Fall Foliage and Leaky Waders

Hi Folks, what a great time of the year to be on the water. I have been guiding everyday and the fishing has been consistent. Helluva of time to have my waders leak as the water cools off. Oh well. We got blasted with rain Tuesday night that brought our river levels up significantly. The Lamoille watershed seemed to be more adversely impacted than the Winooski drainage. We needed the rain and the increased flows will move salmon and brown trout. It has cooled off as well with a frost warning last night. The small stream we walked yesterday was 53 degrees, the Winooski was 58 on Tuesday, and the Lamoille was 57 to 58 on Monday. Hatches of bugs are slowing down a bit but there is still enough insect activity to make things interesting. The #14-#16 Cahills and #12 Isonychia are waning. Still a fair number of #14-#16 olive bodied caddis and more and more #20 BWOs on a daily basis. Most of the bug activity has been midday to late afternoon. My guests have been doing well catching rising trout. A #16 crippled Cahill dun worked wonders on the Winooski the other day and a #20 Parachute Baetis tricked gentle risers in the slow water on the Lamoille. Streamer fishing is a great option currently. A #10 olive/black wooly bugger is consistent on either drainage presently. Dead drifted is the way to present the bugger if you are not using a sinking line. I like old school streamers like a #8-#10 Mickey Finn, Black Ghost, Grey Ghost, Nine Three, Golden Demon, and Magog Smelt. All of these patterns have withstood the test of time. The best fishing is in the afternoon. I am off to fish the Winooski drainage. Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home. Have Fun, Willy