Water Clarity: Clear
Water Temperatures: 58-68
Hatches: Small Caddis, BWO, Tricos, Hoppers, Flying Ants, ISOs
Suggested Patterns: P Tails, Zug Bugs, Birds Nest, Soft Hackles, Hare’s Ears, Frenchies, Parachute Adams #10-18, BWOs, Hoppers, Ants
Nice to see some cooler temps! It’d be a lot nicer if we saw a bunch of rain but we’ll take whatever we can get. Water levels are still about as low as they’ve ever been. The recent rain we’ve got brought some water levels up for a day or two but they’re right back to where they were prior to the rain. We have temped the bigger rivers over the past few days and found temps in the low 60s in the morning. We haven’t trout fished the big rivers, but have talked to a few customers that over the past few mornings have run into trout.
Most of our effort lately has been geared towards river bass. That has remained fairly productive, hopper patterns, larger ants and beetles along with smaller streamers and gaudy nymphs have all been catching fish. We’ve also spent some time on the brook trout streams which have been fishing fairly well. The water levels on those streams are super low, but the temps are great and the fish are happy! We were able to find some muddy water the other day after the rain storms that came through and came up with a few giant browns! The small spike in water level got some fish fired up and willing to eat wooly buggers and girdle bugs! Wild how some spots that typically seem to be void of fish totally change when the conditions change. The big fish come out of the abyss to feed for short periods of time when the conditions allow it.
We’ve also been fishing some of the lakes and ponds in the area for both smallies and largemouth. The Largemouth have been more willing to cooperate for us on the fly, likely due to the fact that they’re still hanging in much shallower water. Lots of the bigger smallmouth seem to be hanging in 25 plus feet of water, tricky to target with a fly rod!
For those getting out this week/weekend if you get up early, you could give the Winooski or Lamoille a shot for trout. Bring your thermometer, but you should be running into temps in the low 60s, perhaps the high 50s. Soft hackles and small dries will probably be your best bet! Swing the fast shallow water and see what happens! If you’re going to nymph, be sure to use small, light flies as the water is about as low as it gets! Good luck to everyone getting out! Be sure to do a rain dance!
On another note, we will be having a sale weekend September 12th, 13th and 14th. Be sure to mark your calendars! We’ll have some killer deals, along with some sweet giveaways. For more info click here!
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River: Winooski:
Water Temp: 64
Water Clarity: Clear
Last Update: 8/28
USGS FI: 61
River: Dog
Water Temp: 61
Water Clarity: Clear
Last Update: 8/28
USGS FI: 10
River: Lamoille
Water Temp: 62
Water Clarity: Clear
Last Update: 8/28
USGS FI: 72