Hi Folks, Not much for fishing right now in Vermont.  We are in the middle of rifle season for white tail deer.  I have seen some light ice on small ponds already as the water really begins to cool.  No siginificant snow as of yet so if it stays cold, we should have some decent early ice.  I like pike fishing early in the season and chasing walleyes.  Trout season will not begin for ice fishing until the middle of January.  I will be placing my shanty on a local trout lake this season and we will be fishing for smelt, yellow perch, rainbow trout, brown trout, and brook trout.  I will post regular reports once I begin ice fishing.  Have Fun, Willy

Hi folks, Guided the Lamoille this last Saturday under ominious skies.  A weekend storm dumped over an inch of rain rasing the level of our streams significantly.  We were able to fish the Lamoiile prior to its level rising dramatically.  Water temperature was 43 degrees and the level prior to the rain was at its seasonal average.  We had fish very slowly, dead drifitng a #10 heavily weighted olive wooly bugger.  We were able to land two large wild rainbows between 14" and 15".  Excellent looking trout with deep bellies.  You could tell that the water is cold in the way they fought.  No jumping, just a lot of head shaking.  We did find a few rising trout who were eating little #22 BWOs.  We put them down pretty quickly.  Spooky fish rising in shallow skinny water.  Well, 5 days left in the trout season.  I wll be chasing landlocked salmon this week.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  have Fun, Willy

Hi folks, Guided for northern pike yesterday in the Champlain Valley.  Still some remanants of foliage left in the valley as the leaves looked just past peak.  Air temperature was in the high forties with no wind and bright skies.  Water temperature was 56 degrees on on the surface.  We used spin tackle casting a large Rapapal Husky Jerk in clown colors.  We found active northerns ion the edge of a point that transitioned from a shallow weedy flat to a deeper basin.  We had 7 pike eat the lure and landed 3 fish.  We had one northern I would guess in the 3' range slam into my boat as it attempted to eat the plug.  Pretty incredible sight and we just ran out of room to retrieve the lure.  We saw the entire fish chast the plug, pretty cool.  Pike fishing should remain good for the nect few weeks until the water temperature drops into the low 40s.  I will guiding trout the next few days.  Remeber to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Hi Folks, Guided the Lamoille yesterday under overcast skies and chilly air temperatures.  The water level was slightly below the seasonal average and the temperature was a cool 43 degrees.  That's right, 43 degrees.  A 10 degree temperatue variance from 2 days ago, Wow! Anywho, the trout still eat and you just have to be more patient and thorough with you presentations and entire approach.  We drummed up a nice jumping 12" wild rainbow on a #10 olive bugger that was dead drifted.  The rainbow took the larger fly pretty gently.  There was a nice pod of trout sipping #22 BWO's in a long slow flat.  Really good hatch of insects and it was fun watching the trout sip in the little emerging duns.  The mayflys were taking an enternity to launch off the water.  Casting and drifting had to be good.  Long casts due to the nature of the water the fish were holding in.  You can't leave a wake in slow water with rising fish.  A sure formula for spooking trout.  We struggled getting the trout to eat, but it was a fun expereince.  A double fly with a #22 parachute and #22 peacock herl soft hackle was the set-u.  I am chasing these trout myself today.  I'll get them to eat.  Some really nice noses poking up through the surface film. Dress warm, the weather ir raw right now.  Better for the weekend.   Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Hi folks, Spent Friday guiding trout on the mainstem of the Winooski River.  Weather has taken a turn and it now really feels like late fall early winter.  Leaves are falling from the trees at a steady rate and we now are expereincing some hard frosts.  However, there are still 13 days of trout fishing left before the season closes and many opportunites to tug on fish.  The water temperature on the Winooski yesterday at noon was 50 degrees.  Water level was up after almost 3/4" of rain on Thursday.  However, the water clarity was still good, but there was a lot of debris drifting in the current.  Fishing is now best in the afternoon to late day as the water temperatures need to warm up each day to crank up the trout's metabolism for feeding.  Still seeing BWOs hatch and trout rising in slow flat water were they are seldom found earlier in the year.  All about energy efficiency for feeding as the water temp. drops.  We worked hard for a few strikes yesterday working a variety of streamer patterns .  Just the opposite of the previous day when the fish were really on prior to the arrival of the cold front.  Presentation needs to be slow as the trout will not move any farther they have to to eat.  Fish are still rising to little BWOs' in the afternoon.  However, the rising activity will be in the surface film as the water cools more.  Will be chasing trout and salmon this week.  Rememeber to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Hi Folks, Weather took a little turn for the colder yesterday.  Guided the upper Winooski in steady rain.  Watched the river level rise a bit and become slightly off colored.  Water temperature was 51 degrees.  Not much for hatching insects.  We nymphed with a #16 olive caddis and #20 BWO nymph as a dropper under an indicator.  The wild rainbow trout seemed to like both flies.  We also had some success dead drifting a #10 olive wooly bugger on the bottom.  All of the takes were very subltle.  However, the trout are still full of energy.  We landed a large male rainbow that measured 16" and lost another brute of a trout.  Awesome line ripping runs and jumps.  You really need to be dialed in when hooking large fish.  They are not very forgiving.  Every trout we hooked yesterday was on the larger size; over 14".  Pretty difficult conditions with the rain and cooling air temps.  It is a fun process learning how to handle a fly rod and use different angles when playing large trout.  Only one way to learn, hook some fish.  Off to guide the Winooski for trout today.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Hi Folks, spent the day guiding a trib. of the Lamoille and the mainstem itself.  Fishing was pretty darn good.  Water temps. ranged from 52 degrees at 9:30am to 57 degrees in the Lamoille by 3:00pm.  The fishing conditions were perfect for the fall with a warm sunny morning that turned overcast in the afternoon.  Early morning sun warms the water during the fall and then sets up prefect for rising fish to little BWOs' in the afternoon.  The BWO fishing is always best  under overcast or gray conditions. We fished upstream in pocket water with a double nymph rig under an indicator and carried a second rod rigged with a#12 royal wulff on the small trib.  A #14 prince with a #18 pheasant tail under a white yarn indicator seemd to do the trick.  We landed 10 wild rainbows and 1 wild brown trout.  the royal wulff accounted for several explosive strikes and we missed a legitimate 15" plus rainbow that engulfed the fly.  The Lamoille this afternoon was dynomite!!!  Rising trout all afternoon with all of the fish landed being wild with the exception of 1 15" stocked beast.  Really good hatch of BWOs' and fish sticking up their noses in slow pools, eddies, and tailouts.  You had your choice of tricky drifts.  The fly of the day was a #22 adams and a good drift.  All of the rising fish were between 11" and 14" and did a little jumping.  Really looking forward to guiding the rest of the week.  The weather will cool off a bit towards weeks end.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy

Hi folks, Been a beautiful weekend and busy guiding trout.  Weather could not be much nicer as the leaves are still beautiful.  We could use some rain.  All of our streams are low and clear.  Water temperatures have risen into the mid fifties with the warmer weather we have been expereincing.  Things should cool off by week's end, butnot much rain in sight.  Still plenty of BWOs hatching and with a few fish here and ther rising too the tiny mayfly.  We have been dead drifting #10 olive wolly buggers on the bottom to pick off trout.  Guided the Winooski on Saturday and Sunday and had to work for fish.  We did catch some nice sized wild rainbows, but the fishing was not fast and furious.  Most of the trout seemed to be holding in slower water and in the larger pools.  We did find some rising fish eating in big back eddies.  They looked to sipping BWO spinners and pointing down stream.  Pretty difficult cast and drift to get these fish to eat.  Always like the challenge.  I love finding large trout feeding on small bugs in the fall.  The rise froms can be very deceiving.  Will be guiding trout and salmon for the rest of the week.  Overcast conditions could make for some very good dry fly fishing.  Remember toc lean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy