A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Upper Lamoille - 4/23/13

What a beauty of a day we've got here in the northern tier!  Rivers have cleared up nicely and the sun is out in full force.  The shop is coming alive a bit as more and more anglers are getting out and waving off the dust.  We're finally getting word of steelhead being caught in the "Magog" tribs.  Mike went up to the Willoughby this am and tangled with a few steelies himself, all of which were hooked on sucker spawn imitations.  Sucker spawn patterns are some of the easiest ties and some of the most productive patterns for catching steelhead wherever they swim.  Also, for about $7 in materials, you can tie enough of these patterns to last a milenium!  Swing by sometime and we'll show you the magic ;-)  As for rigging, you'll see all types during VT's steelhead season.  We've settled on rigging the same way we rig to fish for steelies in the Great Lakes tribs...

Sucker Spawn imitations

Start with a 7-8' tapered leader or, as we prefer, a straight 7' piece of 8-12# flourocarbon like Seaguar InvisX for your leader.  Run this leader to a small (as small as you can find) barrel swivel and tie off with a clinch knot.        To the other end of your swivel, attach 2-3' of either mono or flouro tippet material.  Mono will work just fine and I like Maxima Ultragreen in 4-6# test.  When you tie your tippet to the swivel, leave a tag end that is about 3-4"long.    Attach your splitshot to this tag end.  Hint - You can tie a small square knot in the end of the tag end to prevent shot from easily slipping off when snagged on bottom.  Now just add your fly and a strike indicator like a "Thingamabobber" and fish the rig as you would normally fish a nymph under an indicator.  Remember, no lead shot!!