Hi folks, Guided way up high on theWinooski yesterday morning.  It was a morning of heavy dense fog and cool air temps.  The water level was higher than the seasonal average and the temperature was a cool 58 degrees.  Not much for hatching bugs until later in the morning when the sun hit the water and triggered a hatch of small #18 olive bodied with atan mottled winged caddis.  Irrelevant!  No rising fish.  However they pounded the nymph rig we had tied on pretty well.  We landed 11 wild rainbows had 7 other fish take the fly.  The trout ranged in size from 7" to 14" and all looked to be in fantastic shape.  They all exploded out of the water the moment they were hooked.  You would have thought you were steel head fishing.  We fished with a white yarn indicator above a #14 zug bug and #18 flashback blacknymph with a bead.  The small nymph drew a majority of the strikes.  Most of the takes were on the  dead drift though  we did catch a few swinging the rig. Also, a #10 bead headed muddler drew some major interest and landed a couple of trout in some of the slower pools where a nymph rig would not produce.  Pretty darn good for the end of August or any day for that matter.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Off to chase trout.  Have Fun, Willy

Hi folks, Guided the big Winooski last night way down low.  Water was infine shape with higher than normal flows, but outstanding clarity.  Water temperature was 65 degrees at 5:00pm under sunny skies and a cool afternoon.  Did see a pretty decent number of #12 isonychia's hatching.  Most appeared to be hatching in the water versus on a rock due to the higher flows.  Saw a few sporadic rises to the large mayfly.  We fished terrestrials with a #14 olive bodied hopper and #14 pheasant tail nymph fished as a dropper.  Most of our takes were on the hopper.  Love watching a hopper get creamed by a trout.  We landed all wild fish between 8" and 12" with one of the better trout being a hook jawed male brown who looked ready for a fight.  Did draw some strikes on the nymph by lifting the rod at the end of the drift to make the fly look like it was swimming.  Isonychias are swimming mayflies.  Double duty today with guding for trout this am and pm.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Hi Folks, Man, it has become cold.  Cold front moved through yesterday morning while I was guiding.  Stiff north wind, daytime highs in the 60's, and changing leaves makes it feel like fall.  I do not think there are any worries about thermal strees in our rivers for trout and the dropping temps. should initiate a feeding frenzy by smallmouth.  Great time of  the year to fish.  Water temperature on the lake I guided yesterday morning was 71 degrees with a steady chop.  Fishing was slow, but I kind of expected that with the change in the weather.  Still waters seems to be more adversely affected by severe weather change.  River fishing is still consistent with water temps. in the 60's and a variety of food items to choose from; #12/#14 grasshoppers, #14-#22 flying ants, #10-#16 beetles, #22-#26 tricos, #18-#20 olive and tan bodied caddis, #14 isonychias, and #18-#22 BWOs.  Still does not matter what fly you have tied on if you do not make a good drift.  Will be chasing smallmouth this afternoon.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Hi Folks, Guided the Lamoille yesterday morning and had the entire water to ourselves.  It is always nice when you walk up to a stream and find rising fish.  Water temperature was 64 degrees at 7:00am and the level was perfect.  We worked 3 large stable pools with a variety of terrestrials.  We did not see much for insects so I can only figure that the trout were feeding on something drowned in the film.  My guess would be small egg laying caddis.  We cast a #14 and #12 olive bodied hopper pattern that was greedily received by the trout.  We had wild brown trout and wild rainbows between 8" to 14" respond to the fly.  Lots of fun watching a hopper get attacked.  Not bad for August.  In the afternoon I went canoe fishing for smallmouth.  Wind was a factor as it blow pretty hard from the south.  We found calm water and some big bass.  Lots of fish crashing on drowned ants.  Amazing how a large smallmouth bass will eat such a small morsel like an ant.  Easy pickings I figure.  We landed smallmouth between 1lb and 3.5lbs.  Good fun on a 6wt. watching those fish come out of the water.  Most of the smallmouth we saw were holding on steep dropoffs that were complimented by downed trees.  I will be guiding trout and bass all this week.  Should end on August with a real bang.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  have Fun, Willy

Hi Folks, Been a hot one the last few days with blue bird sunny skies.  Not ideal fishing weather in my opinion.  Been guiding trout and smallmouth the last couple of days.  The lake I guided Thursday night was 72 degrees on the surface and dead calm.  Leaves are starting to change onits shoreline as well.  We covered a ton of water with poppers and had two small fish look at the fly.  Pretty slow.   Probably needed to cast a clauser minnow below the surface but I hate fishing down and dirty for smallies with the fly rod.   Yesterday morning I guided the Lamoille where the water temperature was 64 degrees.  The Lamoille is in great shape for August.  Normal than average flows and water temperatures in the sixties.  Not much for insect hatches.  Saw a few sporadic #22 trico spinners and that was that.  No risers.  We did catch 1 small wilb brown, 1 small wild bow, and a decent sized stocked rainbow.  I have to keep remeinding myself that it is August and the trout fishing in the big rivers is not typically fast and furious.  Take what you can get.  I am off to guide the Lamoile this am and smallmouth this pm.  Should be hot.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  have Fun, Willy

Hi Folks, Sorry for the lack of updates.  Guiding kids programs this week.  Weather has been beautiful with warm summer like days and cool, cool nights.  Water temperatures on our trout streams have remained in the low sixties in the morning and heating up to the high sixties in the afternoon.  Fishing has been solid and very consistent.  Trout fishing or smallmouth fishing has been outstanding.  My kids trip this am landed 6 stocked rainbows pretty easily.  A little garden hackle on a small hook with minimal weight does the trick everytime.  I have found that kids have about a two hour attention span for fishing.  Keep it fun and find a psot where they will catch something.  Hatches on our trout streams have been okay with some #14-#22 flying ants, #12/#10 epherons, #22 tricos, #18-#22 BWO's and I am seeing lots of grasshoppers in olive green in farm fields.  Never count out the terrestrials.  I will be off to guide smallmouth this afternoon.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home. 

Hi folks, Nice weekend of fishing on the Lamoille.  Guided and fished myself and the water is in fine shape.  Spring levels and temperatures.  The water temp. Saturday morning was 60 degrees and on Sunday afternoon 62 degrees.  That is incredible for the middle of August.  Saw a fair number of #12 Isonychia hatching, #18/#20 micro caddis, sporadic #14 to #22 flying ants, and really good hatch of #18/#20 BWO's.  Not much for rising fish.  Did not see any angler pressure what so ever.  Not complaining.  We had a very good morning on Saturday with 8 landed rainbows with half being wild and half being stocked fish.  The stocked fish look incredibly healthy.  Of course I prefer the wild trout and they look fantastic as well.  The high water does not seem to have adversely affected the trout on the lamoille.  I am wondering if folks think the Lamoille is still unfishable.  I guided all last week and I thought the river was in excellent shape.  You can only figure it out be fishing.  Sunday afternoon the fishing was not fast and furious.  We landed 1 small wild bow and 1 small wild brown.  Small #16 and #18 pheasant tails have been working,  #14 zug bugs, #12 prince nymphs, #18/#20 olive and tan caddis pupa, flying ants, #22/#24 tricos and large stimulators.  Looks like a little T-storm activity and then some beautiful weather for the remainder of the week.  Will be mixing it up this week with trout and smallmouth.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Hi folks, Guided a double yesterday fishing from my boat in the morning and river fishing in the afternoon.  Water levels and temperatures are pretty darn good right now.  The lake I fished yesterday morning was 67 degrees at 6:00am.  We used spin gear looking for pike.  Some big motor issues prevented us from fishing a few spots, but we were still able to make a lot of casts and cover some water.  We worked some large spinner baits without much success some we resorted to jig fishing.  It did not take long before we had landed a 17" smallmouth on a crawfish colored yamamoto jig.  Still we had to work hard for the few fish we caught and I thought the fishing was a little slow.  In the afternoon, the Lamoille was 63 degrees with good clarity.  The level is still up but I think that will be the case for the rest of the season.  Saw a good hatch of flying ants #14 females and #20 males.   Lots of #14 isonychia's hatching as well.  We did find a few rising fish and even some someone else fishing.  The rising fish were holding in soft water off the heavy current.  We found a particularily good spot with large boulders in the river that the fish could hold in front of and downstream of.  We landed 5 stokced rainbows that looked to be in excellent shape.  Very deep, colorful, and between 12" and 14".  Nice evening to be on a river.  I am off to guide trout this am.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy