Hi Folks, What a great time of the year to go fishing in Vermont. You can feel Autumn in the air. The cool nights are refreshing change from the warmer days and nights of August. We still need rain badly. Been a beautiful summer, but very dry. You can see it our river, brook, and lake levels. I have had a strong summer of guiding. The smallmouth fishing lately has been pretty decent. I have been predominantly guiding for bass with the low water levels and warmer air temperatures. A few outings with guest for trout in small brooks and I even ventured onto the Winooski early one morning. Yesterday, was the first time since spring that lake surface water temps.had dropped below 70 degrees. The Winooski earlier in the week was 67 degrees and very low. I have found brook temps. between 60 and 64 degrees. One the things I enjoy about September Fishing is the chance to catch a huge smallmouth off the surface. The cold nights seem to snap the fish into an aggressive feeding pattern. The bass we have been landing have been big fat and strong. I like to pursue smallies in the shallow margins. I am not a drop shot or jig fishing guide for smallies. I hate deep water fishing, plus most of my guests are casting flies. All about timing catching these fish in the shallow margins. Go early morning or late day. We have been casting a variety of surface patterns. Fire tiger colored flies, chartreuse, black, and black and red have all been productive. When getting down and dirty, a good old #4/#6 Clouser minnow has worked great. White, white and olive, white and chartreuse Clousers have all produced. I’m starting to see balls of baitfish gathered over deeper water and watching bass target the schools of prey. Crease flies and Foam Gurglers work well in this dynamic. We have been locating fish off Milfoil beds in about 10’ to 15’ of water. I guide a lot of clear lakes and it’s fun seeing a smallmouth come out of deep water to crush a popping bug or floating Rapala. On the river front, a few hatches these days, yet with the low water and warmer temps. the trout fishing has been limited. Lots of terrestrials. #12/#14 green hoppers are everywhere and I have seen a couple afternoons with #14-#22 flying ants. The ants move their nests this time of year. I find that after a good rain or thunderstorm I generally see lots of flying ants. It’s been dry. Lots of #18/#20 hours micro caddis activity. Tan bodied X-caddis, peacock caddis, and Goddard caddis have been catching trout in the small water. A #14 foam ant has been productive as well. On the Winooski, wild rainbows were steadily rising to micro caddis prior to the fog burning off. Once the sun was up, the fish shut down. We cast a #16/#18 peacock caddis. The Fishing improves daily as September progresses. Love the weather, the changing leaves, and the fishing this time of the year. The next 6 weeks are my favorite time of the year to be on the water. Looks like rain tomorrow. Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home. Have Fun, Willy
