Hi Folks, It has been a nice week of weather in Stowe Vermont and particularly beautiful to be on the water. I guided trips early in the week and then took my kids camping on a local lake. I have been fishing smallmouth bass lately. The only option for trout fishing is small streams and tributaries of the bigger rivers. The coolest water will be found in high gradient mountain streams and those that are influenced by springs. The bass fishing has been consistent. Early morning and late day have been the most productive times. A high percentage of the fish we are catching are subsurface. Whether I have been in moving water or a lake, the best bite has been subsurface. The water is pretty warm currently. The lake where we camped was 77 to 80 degrees on the surface. Even a bit warm for a smallmouth. River temps have ranged from 72 to 76 degrees. These are the bigger watersheds and they are exposed to the sun. Plus nighttime air temps have been fairly warm for the most part with very little nighttime cooling effect. I have been guiding kids and taking my own kid fishing. Trying to keep it simple and catch fish. Senkos dead drifted and worked slowly along the bottom have been super effective. We found bass off of sharp drop offs into deep water. We hooked fish in 15’ to 20’ of water. With kids the Senko fishing is great in that they get lots of action and it is obvious when you get a strike. The biggest issue is the hook set. Luckily the smallies have been user friendly and missing a few is not a big deal. 3”-5” rubber in Baby Bass, Watermelon Red Magic, watermelon black magic have all produced. On the fly front, the #22-#26 Tricos are starting to hatch. #8-#12 Golden Stone Flys have been hatching at night. Their shucks are all over the rocks. Starting to see lots of hoppers in fields and terrestrials are all over the place. Enjoy the weather. Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home. Have Fun, Willy
