Opening day magic

Hi Folks, Nothing like catching a trout on a fly on Opening Day. I walked up a small Lamoille tributary midday in search of our state fish the Brook Trout. The water was temperature was 49 degrees and 52 in several beaver ponds. Water is low and clear. Kinda scary for April 10 in Vermont. Mild winter and really dry. Could use days of rain. The conditions are what allowed me to catch trout today. More often than not I get skunked on Opening Day. There was lots of #16 midge activity. Every fish that came to my fly ate a #10 sparsely tied Muddler Minnow dead drifted. You could see the Brookies chase the fly. The fly was not weighted nor did I attach any weight to my leader. Looks to  be an early start this season. I start my open water guiding season this week chasing northern pike from the boat. Ice is out for the most part. Fun chasing big predators in the shallow margins. Nice time to pursue lake run rainbows. Just leave alone any fish sitting on a Redd. Egg patterns from #8 to #12 bottom bounced as well as #12 to #14 Brown Stone fly nymphs are effective. I’m excited to get after it. I love casting a fly, nothing better. Remember to clean your gear and leave the non-native species at home. Have Fun, Willy