River Conditions: 6/18/16

Water Clarity: Clear

Water Temperatures:  55-68

Hatches: Golden Stoneflies, Olive/Brown Caddis Flies, Hex, Sulphurs

Suggested Patterns:  Caddis Poopah, Hotwire Caddis, Dirty Bird, Montana Prince, Copper John, Bob’s Softy, Hare’s Ear, X-Caddis, Goddard Caddis, Parachute Adams, Blond Wulf, Royal Wulf, Lucent Wing Hex, Wooly Buggers, Muddlers Minnows, Zonkers.

The bigger rivers are starting to get a bit warmer even in the morning but they are still ok for now. Water temps on the Winooski and Lamoille at 6am have been between 62 and 65 which has allowed us to continue to fish them in the mornings. Afternoons are a different story with warmer water temps. Mid-day and afternoon fishing will be more productive on smaller cold water streams. Another good choice is to fish the little river coming out of the Waterbury Rez. That water remains extremely cold throughout the year since it is coming off of the bottom of the Reservoir which is over 100ft deep. There are some nice fish in there too, usually patterns slightly smaller than other rivers tend to draw a bit more interest in there. It’s also a good place to get into a good midge hatch where fish actually feed on them. We’ve been doing well nymphing the heavy pocket water with raven floats on the bigger rivers right at first light. An Olive Bird of Prey is a tough fly to beat right now. Hotwire caddis flies have also taken their fair share of fish. We’ve also been hitting some fish on dry flies early in the morning. Swinging caddis dries as well as dead drifting them have been deadly. The Hex hatch is in full swing as well, lots of guys have reported plenty of bass and some trout getting caught on the surface. Good luck if you get out this afternoon or tomorrow!!

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