MID JUNE REPORT

Vermont steelhead from May 

Well spring has come and gone and now we are on the brink of the summer dog days.  So far the air temps have really been comfortable, keeping the water cool and the trout have been happy about that.  I expect that to change as we head into the long hot days ahead.  The one thing we could use is some prolonged rainfall events.  This spring seemed to go from wet/runoff right to dry conditions.  Right now all area rivers are running well below average.  What does this mean?  Spooky trout and warmer water, for the most part.  Water temps have been fine due to unseasonably cold air but the water levels and clarity on local tributaries makes for some tough fishing on small water right now.  With such low water a couple days in the 80's is all it will take to spike water temps up fast.  The past couple of weeks I have been all about targeting larger water.
So, if your heading out on the water, keep water temps in mind and try to avoid the crystal clear low water that we have now because it gives trout the advantage.

For flies, right now we have brown drakes and some sulphers around, as well as some caddis.  As we head into mid/late June, expect to see some light chills and the Hex flies show up. After that, mayfly hatches kinda take a back seat for awhile (with the expection of a couple localized hatches).  Terrestrials and stoneflies are great producers in the summer month and definitely get more attention from myself and the fishes.  Good flies over the coming months would be para adams #12-16, elk hair caddis #14-18, PT nymph's #12-18, prince nymph's #12-14, Hex flies #6-8,  Stimulators #8-14, various streamers, and terrestrial patterns. Fly selection is very very basic around here and don't let anyone tell you different.  There are many flies that will work at any given time and the above list should handle most rivers and situations you will encounter in all of northern Vermont.

Well that's about it for conditions, lets hope for some wet wether.  Remember, if you know a young angler who would like to learn more about fly fishing we still have spots in our day camps available. You can check them out here
 https://vtfishcamp.com.   Also, if you have not registered for our fly fishing tournament on Lake Champlain, time is running out!!!  Come join the fun for a weekend of fish and lies on June 23rd-24th for the 8th annual Ditch Pickle Classic.  You can check it out and register here at fishthepickle.com