Water Clarity: Stained-Muddy
Water Temperatures: 42-50
Hatches: Small Stones, Should start to see a few Caddis, Hendricksons shouldn’t be too far off either
Suggested Patterns: Wooly Buggers, Zonkers, Sculpin, Masked Avengers, Girdle Bugs, Montana Prince, Pheasant Tails, Hare’s Ears
Conditions are starting to improve a bit more. The rain we got the other day brought water levels up quite a bit but we certainly needed the rain. We’ve had some good days, and plenty of quiet days over the past couple of weeks. Most of our fish have been on streamers, with a handful of fish taking nymphs as well. Everything we’ve run into, aside from outing to the trophy section of the Winookski have only been yielding wild fish. Have not seen any holdovers from last year which isn’t terribly shocking given last summer’s drought. The most successful days we’ve had have been on rivers that get runs of fish out of Champlain and Magog. The bass are starting to show up in those tribs while the steelhead start to trickle out. There are some Landlocks up north willing to play if you cover water.
The lake fishing has also been pretty decent. Been having to fight the wind quite a bit but have had some good days targeting bass. The cooler weather this week did seem to slow things down on the lake side of things though. For those getting out this weekend, there should be a number of options. Your best bet will to be to focus on the mid sized tribs with streamers and heavier nymph patterns. The main Winooski and Lamoille will likely not be fishable this weekend from the rain. They’re still high and will take 3-4 days to drops and clear up. The Lamoille might be fishable by Sunday evening but I wouldn’t count on it. With the water temps still being cold, a sink tip, or a heavy jig streamer would be a good option. The fish will be a little more willing to chase a fly than they have been, but the temps are still pretty cold all things considered. If nymphing, be sure you’re getting your flies down deep. Split shot and or heavy beaded flies will be the answer. Good luck to those getting out this weekend!
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River: Winooski:
Water Temp: 48
Water Clarity: Muddy
Last Update: 5/7
USGS FI: 1610
River: Dog
Water Temp: 49
Water Clarity: Clear
Last Update: 5/7
USGS FI: 204
River: Lamoille
Water Temp: 46
Water Clarity: Muddy
Last Update: 5/7
USGS FI: 1630