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Fishing Report
Since the last report, temps have moderated and all the snow is gone. Now that there isn’t allot of snowmelt, water temps are also a little warmer. The White River between Bethel and the Connecticut River is still open for trout fishing and there have been some large fish taken over the past week. Fishing is best in the afternoons, when the water is the warmest. Fishing has definitely slowed, but it is not over yet.
The real excitement has been the steelhead and brown trout fishing on the Salmon River near Pulaski, NY. The fish are spread throughout the river and the locals are claiming that this is the best run of fish they have seen in quite some time. We spent two days floating some of the more remote sections of the river and caught steelhead and brown trout up to about 10 pounds. There are still quite a few salmon in the river as well. We had our best luck on a variety of egg patterns, but other fishermen were having luck on leeches, streamers, spey flies and nymphs. The water temps are warm for this time of year, and the fish are very active. The fishing was so good that we plan to give it another try next week. Hope to see you there
10-29-05
Today is the last day of trout season for the majority of Vermont’s lakes and streams. This past week has been cold with a lot of precipitation. The rivers and streams are running high and strong, which has made fishing them very difficult and sometimes dangerous. The mountains received 2-3 feet of snow.
Most fishermen have hung up their rods, and in
my opinion, have missed out
on some unique fishing conditions. Granted, water temps in the 40 degree
range will slow the fishing down, but we still managed to catch trout
with little effort.
We targeted the inflows on the lakes that we know hold trout. Normally,
these flows are
very weak this time of year, but with the rains, they are currently
running strong. The fish are stacked up in these areas, and are easily
caught on streamers and nymphs. Imagine snowy banks, beautiful fall
foliage, snow capped mountains, dramatic lighting generated by the mix
of darks clouds and blue skies, and rainbow trout dressed in their fall
colors. It is certainly a special time of year.
Our interests are shifting from trout to steelhead
fishing, and we plan to visit
the Salmon River in New York. Steelhead have been reported throughout
the river and the conditions are very good. These are the strongest
fish that can be caught in fresh water. We strongly recommend a visit
to these waters for those of you that are looking for a strong finish
to a good season. Tight lines!
10-18-05
It’s amazing how much rain we have had lately. It’s rained every day for almost 2 weeks. Unlike Mass. and New Hampshire, we have seen no flooding. The rivers are at spring runoff levels and dropping. The smaller streams will drain first and will fish well in a day or two, the larger rivers will be at fishable levels in a few days.
Before the rains, the flows were very low. Hatches occurred in the middle of the day and consisted of BWOs, caddis, and some isonichia. Dry fly activity was hit or miss depending on the time of day and the weather. Nymphs and streamers were good at any time of day. The White and Connecticut Rivers were fishing well, as was the Black River. The Caddis hatches on the Mettawee have been very strong. In general, fishing was very good everywhere. The air temps and water temps have been mild for this time of year. Normally we get a frost in early September, but have yet to see one.
It’s not over yet. Fishing should be good for a few weeks more. The autumn colors are beautiful right now. The brookies are most aggressive at this time of year. Dry fly fishing on the lakes can be excellent in the right conditions. The brownies are on the move and there are some monsters out there. Don’t forget about the runs of salmon, steelhead, and brownies that exist in the tributaries of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. Put some time in and the rewards can be great.
9-12-05 thru 9-14-05
We took a trip to the upper Delaware River to fish for the huge wild trout that the river is famous for. We were not disappointed. In the three days that we were there, we fished only dry flies and had plenty of action. The East Branch has had steady flows all summer and temps were in the 50’s and 60’s depending on where you were on the river. The flies were tricos, sulphers, ants and tiny olives. Tiny flies, long tippets, and spring creek tactics were required for success.
We floated the West Branch from Deposit to Hales Eddy one day, and from Hales Eddy to Hancock on another. The water was murky due to the low level of the reservoir, and the fish were easy to approach. On the upper river, we hooked many brownies on size 22 and 24 BWO’s, the largest of which were in the 20 inch range. On the lower river, we were into many large rainbows on olive emerger patterns. Besides olives, there were tricos, caddis, ants, and some iso’s, but the olives produced the most fish. These waters yield the largest fish on dry flies of any river that we’ve fished in the east, and the fish rise all day long if the weather cooperates. If you are up to the challenge, the fishing is nothing short of spectacular.
9-9-05
This past May and June, the Black River was putting up good numbers of very large fish. It was not uncommon to catch several browns and rainbows in the 16”-22” range on any given day. In July and August, the heat and lack of rain caused water temps to reach 85 degrees and reduced the flows to a trickle. Our fears were that none of the fish would survive.
Well, we were wrong. Although the flows are still very low, the temps are good, and an hour of fishing in the evening produced 3 good fish; two rainbows and a brown. They were all healthy, strong, and hungry. They aren’t necessarily holding in the same holes as in the spring, and they are fewer in number, but if you know where to look, chances of hooking up are good.
9-9-05
The White River was the call of the day. The temps are now perfect. The low flows have the fish pooled up. The flies of the day were BWO's, iso's, ants, sulphers, and caddis. The fish seem to know winter is coming, and are gorging themselves in preparation. Some of the trees are just starting to show some color. It doesn't get much better than this.
9-5-05
We fished a local lake and were amazed at the
feeding frenzy we encountered. Trout were rising everywhere and were
not particularly hard to approach. On close inspection of the water,
we found that they were rising to flying ants. Not only did our usual
ant patterns work, but these fish were hitting anything that floated
high on the water. Even
griffith gnats were taking fish. As the evening progressed, the ants
were gone and the fishing became more difficult. It was obvious that
the fish were taking emerging midge patterns. After catching several
more rainbows, we hooked a fish that just wouldn't come to the boat.
Following a good battle, a smally was brought to hand. Even the bass
were taking small flies on top. This is a great time of year for rising
fish. Join us for an evening of dry fly action. You won't be disappointed.
8-29-05
Every year at this time, we see a tremendous flying ant ‘hatch’. The fish go nuts for them. For the next week or so, watch for these mating terrestrials as the fish will forsake all other insects to take these ants. Often, you won’t see many in the air, but if they are on the water, even in small numbers, the fish will key in on them. There usually is more than one size and color present. Yesterday, there were size 18 cinnamon and size 22 black ants in the air. Sometimes you can fish larger imitations with some success, but nailing the size and color exactly will yield great results.
8-23-05
We fished the White River and, as expected, the temps have moderated a bit. Early in the day, the temps were in the low 60’s. By evening, they moved up to 72 degrees. The fishing was slow, and the fish are still mostly in the riffles. All the tribs we checked were running in the 60 degree range all day. The bugs observed on the water were size 20 BWOs, sulphers in sizes 18-20, and a variety of midges. Surface activity was sporadic at best, but nymphs and streamers worked well in the riffles. It’s still necessary to check temps with a thermometer, as temps are marginal and will vary.
8-23-05
The first half of August has seen unusually warm temperatures and very low flows in our rivers and streams. Despite that, we have had success in finding and catching fish in the cooler mountain streams and rivers. These flows are smaller and more intimate, so smaller rods and good stalking skills are the ticket. Although the greater percentage of fish caught are brook trout, brown and rainbows are frequently brought to the net. Most of these fish are being caught on surface presentations of terrestrials and attractor patterns.
The Battenkill is seeing strong trico hatches
in the mornings and the fish are rising in good numbers. Yesterday,
a couple of dozen fish were brought to hand, all on dry flies.
This action should happen for another couple of weeks.
We have recently received some rainstorms and
the temps have moderated. The temperature dropped to 50 degrees last
night, and the days are in the 70’s. Fishing is on the upswing
and we will be back on the larger rivers soon.