Water Clarity: Clear to Stained
Water Temperatures: 48-59
Hatches: Stones, Midge, Some Caddis, Hendricksons!
Suggested Patterns: Girdle Bugs, Juan’s Kryptonite Cadddis, Pheasant Tails (#12-14), Bird of Prey (#12-14) Montana Prince-Black or Gold (#10-12) Zug Bugs, Prince Nymphs, Wooly Buggers, Zonkers, Jig Streamers. CDC Loopwing Hendricksons, Rusty Spinners, Parachute Adams, Elk Hair Caddis
Things are picking up! Over the past few days the fishing has improved with warmer water temps, we’ve seen temps warm up to the upper 50s on some of the smaller streams and some fish have been looking up! Most of the fish we’ve been catching have been on nymphs over the past few days, a few fish on smaller streamers and a few on dries! We have seen a few Hendricksons flying around and over the next week expect to start seeing more of them, we’ll first see those on the mid-sized tribs, then in another week or so they’ll become more active on the Winooski as well. A great hatch that can get some of the big ones to feed off the surface! The Winooski is still a little on the high side, it’s fishable but by Friday should be at a perfect level, water is still a bit off colored which doesn’t hurt anything/ The Lamolle is at a great flow right now, streamers on a sink tip would be a great way to start fishing either the Winooski or Lamoille over the next few days. You’ll be able to get fish nymphing too, just make sure your flies are getting down deep. Make sure to have some dries in your box, although it’s still pretty early to run into fish feeding on the surface on the bigger rivers it’s good to be prepared!
Sean went up a small mountain stream the other day and found 57 degree water and fish eagerly awaiting dries! A sure sign that the fishing is improving. He then hit a larger stream and nymphed up one of the nicest brookies we’ve ever seen, must’ve been pushing 18″!! Check it out on our facebook or instagram page. What a fish!
Lots of the rivers were stocked last week or this week, we’ll continue to see more stockings take place over the next couple of weeks, those fish always seem to hang in the really slow deep water for a while where the wild fish always seem to push up into the riffley water first. With the water temps where they’re at right now there’s no need to be on the water super early. The big and fish activity will increase as the day goes on. If there’s going to be any dry fly action on the bigger water, the caddis may come off anytime after 10amish and expect to see the Hendricksons show up a bit later, usually we see them hatching between noon and 3ish with the spinner fall occuring more into the evening. Make sure you’ve got a rusty spinner in your box!
The lake fishing has continued to be good as well, the largemouth are bedded up on the local lakes, the smallies aren’t quite there and still putting the feed bag on, over the next week a lot of the smallmouth will move up into shallower water and bed up as well. The bass bite can be incredible before that happens so if you’re thinking about hitting a local lake or reservoir now’s the time!!
Good luck to everyone getting out this week! Blow off work a little early, or better yet, just call in sick!
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River: Winooski
Water Temp: 54
Water Clarity: Stained
Last Update: 5/10/23
USGS FI: 610
River: Dog
Water Temp: 54
Water Clarity: Clear
Last Update: 5/10/23
USGS FI: 157
River: Lamoille
Water Temp 55
Water Clarity: Clear
Last Update: 5/10/23
USGS FI: 405