Hi Folks, Opening day for trout season. 24 degrees at my house. I think I’ll let it warm up a bit. I just finished ice fishing a week ago. Good season on the ice. I was able to fish the hard water from December 21, 2022 to March 29, 2023. Our lakes are not safe to walk on any longer, yet they are still shielded in ice. There is open water on Champlain and some other larger bodies of water. Spring influenced Brook trout ponds are an option. Our rivers are a bit high, cold, and off colored. Warm air temperatures coupled with snow melt has puffed everything up. Be careful wading as falling in a river right now could be very dangerous. Migratory lake run rainbows are a decent option for the next few weeks. Drifting egg patterns and stonefly patterns along the bottom are a good technique. I have been seeing some #14 Brown Stone Flies hatching mid day for a couple of weeks now. A #14 stone fly pattern or a spring wiggler are good imitations. I like drifting Glo bugs and Scrambled Eggs in orange and yellow are effective drifted along the bottom in search of rainbows. A wire San Juan worm or an orange Wooly bugger will work as well. As the ice begins to recede on some warm water lakes, I will be casting flies to Northern Pike. Nice time of the year to catch a large Northern in skinny water. The fishing in northern Vermont will only improve in the next few weeks. Looks like air temperatures will rise to 70 degrees by the end of next week. I will begin my open water guiding season within the next 10 days. Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home. Have Fun, Willy
