Water Clarity: Clear
Water Temperatures: 44-53
Hatches: Small caddis, BWOS
Suggested Patterns: Zebra Midge, Pheasant Tails, Prince Nymphs, Olive Hare’s Ears, Olive Soft Hackles, RS2, WD40, Parachute Adams, BWO Dries, Griffith Gnats, Ants
Hard to believe October is almost over. The trout fishing has been alright for us, getting into some fish on the warmer afternoons, not lights out by any means but if you put your time in you’ll get into fish. The little push of water we had last week definitely improved things for a few days. We found a few more willing fish the few days after that push of water. We’ve spent most of our time on the Winooski and Lamoille, mostly nymphing although we have been getting a few fish on dries. Small BWO patterns on light leaders have been what’s on the menu. We’ve also picked up a few fish on smaller steamer patterns. Mid day into the afternoon has definitely been far more productive for trout. With the cold nights, water temps have dropped a lot overnight and the fish are pretty lethargic til it warms up a few degrees. Small soft hackles on the swing have also gotten us a few fish over the last couple of weeks.
Been getting some calls regarding Landlocked Salmon. Water levels on both the Champlain and Magog Tribs are pretty darn low. There’s fish around, but not a lot, and they’re in pretty concentrated spots which makes it tricky when there’s a solid amount of angling pressure. If you put in effort, with both streamers and nymphs, you should be able to get into a fish or two. When nymphing don’t be afraid to go small. We have good luck with WD40s in an #18 or #20 and RS2s (fished wet) in similar sizes. It’s important to be running pretty light tippet when fishing these tiny flies, and a soft enough rod you aren’t breaking fish off. A 10ft 3wt or 4wt is a great salmon nymphing rod when running those small flies and light tippet!
For everyone getting out this week you’ve got some options. Water levels are still low, so you can go just about anywhere you’d like on the Lamoille or Winooski. Some of the mid sized tribs have enough water in them to fsih as well. Be mindful of spawning fish! Be sure to avoid stomping over redds and avoid fishing to fish that are actively spawning. Generally around here, you’ll see fish sitting in shallower water, towards the tailout of the pool when they’re spawning. More often than not they will be paired up. We don’t have a ton of natural reproduction so left those fish do their thing uninterrupted!
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River: Winooski:
Water Temp: 49
Water Clarity: Clear
Last Update: 10/26
USGS FI: 105
River: Dog
Water Temp: 46
Water Clarity: Clear
Last Update: 10/26
USGS FI: 16
River: Lamoille
Water Temp: 47
Water Clarity: Clear
Last Update: 10/26
USGS FI: 104