Hi Folks, Back for another season of fishing in Vermont. It has been a slow start for me. I guess I am not inspired to fish in cold high water. Been a cold spring here in Stowe and the weather is finally warming. Our rivers are still bit high and cold. I have guided several river trips for trout and the fishing has been tough. I have found water temperatures in the mid to high forties. Water clarity is pretty decent. The Lamoille is looking pretty good while the Winooski is still pretty high and off color. Until our water temperatures reach 50 degrees and holds there, I have always found the trout fishing to be tricky coming out of winter. Not to say that fish cant be caught, you just have to really work for them. I have spent a little time pursuing lake run rainbow trout or steelhead as well as lake run brook trout. When chasing lake run fish it is a matter of being on the river daily to catch them when they pass through. Constantly changing conditions with flows and temperatures. A lot of drifting of various egg patterns and when the water is clear and warmer brown stone fly patterns. I like a yellow egg pattern that represents sucker roe. The good old #10 Spring Wiggler is an excellent stone fly imitation for these feisty lake run steel head. Working various streamer patterns that represent smelt has been the tactic for the big brook trout. Stone fly patterns dead drifted with an egg dropper is a nice rig this time of the year. The ice has just come off the lakes and ponds within the last two weeks. Many of the spring flowers and plants like Trillium, Dutchmens Britches, Ramps, Fiddleheads, and Trout Lillys that grow in Ephemerella woods are behind by a couple of weeks. For bugs, I have only seen a few #12-#16 little brown/black stone flies and I found a few #18 Chimarra caddis on rocks. Under rocks in riffles I have found a number of pupating #14-#16 candy apple green caddis and a few #14-#16 Hendrickson may flies. So, I left Vermont this week and visited the upper Delaware for a bit fishing. We floated the main stem of the Delaware. Big water that is awesome and very challenging to fish. The Delaware is loaded with insects and big wily wild trout. We drifted it on a day when the sun was bright. A really good hatch of #14 candy apple caddis and a decent number of #14-#16 Hendricksons. With the bright sun the fish were pretty fussy. One of my good friends caught a really nice 20" brown at dark on a dry fly. Very impressive. The other two days on the Big D we worked white streamer patterns that represented Alewives. Moved a lot of big browns under cloudy conditions. Well looks like a nice warm week that should jump start the trout fishing. Happy Mothers Day. Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home. Have Fun, Willy
