Hi Folks, It has been a busy September. Tough month for trout fishing. It feels finally like we might experience some fall fishing conditions. Water temperatures are slowly dropping and with that things begin to change. Any rain would be welcome. Hard to believe, but are streams in northern Vermont could still use some rain. Still not enough water to float drift boat and any good pushes of water will move salmon and brown trout. The Winooski yesterday afternoon was 64 degrees. The water level was about at its seasonal level. The rain we received Friday helped. The most consistent hatches have been small #16/#18 tan caddis. There are tons of green #14 caddis pupating on rocks and they should pop any day now. Lots of green #12/#14 hoppers still bounding about. On cloudy days lots of #20 BWO action and still a few remnant #12 Isonychia. A variety of streamers can be very effective. I have been bouncing around from the Lamoille to Winooski watershed and some. The small stream fishing has been tough. Low clear water. Water temperatures are fine with readings in the low to mid fifties. The Brook Trout are beginning to spawn and are just not very willing to eat a fly presently. We have been catching a few wild rainbows and brown trout. The fish have been holding tight to cover. Under rocks and wood piles in clear pools. A #16 foam tan caddis and a #16 Goddard caddis have tempted fish to the surface. A #12 Brown Owl stripped quickly through deeper pools has also drawn interest. On the big water, we mostly be nymphing for trout. I have seen very little surface feeding. A #12 tungsten bead red threaded Prince Nymph with either a #18 caddis pupa dropper or a peacock soft hackle dropper have been productive. Lots of takes as the flies swing onto the seam line below the drift. I think the trout fishing will only get better by the day over the next couple of weeks. On the bass front, as the water cools, the fish are beginning to move to deeper locations. Now that our river temperatures and lake temperatures are dipping below 70 degrees, the smallmouth are relocating. We located smallmouth in deep slow pools and river channels fishing moving water. In lakes they are dropping off deep points and humps as well as suspending in open water. Smallmouth schools will pound bait balls this time of year in open water. Still catching a few smallmouth on popping bugs, but the feeding will now change to subsurface patterns like #6 Clouser Minnows in olive/white and chartreuse/white. Fishing is never static and the angler who is willing to adjust with conditions and the fish will have more success. Remember to clean your gear and keep the non native species at home. Have Fun, Willy
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