Water Clarity: Clear-Green
Water Temperatures: 42-53
Hatches: Tiny Black Stones. Caddis, A few Hendricksons
Suggested Patterns: Squirmy Worms, Pat’s Rubber Legs, Kaufman Stones, MFGA Prince, Jig Buggers, Pheasant Tails (#12-14) Hare’s Ears (#12-14) Strolis Quil Body Jig (#12-14) Montana Prince Nymph-Black (#10-12), Complex Twist Buggers, Montana Mouthwash, Nutcracker #4 Black, Sex Dungeons
We hope everyones been able to get out and take advantage of some of the nicer weather we’ve had. It looks like next weeks going to get really warm! That should really turn on the fish! We’ve been able to get out a bit over the past week with decent success. A mix of fishing the mid sized streams to the bigger rivers. One of the guides got 4 fish, presumably all wild out of the Winooski yesterday above Waterbury. All rainbows, all relatively small, a good sign that things are waking up. All of those fish were pulled out of one deep pool.
We’re starting to see a few more bugs flying around but have yet to see any rises (no surprise there). With the increased bug activity and relatively manageable flows nymphing is likely going to be the pick for the weekend. Although there’s some streams and rivers that still may be better off fished with a streamer. In a perfect world, bring both a Nymph and a Streamer rod. Now that flows have dropped and the water clarity has improved it may not be a bad idea to size down your tippet. In clearer conditions we’re generally using 4x and 5x when it comes to nymphing. This weekend should provide great fishing opportunities on a variety of water. If you’re chasing trout, trying the bigger rivers may not be a bad idea. The flows are relatively manageable and the temps are headed in the right direction. You’re best off to fish mid day into the afternoons. The cold nights will have the fish moving a bit slower first thing in the morning. It’d be worth packing your dry fly box just in case, I doubt much will be feeding on the top but I’d rather have my dries with me and not need them then have fish rising in front of me and only have beadheaded nymphs in my box.
On other fronts, fishing the tribs of the larger rivers has still been good. The steelhead are working their way out, but there’s still some around. The smallmouth bass are filling the void the steelhead left and should provide some great action over the next several weeks. There’s still salmon up north-not a lot but if you put your time in you should hook into one. The lake fishing has also turned on. The bass on some of the local lakes are currently in the pre-spawn feeding frenzy. With warm temps over the next week this May end sooner than later but it’s worth getting out in the next few days if possible. The Laker fishing has also been good. This time of the year they’re usually up high in the water column. Cruising rocky shorelines, shoals, cliffs and bottlenecks or choke points these fish can be caught on a fly. A sinking line or sink tip will help get the fly down a little bit but you really don’t need to go all that deep. We’ve caught lots of lakers on Champ in less than 10ft of water with our flies only down 2-3ft. The best spots to target with a boat would be the mouth of the Lamoille and Winooski-try to get on the mudline. This would require a descent sized boat, canoes would be ok on calm days but you’d really want to make sure the wind wasn’t going to pick up. A great shore spot would be off the colchester causeway or the Grand Isle Ferry, although a really heavy sinking line would be best for here (specific to colchester causeway) the current is quite strong, it’s pretty shallow but a fast sinking line will help get the fly where it needs to be. As far as lakes in the NEK go, Caspian, Willoughby and Elligo would all be good options. By the end of next week most of those fish will be moving into deeper water so get em while they’re shallow!
Good luck to everyone getting out!! Enjoy the longer days and the warm weather!!
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River: Winooski
Water Temp: 50
Water Clarity: Green
Last Update: 5/5/22
USGS FI: 803
River: Mad
Water Temp: 51
Water Clarity: Clear
Last Update: 5/5/22
USGS FI: 343
River: Lamoille
Water Temp:49
Water Clarity: Green
Last Update: 5/5/22
USGS FI: 742