first vermont trout of the season

Hi folks, Fished up in the kingdom today on the Willoughby River for lake run Rainbow Trout.  Nice day with air temps. warming into the 60's and perfect water conditions on the Willoughby.  The water temperature was 36 degrees at 8:00am and warmed to 42 degrees by 2:00pm.  Clarity was okay with off colored water that was slightly high.  My preferred clarity and level for steelheading on the Willoughby.  Landed two rainbows with the largest fish weighing in at 2lbs.  I caught 1 trout on a orange glow bug and second on a salmon colored spring wiggler.  Each fish was caught in a fast riffle indicating to me that they were moving up stream.  Both silver fish that were fresh from the lake.  There were several fish jumping the falls in Orleans and the suckers had also arrived in the river.  Great hatch of #14 brown stone flies and I suspect the wiggler is a pretty good imitator of the stone fly.  The Willoughby should be decent for few weeks.  However, lots of rain forecast for this week and it could create unfishable water.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Take the felt off!.  have Fun, Willy

still April fishing elsewhere

Hi Folks, Still seems like winter out there with the snow coming down.  Just returned from PA where I fished trout on limestone springs creeks.  Lot of water down there and the fishing was limited as many creeks where unfishable due to high water.  Still managed to catch a handful of wild brown trout everyday with the largest fish being 15.5".  Saw a great hatch of grannoms #14 to #16 and some #18 Blue Quills.  Not much for rising fish due to water levels.  Temperatures were in the mid 40's.  Our streams are still in the high 30's at best and are not going to warm up too quickly at this rate.  My take on my trip to PA is that it will be a cold slow spring in Vermont might take awhile for our trout to turn on.  We have freestone rivers and not spring influenced limestone creeks.  I did check some pike lakes yesterday afternoon and the ice is off.  I canceled a boat trip today due to wind and snow, but will be chasing northern this week.  The cold spring will only benefit the season as hopefully our rivers and brooks will maintain their levels and temperature.  Well, hope for better weather.  Remember to clean your gear and leave the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

trout season open???

Hi folks, Trout season is here on the calender,  but in reality, it might be awhile before the river fishing picks up.  The snow is finally melting and we have had over an 1" of rain in Stowe.  Our rivers are very high, dirty, and cold.  I took an opening day temperature on a local stream and it was 34 degrees (ouch).  A couple of lakes I like to fish early season for pike are still covered in ice.  Should break soon.  The best bet for April will be chasing lake run rainbows and fishing for northern pike.  My motorboat is ready to go if the snow would melt in front of my barn and I could hook it to the truck.  Our early season hatches consist of #14 little brown stone flies.  A heavy stonefly nymph can work really well on the lake run rainbows besides various egg patterns.  I have done very well over the years with any egg pattern in yellow.  It represent sucker spawn.  Loads of suckers move up our rivers to reproduce in conjunction with the rainbows.  Edges of lakes where the ice is out can attract landlocked salmon in search of smelt and emerald shiners.  Fun to cast streamers to these fish.  Well, I hope to fish in the next couple of days in the weather permits.  Felt wading boots are now banned in Vermont.  Remember to still clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

still winter

Hi Folks, Guided local today for northern pike.  Still cold and blowing outside.  We found 24" of ice and walking required care as the ice was slippery.  Ice conditions do vary this time of year and caution is advised, but the last week's cold weather has extended the ice fishing season.  We had two flags with pike today.  Fish in the 5lb to 6lb range.  Females with eggs who were released.  We set goldens under tip ups from 2' to 8' of water.  Lots of weeds.  The perch fishing was decent as we landed 30 yellow perch, but no real big yellow bellies.  Will be chasing pike again Thursday.  It is not looking very favorable for opening day currently.  Still pretty darn cold.  Remember to obey the bait laws and keep VHS at home.  Have Fun, Willy

hard water pike

Hi folks, Been up north guiding northern pike the last few days.  Still 14" of ice where we fished, but the shore line is getting thin.  It is the time of the year where a ladder or a board are helpful getting off the ice.  The shoreline ice is the first to recede and caution is advised when getting on or off.  Been unseasonably cool this week so the integrity of the ice is still good.  We fished a shallow bay that dumps into deep water two days in a row.  There is a small stream that enters into the bay and it is a dark bottomed mucky area that supports new weed growth early in the season.  Perfect spawning water for pike.  We landed 5 male northern in the mid 20" range and lost a fish.  We hooked pike in 2' to 18' of water.  Not sure the northerns have blasted into the spawning areas in full force yet.  We fished with small golden shiners as that was the only bait we could purchase. We had a lot of tip ups spread out well and the whole area covered thoroughly. Not a lot of luck fishing perch and we managed to jig one pike.  The pike fishing will only get better, it is a matter of whether the ice holds up.  Remember to obey the bait laws and keep VHS at home.  have fun, Willy

coming to an end

Hi folks, Guided on the hard water all this last week with 3 trips.  Been a good guiding winter for me as more and more folks seem interested in ice fishing.  Lots of snow pack on the ice currently.  Still 2' of ice under my shanty with another 2' of snow and slush on top of that.  Needed snow shoes to get to the shanty.  Trout season concludes on Tuesday March 15 and then I will be guiding and fishing northern pike after that.  Trout fishing this last week was pretty slow.  Still catching tons of smelt and some nice 10" plus perch.  The perch have been holding to the bottom in 30' and the smelt have been suspended.  Most of the smelt we located with electronics and caught them at 12' to 15' off the bottom.  Hali jigs and bibbits in copper, silver, and gold have worked well.  Tipping the jigs with maggots certainly help on the smelt.  Pike fishing should begin to heat up and the next month and a half is the best time of the year to hang a big northern.  Just remember any pike over 30" is definitly a female laden with eggs and they should be handled with care.  Remember to obey the bait laws and keep VHS at home.  have Fun, Willy

exchanging lures and techniques

Hi Folks, Guided yesteray morning from my shanty.  Had a angler from Poland who had ice fished for most of life.  It was interesting to learn about his home waters and the species of fish he pursued.  We exchanged some lures that I use ice fishing in Vermont for ones he has used in Poland.  There was 20" of black ice and getting around is really easy with the now being compactedonto the ice now.  We caugth smelt with a reckless abandon and they were hoding tight to the bottom in 30' of water.  Small bibits in silver and glow in the dark tipped with a maggot worked really well and double rig of two was deadly.  Still no trout even though we set out 10 tip-ups.  We be on the hard water later this week and might return to Champlain.  Remember to obey the bait laws and keep VHS at home.  Have Fun, Willy

fishing the big water

Hi Folks, Guided the hard water this week and moved around a bit.  Went to Lake Champlain on Wednesday and fished an inland lake on Thursday.  Fished the narrows of lake Champlain and found 4" to 7" of black ice.  Easy walking as the snow has been compacted.  You really need to pay attention on Champlain due to its size, wind, and current the ice conditions can change in short distance.  We brought all of the safety gear with us including a ladder, rope, and safety lanyards.  Caught a lot of smelt and fallfish, but nor salmon or lakers.  We set-up in 35' of water and had tip-ups in 10' to 100' of water.  Put a couple on the bottom looking for a ling cod.  Pretty awesome being on the big lake looking at the mountains in New York.  Same deal on Thursday we caught smelt and some yellow perch, but no brown trout.  There was 20" of ice where we fished Thursday and all of the slush and snow had firmed up so walking was easy.  Beautiful weather with big sun and warm air temperatures.  Will be guiding tomorrow and looks like winter weather has returned.  Remember to obey the bait laws and keep VHS at home.  Have Fun, Willy

enjoying the shanty

Hi Folks, Plugging away at the hard water guiding.  Keeping me a busy and tugging on fish in the winter.  Still lots of snow on the ice and getting around is tough.  18" plus of ice that is covered by water, slush, and lots of snow.  You have to be a little determined to ice fish right now.  However, having a shanty is great and once inside you can forget what is going on with the weather.  Found smelt yesterday on the bottom in 25' of water.  Hali jigs tipped with maggots once again were the ticket.  Silver and copper colored Halis seemed to work the best.  Did encounter random schools of perch that would temporarily drive off the smelt.  Caught a few larger perch on tip-ups dressed with rosy red minnows yesterday.  We have been setting our tip-ups in deepre water but just under the ice.  The trout bite has been slow but the smelt fishing has been great.  Love eating smelt.  Remember to obey the bait laws and keep VHS at home.  Have Fun, Willy 

tough going

Hi Folks, Guided the hard water yesterday from my shanty.  Pretty tough going on the ice with allof the snow.  Lots of false ice and water on top of 18" of solid black ice.  Certainly slows down the traffic on the ice when it is difficult to get around.  The snow was knee deep and a lot of post hole walking.  Good boots that are warm and waterproof are essential right now.  We located smelt up in the water column and caught them jigging Hali jigs tipped with maggots.  The smelt schools seem to rise up in the water column as the day progresses.  We found yellow perch towards the bottom and it appeared that they were chasing the smelt.  We had one trout on a tip up run into our jigging lines under the shanty and create a giant mess.  Pretty interesting.  We set tip ups with live smelt from 2' to 10' below the ice.  Will be after trout again tomorrow with guests.  Remember to obey the bait laws and keep VHS at home.  Have fun, Willy

cooking on the ice

Hi Folks, Spent the day yesterday chasing trout through the ice.  18" of solid black ice was comforting after walking on thin ice my previous trip.  Still a bit of snow on the ice and more to come with the current blizzard going on outside.  We jacked up the shanty to get it off the ice so does not freeze in.  Still pretty slow on the trout end of things, but the jig fishing has been consistent.  We found smelt suspended in the water column about 12 turns off the bottom.  The perch seemed to come and go.  Hali Jigs in silver and copper seemed to be the most consistent and tipping them with a maggot or two makes a world of difference. We caught enough smelt and had some venison that we decided to have cook out in the shanty.  My dog certainly liked it and the smelt were tasty too.  After the storm I will be back on the ice and will be guiding trips for trout and pike.  Remember to obey the bait laws and keep VHS and home.  Have Fun

jig stick northern

marble eye through the ice

fish with teeth

Hi Folks, Guided a couple of ice fishing trips this week.  Chased trout and smelt one day and pike the next.  Ice depths were very different from lake to lake where we found 13" on the trout lake and 4" to 6" on the pike lake.  Lots of snow of both bodies of water and a lot of post hole wlking in the sloppy snow and water.  Trout fishing was slow but the we caught lots of smelt on Hali jigs and big yellow perch.  Not one flag for trout.  So I took the show on the road and headed north with my portable shanty to fish for different species.  We set-up on a drop offthat went from 5' to 15' with weed beds in the shallow margins.  We landed  northern pike on tip ups dressed with golden shiners.  All of the northern came from deeeper water.  Also caught a northern jig fishing in the shanty on a silver and green spoon.  Pretty exciting catching a pike on 3lb test with no steel leader.  The fish ofo the day was a 22" 4lb walleye that ate a golden shiner in 12' of water.  Beautiful walleye.  Really enjoy the action with the northern pike fishing.  Remember to obey the bait laws andd keep VHS at home.  Have fun, Willy

nice weather for ice fishing

Hi Folks, Guided a large party on the ice yesterday.  We had two shanties with heat.  My fixed wooden shanty and my large portable dome shanty.  Nice to have when it is 0 degrees out in the early morning.  12" of ice coat the trout lake we fished and is covered by a foot of snow.  Still a little sloppy out there with some false ice and water under the snow.  You need good water proof warm boots.  Under calm sunny skies we caught alot of smelt.  We found the smelt closer to the bottom in 30' of water.  Hali jigs tipped with maggots in a variety of colors produced fish. We landed some nice sized perch jigging that were holding higher in the water column.  No trout on tip-ups yesterday.  Nice artic blast mving through foro a few days some the ice should really firm up.  Good ice fishing weather.  Remember to obey the bait laws and keep VHS at home.  Have fun, Willy

jig fishing for smelt

Hi Folks, Guided on the ice yesterday afternoon for brown trout, smelt, and yellow perch.  Nice afternoon with no wind, sunny skies, and air temperatures in the teens.  11" of black ice with a foot of snow on top.  there is some water between the snow and ice and makes for sloppy walking.  Should really harden up after this weekend with the in coming cold weather.  Day time highs will not be getting much above zero.  With the new bait laws a lot of the desirable bait for trout fishing in the winter is no longer available.  So we go old school and catch our own bait on the lake we are fishing.  We found a huge school of smelt suspended over 32' of water at 20'.  We must landed at least 50 smelt and used a few for our tip-ups.  Caught some decent yellow perch just under the ice.  Matter of fact the perch were trying to eat some the smelt on the tip ups and we had to remove them by jigging.  No trout yesterday afternoon but we did have two fish who took a lot of line off the spool but then dropped our baits.  Who knows.  Will be guiding over the weekend and I am glad that I have a heated shanty.  Remember to obey the bait laws and keep VHS at home.  Have Fun, Willy

trout fishing through the ice

Hi Folks, Been on the hard water chasing trout, perch, and smelt.  There was 11" of black ice where was yesterday covered by a foot of snow and water.  Pretty sloppy walking around.  I caught my own bait by jigging for smelt.  I found the smelt suspended between 15' and 18' in a total of 32' of water.  Pretty handy using my vexhilar to locate the bait.  Also, jigged some very nice perch right under the ice.  On several occasions I could see the perch at the hole and they were easy pickings.  Set tip ups for trout using the captured smelt and landed one decent brown trout and had several other flags that ended up being large perch attacking my bait.  I used Hali jigs in chartruse and silver as both colors worked equally well.  Will be guiding today and should be fun.  Remember to obey the bait laws keep VHS at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Ice fishing pike

Hi Folks, guided several days over the Christmas holiday for northern pike and yellow perch.  There was 8" of black ice on the lake where we have been fishing.  Good amount of ice due to the lack of snow.  30 plus days of below freezing temperatures helped form some solid ice.  The recent warm spell is over and no worries on fishing the hard water.  Creepers are a good idea as the ice right now is like a skating rink.  We have been jigging yellow perch in 10' of water over milfoil beds.   Hali jigs in bright colors tipped with maggots have been very effective.  We have been setting tip-ups rigged with golden shiners for the northerns.  Finding pike from 5' to 12' of water and associated with weed beds and schools of yellow perch.  I have been using my new large portable shanty with a heater and fits 4 to 5 people pretty well.  My fixed shanty will be on the ice shortly and will be placed on a lake that holds trout.  Trout season opens in a couple of weeks.  Will be chasing pike and walleye later this week.  Have Fun, Willy

hunting and getting ready for ice fishing

Hi folks, Been in the woods the last few weeks chasing birds and deer.  I think I am a better angler and fishing guide than hunter.  Love the woods and the the thrill of hunting.  Hunting is nice way to learn patience, how to be quiet, move slowly, and be extremely observant.  Some snow on the ground presently and ice forming on lakes, but that will all change this week with a warm spell and rain.  Once the cold sets in I will be offering ice fishing for pike and yellow perch. I hope to be on the ice by the third week of December.  January will bring ice fishing for trout.  I will be putting my shanty on a trout lake and using my portable shanty for pike lakes.  Awful good fishing for pike in the early season so let hope for some cold weather.  Remember to clean your gear and obey the bait laws to prevent the spread of non-native species.  Have Fun, Willy

end of the season

Hi Folks, Spent a nice day up north chasing salmon on the fly with friends.  Beautiful day with sunny skies and warmer than average air temperatures.  Water level was slightly above the seasonal average and the temperature was 50 degrees.  We landed 6 landlocked salmon yesterday with the best fish measuring 20" and going about 3.5lbs.  Nice looking male that put up a good struggle.  Lots of angling pressure yesterday and the streamer approach seemed to get fish looking, but not eating.  We nymph fished with a #12 prince nymph under an indicator and that rig hooked a majority of our salmon.  We did miss a few and lose some fish, but all in all not a bad day.  One thing I noticed was too many anglers getting in the water.  Stay off the gravel and spawning beds.  Matter of fact leave the spawners alone.  Pretty obvious when you see a big silver flash in front of you as to what is happening.  No need to get in the water and more often than not you are hurting your chances of hooking fish.  These are lake run fish and they like the soft water where people were standing, silly.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy