Water Clarity: Clear-Dirty
Water Temperatures: Cooler mid 50s-low 60s
Hatches: Brown Stones, Yellow Sallies, Olive and Tan Caddis, BWOs, Light Cahils, ISO’s, Hoppers,
Suggested Patterns: Pheasant Tails (#16-18) Hare’s Ear (#16-18) Bird of Prey-Brown (#16) Copper Johns (#16-18) Prince Nymphs (#14-18) Pat’s Rubber Legs (#6-10) Dave’s Hoppers, Light Cahils, BWO (#18-20) Parachute Adams (#12-18) Mouthwash, Sex Dungeons, Zonkers and Wooly Buggers
The rain we’ve gotten has helped things out quite a bit. We got slammed here in Stowe last night. All the smaller streams were stuffed with water this am. The water levels around the area all came up some. The Winooski was definitely a little dirty this morning but fishable for sure. It didn’t come up a ton but we’ll take every drop we can get. It looks like the Lamoille got hit a little harder as the water is still continuing to rise and will probably get a bit dirtier as the day goes on. It looks like the Winooski has already crested (in Montpellier) and is starting to fall. It may continue to come up further down towards Richmond as more streams empty into the Winooski.
This push of water is really what we needed, it may help to spread some fish around and just a good flush of water through the streams right now will be huge. The streamer fishing could be good over the next couple of days while the water stays a little on the higher side. Fishing the lower sections of a lot of the tribs of the bigger rivers could be a great way to find a bigger, more aggressive pre-spawn brown. Typically this time of the year, they will show themselves in bodies of water you wouldn’t normally expect to see them. Streamers can be a great way to target these fish when the flows are up, as water levels recede it will become more of a hunting/ spot and stalk kind of fishing. Make sure that if you’re seeing fish you’re not targeting those that are on their beds. Often those fish will be in pairs, likely towards the tail out of a pool where there might be a little more gravel. You’ll usually see a 18-36″ depression around the fish where the bottom is often a lighter color due to the fish fanning away any algae, sand etc…
For the anglers getting out this weekend be prepared to fish nymphs, dries and streamers, it really just depends on where exactly you end up. As we mentioned above, focusing on some of the tribs of both the Winooski and Lamoille that may have a little more water moving through them could pay off in a big way. Some of the biggest fish we catch every year come from situations like those. The main Winooski and Lamoille should also be in pretty great shape for the weekend, we are supposed to get a bit more rain on Saturday but I doubt that will negatively affect the rivers. Be on the look out for BWOs hatching as well as possibly some ISOs, Cahils and Caddis more towards the end of the day. The BWOs could come off anytime after 10am or so. Good luck out there this weekend!
The Fly Rod Shop is Northern Vermont’s finest fly fishing guide service and fly fishing gear retailer. Visit our shop on Route 100 in Stowe, VT or shop our online store to find gear from Simms Fishing Products, Redington, Loon Products, Montana Fly Company, Buff, Lamson Waterworks, Sage, Rio, Scientific Angler and more!
River: Winooski
Water Temp: 59
Water Clarity: Stained but fishable (Waterbury as of 10:30am)
Last Update: 9-27-2018
USGS FI: 305 @ Montpelier
River: Dog
Water Temp:
Water Clarity:
Last Update: 7-6-2018
USGS FI: @ Falls
River: Lamoille
Water Temp: 58
Water Clarity: Muddy
Last Update: 9-27-2018
USGS FI: 459 @ Johnson