nice salmon, 20" and 25" and both fish rose to eat our flies.  We lost another really good fish and caught a nice strong fighting lake run rainbow.  All on a #8 Mickey  Finn, #8 Black Ghost, and a #8 Magog Smelt.  It appeared that the fish were on the move as we hooked all of our fish in tail outs of primary pools.  The salmon were holding in front of large rocks and boulders.  Need places to rest after blasting through heavy water.  Magnificent fish that fight like crazy.  It is a real challenge to land the big ones.  Rod angles and how the fish are handled is key in landing salmon.  Halloween bring its to an end.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home, Have Fun, Willy

Going out with a gulp

Hi Folks, Guided probably my last trip of the 2016 season on Friday. Record setting season for the catfish with over 140 trips over the last 6 months.  My legs, ankles, and feet feel it.   There is still 9 days left in the fishing season so hopefully get on the water a couple more times.   Fished my home river the Lamoille and it showed that there are some really nice fish still to be caught.  Weird weather day with the afternoon starting out with air temperatures in the mid 60's and then dropping to the forties with rain by days end.  Lots of leaves in the water.  We located some rising fish and they were of the gulping variety.  You can tell the difference between a big head and jaw rising to eat versus that of a small trout.  We cast a #20 BWO Klinkhammer style fly with a #18 pheasant tail dropper nymph. We had 6 trout eat the fly and landed two fish.  The two big boys we were unable to land.  There is nothing better than watching a large fish rise in slow water gulping and then make a perfect cast and drift to get it to eat! Raining and snowing in Stowe currently.  Good for the rivers as we really need the precipitation before the ground freezes.  October has been prettyd darn good river fishign for trout.  In particular for wild rainbows.  Despite the drought, the fish look to be in good shape.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

working a beat of water

Hi Folks, Another beautiful fall day on the river guiding.  Been a nice foliage season with unseasonably warm weather and lots of sun,  Still very dry.   The Lamoille was 56 degrees.  Not too many leaves in the water.  My strategy in river fishing has always been to have a beat of water to fish.  At least 3 to 4 riffles to pools that are 1/4 to 1/2 mile  from start to finish.  It was interesting in this dynamic yesterday how only 1 riffle to pool held all of the fish. The other 3 produced zero strikes while we had well over a dozen fish eat in one riffle.  All 4 spots were good water so it was interesting to me why the trout were concentrated.  Probably the low water.  Anywho, great hatch of #20 BWOs yesterday with rising fish.  Good rising activity in the late afternoon.  We landed 4 trout yesterday with the largest fish being jumping 14" silver sided wild rainbow.  Our nymph rig was a double fly set with a #14 prince and a #20 BWO dropper nymph.  The trout were all over the little dropper.  When the fish began rising we cast a #20 BWO Klinkhammer style fly.  The fish demanded a good drift. Nothing better than watching wild trout eat tiny dry flies.  The trout fishing for October has been consistent.  Primarily been catching wild rainbows and considering the water conditions the trout look great.  Looks like rain later this week, sure hope so.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

eating the small stuff

Hi Folks, Another day on the river guiding with the fly rods.  Fished on the lower Winooski.  Water temperature was 51 to 52 degrees.  Looks like a bit of a warm up this week which should warm the river temps. slightly.  Not much for hatching bugs yesterday and the river is still incredibly low.  I was able to take clients onto a stretch of the Winooski that would not be safe wading normally under average flow regimes.  We had 9 trout eat the fly and landed 4 wild rainbows.  Our best fish was a solid 15" bow. The fly of the day was a #20 BWO nymph under a #8 olive wooly bugger.  Lots of casting and dead drifting.  We fished 3 large riffles to deep pools.  Big primary water with wintering holes. Looks like a bit of rain moving in this week.  would be nice to fish in overcast damp conditions.  Only a couple of weeks left in the season.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

starting to cool off

Hi Folks, The beat goes on with the fall foliage guiding.  The leaves are now past peak, but still looking really nice.  Lots of leaves drifting in the current that collect on flies.  Water temperatures have dropped off the last couple of days with the high in the Lamoille yesterday being 52 degrees.  Did see a hatch of tiny #22 BWOs yesterday afternoon but only one rising fish.  Pretty sunny day.  Water is still incredibly low and I am fishing in riffles and pools from positions and I have never cast from.  My client and I yesterday crossed the river in a few places where I have never crossed.  The fly of the day this week has been a #20 peacock soft hackle dropped behind a #16 olive caddis pupa.  Fun catching larger trout on tiny flies.  The rainbows we have been catching have been good looking fish. Even had a guest catch a bonus brook trout earlier in the week. Most of our takes have been coming towards the end of the drift.  The trout have been holding in the heads of pools.  As long as the nights remain cold, then the fishing will be best during midday.  Will be trout fishing again later today with guests.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Pretty good fishing

Hi Folks, Been a productive few days of guiding with the fly rods on the Lamoille watershed.  Leaves are now just past peak.  Been pretty darn nice foliage season.  Now with wind the leaves fall from the trees into the rivers and cause some issues with the your flies getting hung up in them.  A few nights of frost have dropped river temperatures.  The Lamoille and its tributaries dropped from 56 to 57 degrees to 49 to 51 degrees.  Water warmed a bit yesterday as the air temperature was 72 degrees by late day.  The water level is silly low.  I have never seen this low of water levels in 26 years of walking Vermont trout streams.  Not much for hatches the last few days.  However, the nymph fishing has been terrific.  We have been focusing on large heavy riffles and plunge pools.  I am not locating any trout in secondary water.  A #8 olive wooly bugger with a #20 BWO dropper nymph and a #12 prince nymph with a #18 BWO dropper nymph under an indicator have been the fly set ups.  Catching pretty much all wild fish.  The wild bows have looked very healthy.  Got really nice 15" rainbow yesterday that ate the #20 nymph and then we had a larger trout chase it in out of the pool.  Pretty exciting.  My clients have been hooking at least half a dozen fish each half day outing right now.  A lot of subtle takes.  As long as the air temperatures maintain during the day the trout fishing will continue to be consistent.  Looks like rain for Thursday, yea.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

weather is changing

Hi Folks, Been a busy weekend of guiding for the catfish.  Mixed it up from lake fly fishing for bass and pike to fly fishing for trout on the Lamoille watershed.  Water temperatures are really starting to drop as the winter approaches.  Cold nights now have the Lamoille and its tributaries reading water temperatures in the low to mid fifties.  The lake I guided Saturday was a pleasant 64 degrees.  The wind was a factor all wind as it swirled from various directions.  Was a challenge lake fishing on Saturday.  With the wind comes downed leaves in rivers which can be a bit of a pain.  Still seeing lots of #20 BWO hatching midday day to late afternoon as well as sporadic #14/#16 caddis mid morning to mid afternoon.  We have found sone sipping trout who have been more than willing to eat a #20 spotlight emerger and as well as a #20 BWO parachute.  Bass fishing Saturday involved lots of casting.  The fly patterns of the day were a #6 orange and yellow Lefty's Deceiver and a #6 Sculpin head bugger in yellow and white with rubber legs.  We located a good pod of largemouth bass in 1' to 3' of water among dying off weed beds.  Had a few smallmouth bass chase out of deeper water but not commit to eating the fly.  One decent pike ate a fly and promptly broke us off.  Good number of fish but no real big boys.  Trout fishing yesterday on a Lamoille tributary was very good once we located the fish.  Due to the drought, the fish were stacked up in a big plunge pool.  We did not have many fish come to the fly until we got on the bigger piece of water.  Then it was game on as we had 6 nice trout eat our nymph rig.  Landed two strong fighting fish with the best being an almost 15" wild rainbow.  The rig was a #8 olive bead head wolly bugger with a #18 olive green cooper john nymph.  Both flies got responses.  Interesting was how some of the takes were subtle and some very aggressive.  Depended on where in the pool the flies were cast as the eddy fish took the fly very gently and the the trout in the heavier water crushed it.  Certainly a lot colder today with frost warning now in effect.  Off to trout fish.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

sipping tiny bugs

 

Hi Folks, Been a great week of guiding with the leaves turning and the trout sipping tiny may flies off the surface.  Spent the last few days on the Lamoille where the water temperature has been 58 to 61 degrees.  Been midday fishing lately.  Seeing #20 BWOs hatching midday.  Cloudy conditions and low light are preferred for hatching activity.  I love seeing the little sailboats drifting in the current and disappearing into the mouth of a hungry trout.  The rise forms can be deceptive as they often looks like a small rain drop on the water.  Upon closer inspection you can often see the nose of a good sized trout sucking in a bug.  Why make a splashy rise form when you can eat so effortlessly. This type of fly fishing requires good casting and presentations as the fish typically rise in slow water.  They have a PHD in studying your drift.  We still need rain and our rivers are really low.  Foliage is at peak and as long as it does not cool off to significantly the trout fishing should remain consistent.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

wondering on the Winooski

Hi Folks, Guided mid morning to mid day on the Winooski yesterday.  Had the same anglers as the previous day with very different results.  The water is still incredibly low.  Short of hurricane type rain, I do not see our rivers rebounding this season.  Need good fall rain and a heavy snow pack this winter.  Water temperature was 58 degrees.  Not much for hatching bugs.  A few sporadic #20 BWOs but no trout responding to the small mayfly.  We fished a couple of different spots with very little action from any fish.  We missed 4 fish between 3 anglers.  Pretty much the same conditions as the previous day when the fishing was really good, interesting.  We mixed up the flies from #12 Prince nymphs to #18 BWO nymphs, to a #8 weighted wooly bugger, and a #16 olive caddis pupa.  The four strikes were on the Prince and were good whacks from the fish. All of the takes were in a heavy riffle at the head of a deep pool.  Tough to maintain focus when fishing for several hours with very few strikes.  One of things I like about fly fishing is the focus it requires to do well.  Well keep the fly in the water and good things will happen.  Off to guided the Lamoille today.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

wild Winooski

Hi Folks, Finally a day guiding fly anglers this fall with really good fishing.  We landed 14 trout of 21 we had eat the fly.  13 of those fish were wild Winooski rainbows with one 11" stocked brown in the mix.  Water temperature was 58 degrees and the level is still very low.  No bugs to speak of.  The fly of the day was a #12 Prince nymph.  We swung the nymph into the head of one large riffle and could not miss!.  Incredible how many trout were holding in one spot.  Letting the fly drift all the way through the run was important until in settled in the seam below.  We were fishing on the lower Winooski were the water is rather big.  We landed 3 legitimate measured 15" to 16" rainbows.  Good strong fish.  We tried several other fly patterns with no success.  Seemed like a good fishing day with the weather being overcast and damp.  Same pattern today and I will be on the Winooski once again.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Bouncing around

Hi Folks, Just guided two full days back to back and mixed up the fishing.  Feel like bounced all over northern Vermont.  Spent Friday morning on the lower Lamoille chasing smallmouth bass and then moved up river to cast to trout.  Water temperatures varied from 66 degrees down river to 62 degrees upstream.  Two very different pieces of water.  The bass fishing was slow as we made lots of casts to catch two smallmouth bass and very large Fall Fish.  We caught the bass on a #8 black popping bug and #6 olive cone headed bunny bugger.  We did miss a couple of fish on the surface and had a couple of strikes on a purple/black bunny bugger.  The trout fishing up stream was slow.  We had two nice eat a #12 Hare's Ear parachute but no hatches to speak of and no rising fish.  Both trout were holding in fast heavy riffles.  The smallmouth were in big deep pools.  Yesterday I rowed my drift boat all over a large lake for bass pike.  We were greeted with a consistent east wind.  Not the best situation for fishing.  Using my drift boat due to a failed starter on the motorboat.  Boats-borrow another thousand, ugh.  We did locate a mess of largemouth bass on the edges and in heavy weed beds.  We changed flies a lot.  Finally the fly of the day was a #2 White/Blue Lefty's Deceiver.  Stripped and paused drew takes from bass and lots of follows with turn offs.  Never saw a pike all day.  Challenging fishing for October in my opinion.  Water is crazy low and we really need rain.  Off to chase trout today.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Leaves starting to pop

Hi Folks, Guided the Lamoille yesterday afternoon under big blue sunny skies.  The leaves are starting to turn and the surrounding hillsides were full of color.  Water temperature was 62 degrees and yes the water is still really low.  We had well over a dozen rainbows come to our dry fly dropper nymph rig.  We landed 4 wild bows from 7" to 12".  Our best fish of the day was lost as it wrapped up on a piece of downed wood.  It was one of the few trout that ate the #18 pheasant tail nymph.  Most of our takes were on the #12 Hare's Ear parachute.  We fished heavy pocket water.  All of the trout were holding in the heavier water. Probably a product of the low water and bright sun.  Looks like some damp cool weather coming at us, I hope so.  Off to chase river bass today.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

working hard

Hi Folks, Been working hard on my guided trips this week for fish.  Smallmouth fished out of my boat on Monday.  Water temperatures ranged from 58 to 65 degrees.  A steady south/southeast wind impacted the temperatures and the fishing.  We fly cast for most of the day and then resorted to spin fishing once my guests arm was about to fall off.  We half a dozen large smallmouth come to a #8 red/yellow deer hair bug.  The fish were holding on drop offs next to large weed beds in 12' to 15' of water.  When we started casting a 4" motor oil Senko on the spin rod we were getting strikes every other cast.  Landed a dozen feisty bass.  Guided a couple of trout trips the next few days where water temperature on the Lamoille was 61 degrees and on the Winooski 63 degrees.  Both rivers are really low.  Been seeing a fair amount of olive caddis larvae on rocks and decent numbers of #14-#16 caddis hatching in the morning and egg laying in the late afternoon.  We did locate a nice brown trout rising the other morning and got him to eat a #16 x-caddis and then he promptly snapped the tippet.  We have been casting dry dropper rigs with caddis and #12 adams parachutes as the dry and #18 pheasant tail and olive caddis pupa as the dropper fly.  Most of our fish have been eating the dropper nymph.  Been making lots of casts to get fish to eat.  The low water and warmer than average temperatures have made the fishing challenging.  We really need rain.  Off to chase trout today.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Fish fry

Hi Folks, Was an interesting last few days of guiding and fishing.  Big cold front moved into town with rain on Friday.  Every bit of rain helps but we need more.  Cold outside now with our first frost warnings of the season.  Trout fished the Friday and Saturday and it was pretty darn slow.  The fish did not seem to be too interested.  Water temperatures slowly dropped into the low to mid fifties.  I was on the main stem of the Winooski and a couple of tribs. The water levels were up but the clarity was fine.  Did not see any bug activity.  We got a couple of misguided fish to eat a #8 olive and black wooly bugger in slow deep pools.  On Sunday I change directions and went still water fishing for lake trout.  The surface temperature of the lake I was on was 67 degrees.  Stiff cold northwest wind.  We got 3 bites from lake trout and decided to change directions.  I think the lake trout are in spawning mode and the bite is a bit more challenging presently.  So, we went caught a mess of beautiful yellow perch for a fish fry.  A lot nice yellow beliies that we located in 25' to 30' of water over grass beds.  The electronics were really helpful.  The moment we drifted off the grass beds we lost the bite.  We caught the fish on smelt imitation swim baits on rods that were fiberglass and spooled with braided line.  Not the target species but I have to say some of the nicest looking perch I have seen in a long time.  Off to run my boat today for smallmouth.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Big fly little trout, tiny fly big trout

Hi Folks, Spent yesterday morning fly fishing on a Winooski tributary for native brook trout and wild brown trout.  Water temperature was 60 degrees and the water is low.  We really need rain.  Still warm and muggy with somewhat cool nights.  Maybe some rain on Friday.  Worked a dry dropper rig with a #12 Ausable Wulff and a #18 BWO dropper.  Interestingly enough of the 7 landed brook trout and 1 brown trout, all of the big fish ate the dropper nymph and the smaller fish ate the dry fly.  The trout were aggressive as I located fish in every spot the fly was cast.  The takes on the dropper looked like a rising fish as the trout exploded onto the surface as they came up on the tiny dropper.  All of the trout were in full on spawning colors.  Love this time of year for fly fishing.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  have fun, Willy

Enjoying the Lamoille

HI Folks, Guided a large party on the Lamoille yesterday morning with the fly rods.  Water temperature was 60 degrees and the water level was below the seasonal average.  Rained some last night and is damp today.  Lots of #14/#16 caddis hatching.  There were a bunch of caddis already hatched out along the banks of the river.  Egg laying typically takes place in the late afternoon.  We did find a few rising fish.  Got them to eat a #14 Adams parachute.  Of the 6 anglers myself and my other guide took out, everyone landed a fish.  All rainbows and a mix of stocked and wild fish. We caught a percentage of fish with a dropper below the parachute.  A #18 pheasant tail and #16 caddis pupa worked well.  We located all of our fish in big riffles and pools.  Looks like a nice weather pattern for fishing and the trout fishing is only getting better.  Interestingly, the stocked trout looked like they had been through the ringer, big heads and skinny bodies.  A sign of thermal stress.  Fly patterns currently are #14/#16 caddis (goddard, x-caddis, and henryville special), #8-#10 olive and black wooly buggers, #18/#20 BWO's, #12/#14 prince nymphs,#14 bug bugs, #8 mickey finn, #8/#10 black ghost, #14-#20 ants, and #12/#14 green bodied hoppers.  Just remember it is not always about the fly but more about the presentation.  Trout like to eat a good drift!!!!  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

streamer fishing

Hi Folks, Who said fishing guides don't like to fish?  Just dont always have the chance  during the season when you guide everyday.  I do not fish when guiding except with my eyes.  If I am fishing with clients, then I certainly would not be paying attention to them.  So, yesterday I got the opportunity to cast a fly on a Winooski trib. with a couple of friends.  Water temperature was 58 degrees.  Cool nights lately have dropped our water temperatures down enough now that the trout fishing is game on.  The water is still very low and we need rain. There was a small brook that dumps into the river we were fishing yesterday that was bone dry.  Not much for hatching bugs so we resorted to casting streamers.  I did not have much luck yesterday myself my friend Brian might mouse mouse carpenter and FX both caught wild trout streamer fishing.  I am the official photographer.  We we worked buggers in plunge pools and heavy riffles to draw interest from trout.  Casting into the heavy water and stripping back was the ticket.  The best fish of the day was a beautiful wild 20" female brown trout that ate a white and grizzly hackle wooly bugger.  A slim profiled muddler worked well also.  Streamer fishing is not always my first choice but extremely effective in getting a trout's interest.  Looking forward to fall and some good trout and salmon fishing.  Off to go to guide trout.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Fishing in the rain, fishing in the rain

Hi Folks, Guided a spin trip for smallmouth in a local river yesterday morning and then went fly fishing myself for trout.  Nice to see rain and I did not mind getting wet.  Still need more rain but anything at this point is good.  Nights have been cool and water temps. are dropping.  The smallmouth river was 67 degrees and the small stream I fly fished was 59 degrees.  Good steady wind yesterday.  We landed 4 smallmouth using 3" crawfish Senkos.  Most of the takes were subtle and we missed a few fish due to the wind and our inability to be able to watch the line in the drift.  Tricky when the line is being blown around and you get a visual on it when the fish are picking up the rubber.  All of the fish were in deeper pools in and around large rocks and downed wood.  The trout fishing was pretty darn good.  Worked a few holes looking for a large brown trout.  Caught 5 brook trout with the largest being 10" and 1 wild brown that was 12".  Caught the fish on a #12 orange bodied stimulator with a #18 pheasant tail dropper nymph.  The brown and larger brook trout ate the dropper nymph.  Fun in clear water watching trout come to the fly.  Polarized glasses are really helpful.  Coming into my favorite time of the year to fish.  Chasing trout the next few days.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Preparing for Fall

Hi Folks, Like the feel to the air out there currently.  Could the heat be over and fall is truly on the way?? Hope so, we need more rain but we did get a heck of a storm Sunday morning that puffed up our rivers.  They have all come back down and are fishable.  Water temperatures the last couple of days have ranged from 60 to 66 degrees.  The Lamoille was 65 degrees Saturday morning.  I traveled north after guiding Saturday and fly fished the upper CT.  Tail water release where the water was a pleasant 61 to 62 degrees.  Meet up with some old college friends.  Love getting together with friends from the past and getting to hang out on a trout stream.  Good camaraderie.  The trout fishing seems to be coming around.  The fish I am seeing have certainly have experienced some summer stress.  Big heads and skinny bodies.  Catching fish with tiny #18/#20 yellow/tan caddis pupa.  Also, a blind fished #16/#18 crystal ant has been very effective.  There are lots of terrestrials presently from green/olive hoppers to flying ants.  The smallmouth fishing should go off now with the cooling nights and lower sun angle.  Looking forward to some landlocked salmon fishing.  We need rain!!!  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

getting a little wet

Hi Folks, Guided from the canoe with the the fly rods Thursday night.  Actually got rained on for a bit.  On and off heavy showers.  Still not enough precipitation as it is really dry out there.  Surface temperature was 71 degrees.  We worked a #8 black popper and and #6 olive bunny streamer.  Landed 3 smallmouth and 1 nice pickerel.  The pickerel came off a large weed bed and we watched is swirl on the fly and then return and suck it in.  Fought pretty good.  It was at least 2' long and did not break us off as we had it hooked on the top of the mouth away from all of its sharp teeth.  The smallmouth bit started out well and then the rain moved in and shut it down.  No real rhyme or reason to it.  The fish we caught were all holding on large points and rocky islands/humps that were adorned with weed.  Pretty aggressive strikes initially and the last fish literally sipped in the fly like trout.  Weather effects fishing and it is matter of only working with it.  Off to chase trout today.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

still feels like summer

Hi folks, Been darn hot the last few days.  I have been guiding smallmouth again due to warming water temperatures.  Did have a nice little window of cooler night air temperatures and water temperature earlier in the week that allowed a trip to the main stem of the Lamoille.  Water was 63 degrees compared to yesterday afternoon when it was a hot 71 degrees.  The lakes I have run my boat on have been 72 to 74 degrees.  Still really need rain!  Lot of #14-#22 ant activity with hatches of ant swarms every afternoon.  I have witnessed large bass even eating the ants.  A lake I was on two days ago was glassy calm and you could see millions of ants on the surface.  Really easy pickings for any fish.  More and more #12 Isonychia shucks on rocks and a #12 flashback pheasant tail was the fly of the day on the Lamoille.  Large number of cased #18 tan caddis shucks have been on tops of rocks in riffles preparing to hatch.  Starting to see more and more #14-#16 olive green caddis larvae as well. With the bass fishing a wide array of poppers in smaller sizes from #10-#8 have been effective.  Finding more of the larger fish in open water in and around underwater islands, humps, long points that feature big weed beds.  Lots of weed growth with the hot weather and low water, photosynthesis at its finest.  Will cool down one of these days.  Not many people fishing these days which is nice for me.  Off to chase smallmouth in a canoe.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

smiles tell the tale

Hi Folks, Been a fun filled week of guiding young people river fishing.  Nothing better than getting teenagers and kids interested in the great out doors and fishing.  Big cold front arrived Thursday night dropping air temperatures and water temperatures significantly.  The Lamoille received  a good amount of rain this week and the river is now in decent shape to fish.  Its tributaries are in perfect shape.  The river I guided the last two days was 68 degrees yesterday morning and 72 degrees on Thursday afternoon.  A lot of morning fog currently as the nights really cool off.  Fishing times will begin to shift to mid day and late afternoon if the weather continues to cool off.  For bugs I am still seeing fresh #6-#10 stone fly shucks on rocks, lots and lots of cased caddis on tops of rocks in riffles.  #18 tan/yellow bodied caddis, #12 Isonychia shucks, some tiny #18-#20 BWOs, #22-#24 Tricos, and lots of terrestrials from hoppers to ants to beetles.  Bass fishing was decent the last two days.  We worked for fish as cold fronts always slow them down a bit.  The incredible edible Senko in 4" motor oil has been been consistent.  A dead drifted #8 bead headed black wooly bugger has also worked well.  Still need rain.  I will be putting a full day today chasing smallmouth in a lake.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

get em up or get em down

Hi Folks, Been a busy last week of guiding especially the last 3 days.  Had a cold front push through last Thursday and that impacted the fishing for a day or two before things really settled out yesterday.  Been mostly chasing smallmouth bass though I did guide a trout trip yesterday morning on a Winooski tributary.  The trout stream we visited was 58 degrees and gin clear.  A tough little stream with only wild fish.  It reminds me of a spring creek to a degrees and you must pay attention to how you move around it and stay out of the water as much as possible.  It is a stream that demands excellence from a fly angler and is perfectly suited for dry fly fishing.  We worked it yesterday morning with a #18 crystal ant (been flying ants everywhere!) and in a few fast riffles a #14 Royal Wulff.  We landed 5 wild rainbows and missed a couple of nice strikes on the dry flies.  We had one nice trout follow the fly downstream only to take a look and deny us.  Interesting when you can see a fish come to your fly and turn off.  There were a few #22 Trico spinners a few #16 tan bodied caddis hatching.  Only saw a couple of sporadic rises. Nice morning of trout fishing and it will only improve as the weather continues to cool off.  The guiding business has really been on the smallmouth fishing front lately.  Been both river fishing and lake fishing.  From my motorboat to canoes.  Water temperatures on the surface were cool on Friday and Saturday and then warmed back up again yesterday.  Friday in the river the water was 68 degrees and on the lake Saturday it was 69 degrees and yesterday a perfect 71 to 73 degrees.  We have caught smallmouth everyday, but yesterday was the best overall.  I think after a cold front moves in the fishing is a bit tough and as the weather stabilizes it picks right back up.  The question lately has been do we try to catch them on the surface or down below with rubber.  I will always choose the surface.  With the flying ants and bountiful numbers of bait fish the surface fishing is a good option.  It just takes more patience than the rubber which tends to draw lots of interest.  We did catch some nice quality smallmouth yesterday and Saturday.  The largest fish came on 5" Senkos.  Real hard pulling smallies that took drag off reels.  The key ingredient was weed beds, specifically milfoil.  We fished 12' to 15' of water in and around milfoil beds.  Well, have your ants ready and hope for some rain.  Off to chase trout.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the  non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

pounding away

Hi Folks, Been guiding away chasing smallmouth bass in rivers and lakes the last few days.  Still feels a bit like summer out there but I think a change in the weather is on the way.  Looks like a bit of rain today which sorely needed and air temperatures are cooling off.  Some cool nights would be nice for lower water temperatures in our trout streams.  The water is low everywhere and very clear.  I have noticed in the rivers where I chase smallmouth the fish are beginning to get a bit fussy.  River temperatures have ranged from 69 degrees to 72 degrees.  The lake I ran the boat on yesterday was 72 degrees on the surface with heavy fog early in the morning.  Over the last 3 days we have had to finesse fish the bass.  I have not seen one fish come to an active lure or surface presentation.  4" and 5" Senkos in motor oil, baby bass, and crawfish have all been productive.  Most of my  recent guests have been new to fishing and it is fun watching them figure out the entire process from the cast to presentation, to the drift, to the subtle take, to the aggressive hook set to playing  a jumping fish.  Loads of fun and laughs.  On the river front the bass have been holding tight to cover.  Mostly downed wood and large rocks.  In the lakes the fish have been in deeper water from 15' to 20'  abutting sharp drop offs.  I love the electricity of the rod tip when you hook a decent smallie fishing with rubber.  Hoping for rain and a cool down.  Will be chasing bass for the next few days.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Girl power

Hi Folks, Ran my boat yesterday morning for bass with spin guests.  Beautiful morning of fishing with flat calm conditions and low light until the sun rose.  Water temperature was 72 degrees and the water was gin clear.  I have guided mostly women and young ladies this last week and they have been putting on a fishing clinic.  Let me assure everyone the fish do not care who is holding the spin rod or fly rod.  Our lakes and rivers are low and yes we need rain.  Witnessed an interesting phenomena early in the day as there were large rainbows holding in deep water boiling on bait fish.  You could see their noses poking up out of the water.  It would happen for 30 seconds and then they would disappear.  Saw this happen half a dozen times.  Hard to get close to them to make a cast.  We had nice flat conditions in the early morning with low light.  We took advantage of the conditions and fished top water.  A perch floating Rapala and a bass imitation popper worked well.  We landed a solid 3lb largemouth on the Rapala and had several smallmouth come to the bass popper.  As it became bright we fished below the surface with 5" motor oil colored Senkos.  We focused on milfoil beds in 10' to 15' of water.  The bass photoed was a legitimate 5lb smallmouth.  One of the largest I have seen caught this season.  Not a fish that is caught everyday.  It was a hellluva of a fighter.  Jumped and ripped drag off the reel.  I had to net the beast.  Pretty exciting.  Anyway, we did catch a few other fish on the rubber, just nothing of this magnitude.  Well, the fishing should only get better in the weeks to come as things cool off and we hopefully get some rain.   Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Making rods bend

Hi Folks, Been weathering the heat and humidity by standing in rivers.  Mixed it up the last two days with river fishing for smallmouth bass and fly fishing for wild rainbows and browns on a Winooski tributary.  Water temp. on the smallmouth water was 72 degrees and the trout stream this morning was a very nice 63 degrees.  Water is low and clear and we still need rain.  The bass fishing was pretty straight forward as we dead drifted 3" green and brown Senkos on red hooks.  We landed 8 smallmouth and missed a few.  The bite was fairly subtle but with good line control we managed to stick a few in deeper pools and back eddies.  This morning the trout fishing was pretty darn good with all of the fish caught on a dry fly.  A #12 Royal Wulff to be exact.  One 14" plus bow jumped 6 times.  Landed 5 wild bows and 1 wild brown.  Missed a few as we had trout coming out of the water and back down on the fly.  Really fun in clear water to watch fish launch to the surface to eat.  Not much for hatching bugs.  Seeing a few #18/#20 yellow bodied caddis, #6-#10 stone fly shucks on rocks, flying ants #14-#22, #18-#22 BWOs, a few #22 Tricos, and lots of different types  of terrestrials.  Off to bass fish this afternoon.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Keeping the spirit alive, plus flying ants

Hi Folks, Since returning from up north I have had the chance to guide young anglers the past two days.  A young budding fly angler from a canoe last night for smallmouth bass and today Boy Scout Troop 94 from Maine for a little river spin fishing for bass.  Pretty warm today and muggy today.  Yesterday was beautiful coming off a cold front that arrived on Monday.  Surface temperature in the lake was 71 degrees and the river temperature today was 72 degrees.  Water levels are still down and we need rain!.  Sun has been bright the last few days.  Yesterday afternoon we had a field day with small smallmouth eating our top water offerings.  A #6 frog popper and a #8 foam popper were the flies of the day.  Did not see really any big fish come to the fly.  We fished all sorts of cover and structure and spots where the big boys and girls hang.  I think the cold front from the previous day made the bigger bass a bit fussy to come to the surface.  The strikes we did receive from the numerous small fish were when the popper was being worked aggressively out over deeper water.  However, at dark, there was a nice little hatch of some sort of burrowing may fly in the Hex family and the bass begin to rise to it.  We caught our best fish of the afternoon right at the end at dark.  Today I had the pleasure of guiding Boy Scouts.  I am a Eagle Scout and I was turned on to fishing from scouting.  I was able to help four of the kids earn their fishing merit badge.  Every Scout caught a bass today.  I did let them harvest several fish selectively and learning to clean and prepare a fish is part of the badge requirement.  We drifted bass colored Senkos in 3" and 4" sizes with great success.  At the end of the trip the flying ants started to appear after we were in the trucks.  Have your ant patterns handy as they bring everyone to the surface.  Was very nice for me to fly fish with a young man I have guided since he was 6 and who could successfully and effectively deliver the fly while siting.  I was having flash backs all afternoon with the Scouts thinking about my great memories at their stage in fishing.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

back in the game

Hi Folks, Just returned from Labrador fly fishing the Mckenzie River Lodge.  Pretty incredible place in the middle of no where. Literally one of the last true wilderness areas in north america.  Not for the faint of heart.  Challenging but really rewarding fly fishing for 2lb to 7lb brook trout, 5lb to 15lb Ouananiche or landlocked salmon, 8lb to 25lb lake trout, 5lb to 15lb northern pike and lake whitefish that go up to 6lbs.  We sight fished brook trout and few salmon with nymphs under Bomber dry flies.  My favorite rig as I landed some of my best salmon on a #12 red thread tungsten prince nymph.  We twitched mouse fly patterns for violent boils and strikes from angry salmon as well as swung and stripped streamer fly patterns in olive, black, and natural colors.  All catch and release fishing and a place where most of the fish are not afraid of us as they do not recognize people as predators.  Hell of a experience

and one that is logged in my brain for sometime to come.  I am off to chase smallmouth this afternoon with clients.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Heading to Labrador, not quite yet

Hi Folks, Guided one last fishing trip yesterday morning before I leave for Labrador today.  I will be gone from Saturday August 13 to Sunday August 21.  Heading north to Labrador to fly fish for landlocked salmon, brook trout, pike, lake trout, and white fish.  Should be epic.  So, yesterday took a young angler spin fishing for smallmouth bass.  Water temperature was 71 degrees and the water was low and clear.  You could see the fish eat the presentation.  Tough not to set the hook prematurely when you see the smallmouth move to eat your presentation.  A little bit of on and off rain made for good low light fishing.  We landed 9 smallmouth on a 4" Senko swim bait in baby bass.  All of the fish were holding in deeper pools causing back and forth amongst down wood and rocks.  Still really need rain and it looks like we might get some over the next few days.  For hatches, #22-#24 Tricos, #10-#12 Epherons, #18-#20 minor caddis in tan and black, #12 Isonychia, and terrestrials in all shapes and sizes. I will resume my guiding operation when I return to action on Monday August 22.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

not bad

Hi Folks, Been mixing it up with the guiding the last couple of days.  Fly fishing small streams and brooks for native and wild trout as well as bigger water for smallmouth.  The bass fishing had been tricky until yesterday morning when we had some nice low light.  The difference between sun and low light was astronomical.  In the bright sun the smallmouth would come to the fly and turn off.  In the low the light they would come to the fly and commit to eating.  We got smallmouth to eat a #8 chartreuse rubber legged popper on the surface and a #8 picket pin streamer below the surface.  All of the fish were holding in deeper pools that had a mix of wood and rock for cover.  The water temperature was 66 degrees and really low.  The low water certainly has made the fishing challenging.  Still seeing big numbers of #22 Tricos hatching in the morning with massive spinner clouds over riffles around 9am.  Some #18-#20 micro caddis are hatching in the morning as well.  On the trout front, I have been covering a lot of ground on small brooks to get fish to eat.  The brooks we visited Monday and Tuesday were between 57 to 62 degrees.  The water is so low that you really have to make more casts than usual to get the fish to eat.  They simply do not want to move off their holding areas.  Knee deep water up against large rocks that abut riffles have been consistent holding areas.  My clients have been casting #12 green foam hoppers, #12 Royal Wulff, #14 green bodied stimulator, and #14 yellow humpy.  Any terrestrial pattern would be productive currently.  Still really need rain.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

A bit challenging

Hi Folks, Been pounding it the last few days for smallmouth bass with clients in lakes and rivers.  We have been fly fishing and spin fishing.  The fishing has been down right slow!  Water temperatures really spiked into the high 70's and then almost 80 degrees on a lake I fished last Friday.  Cold front moves through and I got a reading of 68 degrees this morning on a bass stream and 59 on a brook trout stream.  The lower Lamoille had a weather event on Friday night with a thunderstorm that made it a bit off color.  We fished some sexy water that simply was off.  I have guided these stretches for a number of years and the fish were simply shut down after the front passed.  This morning we watched smallmouth come to the fly both a popper and streamer and turn off over and over again.  Not interested enough to eat it.  Making lots of casts and drifts to hook a couple of fish at best. Funny in fishing how you can one day catch over 50 fish one day and the next barley touch one.  This is why I am no expert and continually trying to get better at my craft.  You never have it totally figured out.  The brook trout fishing was good as they seemed willing to eat dry flies.  A#12 rubber legged foam Trude was effective this morning getting fish to eat.  Well with the cooler weather maybe have the chance to fish some bigger water for trout in the early morning.  Still need rain big time.  Been a good number of #22-#24 Tricos hatching.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Dog days of August

Hi Folks, Been trying to stay cool with the guiding operation over the last few days.  Truly the dog days of August right now. Did a full day yesterday in the boat with aspiring fly anglers and the previous day fly fished a small brook.  In between guiding I had the chance to take my kids fishing which was good fun.  The lake we fished yesterday was 78 to 80 degrees.  I have never seen the water so warm in the 25 years I have fished this place.  Not to mention the water is extremely low.  We need sustained rain.  The brook I was on was 59 degrees but extremely low and gin clear.  Bass fishng yesterday with the fly rods was tough.  We caught fish on the surface, but nothing too large.  It was a day where a sinking line with a heavy fly would have been the method.  The larger fish are holding in deeper water off the first significant drop from shore.  15' to 25' of water would be perfect.  Tough to fish deep water with a fly rod and if you are learning really tough.  Lake fishing with the fly forces the casting angler to learn how to haul the line and in particular double haul.  Managing the fly as you recover it by stripping the fly back and then re-casting is all challenging stuff when learning to fly fish.  Casting from a boat is certainly more tricky than from a standing position in a river.  The small stream front has been good.  The fish are ultra spooky, but still agreeable to eating a well presented dry fly.  Still getting fish t eat #10-#14 stimulator, #12 royal wulff, and a #14 Ausable wulff.  Paying attention to approach and making good accurate casts is the key.  Had fun taking my 2 and 4 year old fishing for pan fish the other day.  Keep it simple and short with kids.  We caught pumpkin seeds and perch using a bobber with a small hook with some garden hackle.  Good for kids to have the visual of the bobber.  Pretty entertaining.  I am off to chase river smallmouths this morning.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Even a blind squirrel can find an acorn

H Folks, I had the chance to fish between guiding trips yesterday morning.  Visited an old favorite Winooski River tributary.  The beat I fished with another angler I had not walked in 7 years.  Certainly some of it looked different (this stream got a bit beat up by Irene) but a fair amount of water looked the same.  That is a good thing when you have stability.  The water temperature was 60 degrees and we had a nice dam cloudy drizzly type of morning.  Water is low and man we need more rain.  Saw a few #22 Tricos, a few #18 caddis, but not a lot of hatching activity.  We did see some rather large fish make a few random rises including a trophy brown trout.  I was all about matching the hatch and used a #18 black foam ant with a #22 peacock herl soft hackle dropper.  While my angling partner opted for his old go to the #14 Royal Trude.  Guess what, the Trude crushed it.  He landed a beautiful brown trout and rainbow as well as missing several large fish.  We blind fished the trudes in the stable holes.  Really slow drifts.  I did get two trout to eat the ant.  I missed one fish and lost the another rainbow at my feet.  A #18 olive caddis pupa under the Trude did catch the best fish of the day a jumping hard pulling 15" wild rainbow.  It was great to see this stream fish well.  Pleasant surprise.  This morning I stormed a client up a small brook for wild rainbows, browns, and brookies.  Water temperature was 56 degrees and the water was slightly up and clear.  We landed 15 brook trout and two wild rainbows with one measuring in at 11"  Good fun on a slow action 6' 2wt.  A #12 rubber legged foam bodied trude was the fly of the day.  Two pretty good back to back mornings of trout fishing, very nice.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

a bunch of bass

Hi Folks, Another great weekend of smallmouth bass fishing with the fly rods in the big rivers.  Did mix a brook trout in between which was productive as well.  Two contrasting fishing worlds, large strong bronze back to delicate dainty square tails.  The brook trout stream was 60 degrees and crazy low.  It seems like the fish are running out of water.  Landed a 10 small native brook trout with a #14 royal wullf and #12 trude.  The water is spooky so approach is critical.  In the bass world the fishing is just silly good.  In two days I have seen well over 75 smallmouth caught on fly rods.  Yesterday afternoon we landed 41 smallies between two fly anglers.  Water temperatures are really warm reading 76 to 78 degrees.  It has been all surface fishing with a variety of poppers.  to sure the popper type matters.  In the shallow margins there is life everywhere from young bass of varying sizes, to crawfish galore, and a variety of bait fish and bugs.  You can see the beginning of the food chain right in front of you.  We have had fish eat in slow water with lots of rock for cover, but the faster sections seem to beholding the larger fish.  Probably due to the high water temperature and bright sun.  There could not be a better time than now to chase river smallmouth bass.  Looks like we might get some much needed rain.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Wow, that was crazy and silly good

Hi Folks, Guided an epic full day yesterday with spin anglers for river smallmouth bass.  Thursday I ran my boat for bass in the afternoon and Thursday morning was some small stream magic.  Been hot out there but luckily yesterday we had nice steady breeze to keep things pleasant and Thursday afternoon the cloud cover and showers mad for some decent lake fishing.  The small stream trout fishing has been good but challenging.  Low clear water always makes it challenging.  The water temperature in the brook we fished was 62 degrees, the surface of the lake was 75 degrees and the lower Lamoille was 74 to 76 degrees.  With the low water, wading the big river for bass fishing is pretty easy for getting to spots that are not generally easily accessed.  However, the walking around is tough with all of the rocks, boulders, and slippery terrain.  Really need to pay attention or you will get hurt.  Small steaming we fished a #14 foam green grasshopper pattern.  We landed several very nice 10" plus brook trout.  Matter of fat we caught an old fish that was easily 13" and looked to be a bit beat up with a torn up tail and dorsal.  However, it did fight pretty well and crushed a sry fly.  The other larger broke was stellar looking with a giant type.  We missed a large brown trout that came from under a rock to eat the hopper.  After missing it we spooked the brownie when we landed a smaller fish.  Pretty impressive watching it swim off.  On the lake front we caught 6 smallmouths on 5" goby colored Senkos with red hooks.  We had several fish come up on a blue/silver floating rapala and we simply missed them.  The smallmouth were holding in 18' to 25' of water and we had to really make sure our presentations got down to them.  All off sharp drop offs from the shore line.  Yesterday, was absolutely epic as we landed 69 smallmouth bass.  A new single day record for Catamount Fishing Adventures.  However, for clarification, the old record was set by single angler as yesterday was 4 anglers.  All the same, the fishing was ridiculous.  We did catch a few and miss a few on the gold/black Rapala, but the artificial of the day was a 4" dark green pumpkin Senko on a red hook dead drifted and reeled back after the drift all took fish.  As the sun got up over head we had to focus on getting the rubber down into the zone.  Always a trick figuring out the drift in a river and where to land your presentation in order to have it down to the fish.  Many of the bass were holding in and around large structure in the river which happens to be boulders and rocks. We caught a lot of really nice 1.5lb to 2.25lb smallmouth.  Strong hard fighting fish.  The large pools were the most productive without question.  Silly good.  I have guided just about every day for the last 6 weeks and I really relished yesterday.  Not all the time that the fishing is that good.  I tip my hat to my Ohio fancy pants beer drinking anglers (they partly come to Vermont to drink and buy our beer) as they put on clinic yesterday and made me look good.  Fine work!!! For hatching bugs lately, I have been seeing #18/20 black caddis in the morning, #22/#24 Tricos, a few #6/#8 stone flies and lots of terrestrials with hoppers dominating the seen. I am off to chase river bass with the fly this morning.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.

Holding tight to cover

Hi Folks, Doubled up on the smallmouth with clients yesterday fishing rivers with spin gear.  Pretty darn hot day on the river.  Big bright sun with the water temperature reading 70 degrees in the morning and rising to 76 degrees by days end.  Water is still low and we need rain.  Very clear where we fished and you could sight a percentage of the fish prior to casting to them.  It was also possible to see the smallmouth move to eat our Senkos and Rapalas.  I had the family dynamic on both of trips yesterday.  Great fun to watch kids who do not do a lot of fishing if any at all to cast their first fish.  I love the process of the teaching them how to cast, reel, set the hook, play the fish, and handle it with some respect prior to release.  The fishing in the morning started out red hot and then slowed a bit as the sun got high in the sky.  In the afternoon it was just the opposite as the fishing picked up as the sun went down.  Makes good sense.  With the low water and big sun, the smallmouth were holding tight to cover.  In and around big rocks and downed wood.  You would have to strategically place your cast above a spot and have it drift into the holding area to prompt a response.  Some of the larger fish of the day to a juvenile brown trout plug.  Love watching big smallmouth come up and eat.  Also good for aspiring anglers to see how a fish eats.  Between, he morning and evening we collectively landed 23 bass.  Well, changing directions today and heading out to chase small stream trout.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

submarine

Hi Folks, Guided a small stream yesterday morning with a fly angler.  Water temperature was 60 degrees and the flow was just below the seasonal average.  Thunderstorms the last few days have dropped some much needed rain.  We still need more rain, but some is better than non.  We saw some very nice fish yesterday.  The brook we were on is very clear and it is not hard to spot fish when the rise to the fly or spook.  We spooked on a false cast one of the largest brown trout I have seen in a river around here in quite sometime.  The fish was a true submarine and had to measure in the 20" plus range if not bigger.  Probably a trout like that eats the brook trout we are catching.  Though the 12" native brookie we landed on a #14 tungsten prince nymph might have been a bit of a meal for the big brown.  Nice fat brookie that was beautifully colored up.  I do not generally nymph small streams like this one, but we had just missed a brown trout in the 15" plus class twice on a dry fly.  A #14 yellow bodied stimulator was very productive on the surface.  So, we were attempting to nymph up the brown when the large brookie intercepted the fly. Good problem to have.  We had 11 trout come to the fly.  We found all of the fish in primary pools and holding in and around large rocks and boulder or downed wood. The small streaming was so good yesterday that I am going to do it all over again this morning.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy