back to the well

Hi Folks, Well, when it s hot and muggy why not go bass fishing.  I took spin anglers  river fishing for smallmouth bass.  Nice morning for fishing with calm conditions and over cast skies.  Pretty humid out there and the water temperatures held at 73 degrees.  We still need rain.  The bass fishing was pretty darn good yesterday.  We landed 19 smallmouth bass from 1/4lb to 2lbs.  Lots of fish in the 1.5lb class and they were full of piss and vinegar flying out of the water after being hooked.  We fished large pools  and found fish holding in the large eddies and the head of the pool.  River smallmouth are lazy and tend to hold in the slower sections of the river, but still in relation to the foam line.  We cast a natural colored rebel crawfish and caught several nice fish retrieving lure in a stop and go fashion.  The lure of the day was a 3" watermelon Senklo rigged Texas style on a red worm hook.  You could not miss.  We fished the Senko very slowly along the bottom.  In addition to the bass we caught a 12" emaciated rainbow trout, several fall fish, and even a large white horse sucker.  Pretty interesting how fat and stuffed the bass are presently.  Looks like they have been feeding pretty well.  Fun morning of fishing.  I am off to river fish for smallmouth again.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Hot Summer

Hi Folks, Took an aspiring fly angler out yesterday for an instructional trip and man was the weather nasty.  Maybe, I am getting soft with age, but I do not like the heat and humidity.  Big bright sun is never good.  However, I do like humid weather for top water fishing for small mouth bass.  We were learning on a trout stream where the water was 68 degrees and moved to 70 degrees at the end of our trip.  Water levels are still low and we still need rain.  Lots of #18 tan bodied caddis on tops of rocks in their casings and looking ready to hatch.  Tons of olive green to tan bodied #12/#14 grasshoppers in the fields we walked across to the stream.  We nymph fished with a #16 flashback hare's ear nymph and a #18 tan caddis pupa.  We had 3 fish eat our flies.  Pretty slow going in my opinion.  I am not shocked as the water is warm and it was awful bright outside.  Bass fishing will still stay the best option and I am off to take folks river fishing for smallmouth this morning.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

take a walk

Hi folks, Pretty muggy out there today.  I took the day off from fishing.  I guided a small mountain stream on Sunday morning that was beautiful.  We had a pretty impressive light show with thunderstorms yesterday afternoon.  I only received 1/4" of rain at my house in Stowe.  We still need rain and our streams are pretty low.  The trout we were on was a nice 60 degrees.  Pretty easy to locate the fish.  Anything over knee deep had a brook trout holding in it.  Lots of walking involved, but well worth it.  Pretty interesting how many larger brook trout I have guided this season.  All due to a mild winter and less winter kill.  More big ones still around to catch.  I am pretty convinced that red in any dry fly makes a difference on whether you get a take or not.  I have been doing a little experimenting with flies and it appears red triggers more response than other colors.  Mix up Stimulators of various sizes and colors and see what happens.  Anywho, the brook trout are fired up with color right now and we could not miss with a #12 rubber legged royal stimulator.  Smallmouth fishing is still the best bet in town and some small trout streams have been holding temperature and water.  off to small stream fish tomorrow.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

still popping smallmouth

mixing it up

Hi folks, Guided with the fly rods yesterday in the morning and afternoon in two very different environments.  Fished from my boat in the morning for smallmouth bass with a 7wt. fly rods and in a small brook in the afternoon with 2wt. and 3wt. fly rods.  All top water fishing as we caught smallmouth on poppers and native brook trout on large dry flies.  Surface temperature on the lake we fished was 74 degrees and it was calm flat.  We fished over flats that were in 10' to 15' of water.  We landed several 2lb plus smallmouth on a #8 frog looking popper.  The fish came from fairly deep water to eat the popper and we found that moving it aggressively prompted the deep water strikes.  Never underestimate how far a smallmouth will move to take a surface presentation.  Covered a lot of water and had lots of small bas coming to the fly.  In the afternoon the brook we fished was 60 degrees and low and clear.  We still need rain and lots of it.  We worked up stream with a #10 olive grasshopper pattern and a #12 royal rubber legged stimulator.  Lots of little french fry brook trout coming to the fly.  We did have a few decent sized fish eat the fly but mostly the little guys.  Stealth is still the key on the small streams and always working up stream and keep the false casting down to a minimum.  Off to fish a small trout stream this morning.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

SMB

running the boat

Hi Folks, Had the boat out with clients yesterday as we chased smallmouth bass with spin gear.  Fished from my 16' side consul Grumman.  With the low and warm water this season it seems that I have been guiding from boat more than ever.  We still need rain as our rivers and lakes are still low.  The surface temperature of the lake we fished yesterday was 73 degrees.  Calm conditions initially and then a slight wind from the west picked up as the morning progressed.  We fished a crawfish colored Senkos on red hooks and once again the smallmouth were all over the soft plastic bait.  We had fish chasing the bait back to the boat.  Found most of our smallmouths holding in deeper water off rock points and rock faces.  The trick is to let the Senko sink to the bottom and reel it back really slowly.  It is incredible how the smallmouth gobble it up.  The fish give you every indication that they have eaten the bait.  I am off to fish smalmouth bass from the boat again this morning and then trout in a small brook this afternoon.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

getting wet

Hi folks, Spent yesterday morning and and afternoon guiding in the rain.  Nice change of pace from the previous weeks hot and humid weather.  Our rivers are up a bit and off color.  The small streams are in good shape level wise and clarity is not an issue.  The Lamoille was 72 degrees yesterday morning and the lake I was on in the afternoon was 73 degrees on the surface.  Not much for a top water bite in the morning on the Lamoille.  So, we changed out approach and fished soft plastic baits.  A small perch swim bait was the ticket and a 4" crawfish colored Senko.  We fished big pools, large eddies off the pools, and deep seem lines off the main current.  A steady retrieve with the swim bait prompted most of the strikes.  We caught river smallmouth bass and walleye.  Matter of fact we caught 3 nice eating size walleye and brought a couple home for dinner.  Not too often in my guiding operation that I keep and eat what we catch.  However, pretty hard to pass up a fresh walleye dinner.  The walleyes were in the 2lb to 3lb class and the perfect size to keep.  We also did land 4 smallmouth bass with one fish weighing in the 2lb class.  Not a bad morning of fishing under a pretty steady rain.  The afternoon fishing was pretty darn good.  Flat calm with very little wind to speak of.  Threatened rain the entire time it but it never materialized.  We pounded shore line with a fire tiger rapala and it appeared that the bass where everywhere.  No rhyme or reason to where they were holding except over a hard bottom with downed wood and the occasional weed bed.  Lots of good surface takes and the fish were even following the plug back to the canoe.  Nice day on the water andit helps to have good rain gear.  I am of to guide from the boat this morning.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

river walleye

getting down and dirty

Hi folks, Guided from my boat yesterday morning for smallmouth bass using spin gear.  Pretty hot and muggy and the air temperature was 72 degrees at 6am.  The surface temperature of the water was 78 degrees.  That has all changed now as we had a major front push through last night that dumped 2.5" of rain at my house in Stowe.  Air temperatures have cooled a bit and no humidity.  Well, back to fishing. Not much for a top water bite yesterday morning so we resorted to the 3.5" crawfish colored Senkos on red octopus hooks.  We fished the Senkos slowly off the bottom reeling them back from 3' of water dropping down to 15' of depth.  We could not miss!!  It was incredible as the fish were all over the Senko.  We hooked some many smallmouth I could not keep track.  Pretty interesting in that the fish were everywhere we cast, but they just did not want to move to the surface.  I had to take hooks out of the back of and down in the tongue of a few smallies.  They were gobbling up the Senkos like they were bait.  I am sure other jigs that imitated a crawfish would have worked, but I am not sure they would have worked as well.  Still, the bass were holding off rock faces, ledges and long deep points.  Off today from fishing and back at it tomorrow.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have fun, Willy

looking for the big boy

Hi folks, Guided from the canoe last night on a quiet lake with the fly rods.  Water temperature was 77 degrees and with a slight north breeze.   We fished shady shorelines and found the lee from the wind.  Lots of action on the #8 rubber legged chartreuse popper last night.  Just no large smallmouth bass.  We must have had 20 bass from 5" to 11" come to the fly.  We could not drum a big fish.  Even changing the fly and putting on bigger popper with a deeper concave face did not make a difference.  Pretty much caught all of our fish on rock face shelfs that plunged into deep water.  Fallen trees in these spots definitely held a bass.  My guess is the bigger fish were holding tight to the bottom and just did not want to move to eat off the surface.  Well, off to do it agian this morning from the boat.  Looks like afternoon thunderstorms.  We need rain.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  have Fun, Willy

small stream brookie fishing

top water smallie

smallmouth bass

Hi folks, Been guiding the last few days from my boat and canoes for smallmouth bass.  Tons of fun.  Water conditions have been perfect with very little wind and water temperatures holding from 73 degrees to 77 degrees.  Nice thick morning fog has kept the sun off the water until at least 8am.  We have been casting small #8 chartreuse poppers and #8 frog pattern poppers.  In my opinion the top water smallmouth bass fishing for the next 6 weeks is some of the best of the season.  I have been locating active bass on sharp drop offs  from the shore line.  Ledge rocks with over hanging trees have been prime locations.  Really like these spots when you have a downed tree that extends out to the deep water.  The smallies will be set up on the outside edge.  We must have had over 20 smallmouth come to the fly yesterday morning.  Lots of fish in the 1 year old to 3 year old class.  The larger fish were a bit reluctant to eat off the top.  We did cast a chartreuse streamer that moved some of the larger fish to eat.  I think the bright sun slowed down the top water bite from the big boys.  We still need big time rain and our streams are very low.  I have been staying off the trout water as much as possible.  The big rivers are too warm and the little brooks are pretty low and clear.  Smallmouth fishing is fun and can be done in a number of lakes, ponds, and river systems in Vermont with fly or spin gear.  Plenty of opportunity to tug on one of Vermont's more powerful jumping game fish.  I am off to guide smllmouth this afternoon.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

morning fog

Hi Folks, Guided the last couple of mornings for trout in a northeast kingdom lake and on the lower Winooski this morning.  Nice cool nights again with air temperatures in the high 40's to low 50's.  Pretty good am fog that keeps the sun off the water until mid morning.  Yesterday morning was interesting with being on the water at 4:30am (too early for a sleep deprived new dad and fishing guide).  Surface temperature of this lake was 72 degrees.  The water temperature was was significantly cooler several feet below the surface.  We set up over several reefs and humps that came up out of 50' to 60' of water.  The humps rose to 25' which is a pretty decent contrast in bottom contour.  We cast 1/4oz. jig heads tipped with smelt imitation swim baits.  We did not land a lake trout but did have several fish eat our presentation.  The fishing pretty much shut down by 7am when the fog burned off and the big bright sun showed itself.  Jigging lakers with braided line is interesting and it is a real finesse technique.  Not easy as the takes are pretty subtle.  This morning the Winooski was 68 degrees at 6am.  Pretty streadt breeze right out of the east.  Good hatch of #16 olive bodied mayflies with 2 tails and a blue dun wing.  No rising fish, but lots of #8 golden stone fly shucks on the rocks.  We nymph fished all morning with #8 Montana Stone fly pattern, #16 hare and copper, and a #16 flash back hare's ear nymph.  Caught wild rainbows between 6" and 11" on 3 fly patterns.  Lots of fall fish in the mix which kept rods bent in between searching out the trout.  Most of the fish were holding in heavy riffles which makes sense considering the warm water temperatures.  The fishing slowed by 10am when the sun became real bright over head.  Off to fish smallmouth with fly this afternoon.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Times are changing

Hi Folks, Guided the last couple of days from boat chasing smallmouth bass.  Got blown out by a big thunderstorm on Tuesday night that did happen to deposit 3/8th" of rain at my house in Stowe.  A large cold front pushed through giving us relief from the oppressive heat and humidity.  Lake temperatures on the the 3 different lakes I have visited over the last 2 days have varied from 74 degrees to 79 degrees.  The smallmouth bass fishing was pretty darn good the day of the big weather front.  Calm conditions with some rain showers and the entire lake to ourselves.  The fish were on the top water bite.  We cast a #6 fire tiger popper all morning and never changed the lure.  Lots of takes and we landed well over a dozen smallies from 6" to 15".  Most of the fish were holding over and on the outside edge of submerged wood in anywhere from 5' to 15' of water.  I saw a lot of fish coming from a ways away to eat.  Pretty aggressive.  Yesterday afternoon after the front had passed we worked for our bass.  Sunny skies with a strong north west wind.  We cast a sun fish colored rapala and a blue and white popper.  Really clear water where we fished and you could spot the bass coming to the top water presentation.  Problem was they would charge the lure and turn off.  We did land a nice 2lb smallie and some small pickerel.  Hooked a few other fish and at the end of the night we the wind laid down we put on the a huge smallmouth that erupted on the popper.  Made a big jump and broke the line.  4lb test on a light spinning reel.  Real shame to have that fish break us off, but such is fishing.  Did not catch a lot of fish but every one we saw was a good sized smallmouth.  Off to fish for lake trout.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

incredible edible ant

Hi  Folks, Guided a small brook yesterday with the little fly rods for wild rainbows.  We have received a little bit of rain of at my house in Stowe.  My rain gauge had collected 1/10th" over night.  The small stream we fished did not seem to be impacted by the meager rain fall and the water is still low and clear.  Water temperature was 62 degrees.  We worked up stream and started out casting a #12 green stimulator and a #12 yellow foam fly.  Neither fly produced a fish, yet we did see a decent rainbow turn off the foam fly and deny us.  So, on goes the #16 foam black ant and things changed pretty quickly.  The trout that denied us ended being a beautiful 12" wild rainbow that ate the ant instantly.  We had several other smaller wild rainbows take the ant pattern as well.  I can only figure that with the low and clear water on this wooded trout stream that terrestrials were the ticket.  We had one fish that took the ant so deep it was difficult removing the fly from its throat.  I do not think I had ever seen fly inhaled so deeply by a fish.  We did fish a couple of large plunge pools with an indicator and a #18 black copper john and missed trout in each spot.  Stealth is the key in these small brooks and covering lots of water.  Scaling back fly patterns size and profile is never a bad idea when the fish are not biting.  Off to chase smallmouth bass. Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

magic

Hi folks, Spent a lovely morning chasing brook trout with a client using the light little 2wt. fly rods.  Fished a mountain brook that was cool and clear.  Water temperature was 60 degrees and the water was low.  All of the brookies were holding in primary pools.  We fished up stream with a #14 royal rubber legged stimulator.  I think we encountered a fish every spot we cast.  Beautifully colored brookies that with bright orange bellies and beautiful blue dots of their mottled flanks.  Lots of fun watching these little buggers come up to eat the dry fly.  We had a few that just launched onto the fly.  Really good action.  Small brooks are a good bet for fishing right now with our current weather pattern of hot and dry.  Just remember to work up stream, wear earth tone clothes, and think about the spook factor.  Smallmouth bass fishing will remain steady and the top water bite has been excellent.  By the way I saw 4 fly anglers standing at the mouth of the Little river confluence with the Winooski river yesterday around 3pm.  Now, trout are a cold water species and they will move great distances to find cooler water.  The Little River is a tail water that releases regular spurts of cooler water.  The main stem of the Winooski is way too warm to fish for trout right now.  So river confluences like this are natural places for trout to hold when it is hot. they get stressed.  Fishing for them in this dynamic is wrong and there is not catch and release.  Give them a break and find some where else to fish.  Fishing at cold water feeder streams into warm water in  the summer is often illegal in certain states (not Vermont) because the trout are thermally stressed.  It is like shooting fish in a barrel.  Just my two cents worth.  Off to fish small brooks again tomorrow.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

bass bite

Hi folks, Guided a large body of water for smallmouth bass with the fly rods last night.  Started late in the day and fished into dark.  Pretty darn hot out there and the sun is big and bright.  Looks to stay that way for a few days.  The surface temperature was a really warm 80 degrees.  slight breeze from the west which laid right down towards dusk.  Good conditions for top water fishing though really warm water temps. have to make a percentage of the fish lazy.  We fished a #6 frog popper.  The yellow bottom is the key.  I do really well with any yellow bottomed or chartreuse bottomed popper this time of the year.  Must kind of look like the profile and color of the Hexagenia and other large may flies that have hatched out in recent weeks.  We fished rocky islands that were surrounded by lilly pads.  We focused on the outside edges.  Landed 2 really nice 2.5lb smallies that literally jumped higher out of the water higher than we are tall.  One strike was really aggressive and I thought at first it was a big pickerel or pike.  The second take was a slurp and I thought it was perch until the line came tight.  Lots of perch last night and few bass we missed.  For a hot day, pretty good fishing.  the smallmouth fishing should remain steady.  Just pick an choose your times and go early and late.  Trout fishing is getting more tricky with the low water and warming temperatures.  We need rain and a cool down.  Off to fish at dusk again tonight.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

skinny water and tiny flies

Hi Folks, Guided with the fly rods on the upper Winooski yesterday morning.  The cooler night over the last few days have helped immensely n keeping water temperatures down a bit in the morning.  The Winooski was 66 degrees at 6:30am.  Moved to 70 degrees and beyond around lunch time.  Man, the water is wicked low and river fishing is becoming tougher by the day.  We need rain!!!!  Looks like more damn heat over the next few days.  Saw a decnet number of #20 tan bodied micro caddis yesterday morning and even a couple of rising fish very early.  Lots of #6/#8 golden Stone fly shucks on rocks.  Stone flies around here hatch out after dark and the winged adults you sporadically at dusk laying their eggs.  We had 14 wild  rainbows eat our flies yesterday.  We fished 2 rods with being rigged with a #18 caddis nymph and the dropper was a #20 peacock herl soft hackle.  We hooked fish in every riffle we fished.  We did have several younger fish eat a #10 orange bodied stimulator.  Once the sun got high over head the fishing shut down.  No shocker.  Smallmouth fishing is a good option in our lakes right now.  Late afternoon to dark and early morning can be good.  I will guiding bass the next few days.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy