Hi Folks, The fishing has been really good. This last weekend was a lot of fun on the water. I mixed up the guiding with float trips, motorboat trips, and wade fly fishing. I am one of the few people who enjoy cool damp weather. On the river front, water temperatures have remained in the high fifties to low sixties on the Lamoille. Water levels are down so the weekend rain was much needed. The lake I guided Saturday was 62 to 63 degrees and the water level was low. Lots of bug activity. I have seen large #12 March Browns, a decent hatch of #10 Brown Drakes, lots of caddis from size #14 to tiny #20 black caddis. Sulphurs are beginning to hatch and #14 Dorothea has been getting gobbled up by the trout. Really fun targeting rising fish. Some of the patterns we have had success have been a #10 Drake parachute, a #16 Lawsons crippled mayfly, #14 olive wire caddis pupa, #14 and #16 peacock soft hackles, and a #8 white, black, and olive tungsten bead wooly buggers. Looks like a warm up is on the way. Carry a river thermometer and leave the trout alone when the water reaches 70 degrees. On the lake front, chased bass and pike with the long poles. Landed a nice northern on an #4 olive and white Clouser minnow in about 3’ of water. Fun seeing the olive torpedo in the skinny water take a fly. Bass are in process of spawning right now and you can see fish on beds. Cast for salmon on Monday and landed a lot of salmon per. We did not any large salmon in the river. The salmon per were rising like crazy to a #14 caddis hatch. We did catch a large preseason smallmouth bass which hammered a white bugger and then proceeded to swim upstream. A strong 18” smallie. I like fly fishing the big water this time of the year. Tons of insect activity. Some of the trout we have landed are absolutely stuffed with bugs in their bellies. Take advantage of the great fishing right now. This is the time of plenty and there are so many options from river fishing to lake fishing. Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home. Have Fun, Willy
