Hi Folks, Foliage season is winding down. The leaves are now past peak and dropping into our rivers. Frosty mornings have cooled off the water temperatures. Big river temperatures have ranged from 55 to 60 degrees. Cooler in the morning with a slight up tick in the afternoon. Our rivers are still incredibly low and rain would be welcomed. The trout have been surface feeding in the afternoon. I have found pods of wild rainbows and wild brown trout sipping #18-#22 BWOs in slow pools. The Blue Winged Olives hatch every Fall on the Lamoille and Winooski. Typically, on low light days and in the afternoon. They hatch slower pools. It is a pretty consistent hatch every season. I love dry fly fishing. It’s fun putting clients on rising fish at the end of the season. However, it is not easy fly fishing. The trout are not holding tight to feeding lanes. With the low water and mellow flow, they are moving around to gulp bugs off the surface. The fish that are eating in eddies are really tough to trick. Observation is a good idea before casting blindly. Long leaders in the 12’ range are in order. Fly patterns are #20-#22 Adam’s Parachutes, #20 Compara Dun, and a #20-#22 olive bodied spinner. For surface film sippers a crippled mayfly pattern or a peacock soft hackle have all been effective.For the fish that are not rising or when the hatch is not happening, streamer fishing has been pretty good. Lots of craw dads in our rivers. A #10 olive/black wooly bugger, a #14 Thin Mint, a juvenile rainbow trout pattern, and a white wooly bugger have all drawn interest from pursuing trout. If we finally get some rain before Halloween, I’ll chase landlocked salmon moving upstream to spawn. Fall is one of my favorite times to cast a fly in Vermont.
Ice fishing season is right around the corner. Typically I begin ice fishing around the week prior to Christmas. Early season ice fishing trips are offered for Northern Pike and Yellow Perch. I am booking trips for that timeframe currently. Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home. Have Fun, Willy
