General Fishing Report October 18, 2022

Fall trout fishing continues to remain solid, with most Otter Tribs fishing well top to bottom.  The Otter had a good bump in water, but is on its way down nicely and should be in good shape by this coming weekend.  The big take away from recent outings, is that the browns are starting to stage up and spawn.  Min has noticed several fish staged up already.  So please, watch where you step, and if you don't know what a redd looks like or where in the streams they might be located, do some research.  It's also a great idea to know likely spawning habitat if you plan on fishing these streams this winter,  as the eggs will still be on the stream bottom until spring.  Otherwise, targeting the non-spawning fish has produced some good outings for us and our clients.  Flies that have gotten some love recently include Caddis pupas, stonefly nymphs, jig streamers, squirmy worms and some small BWO nymph patterns.  The stones and worms have produced more when the water has been up and off color.  Predominate bugs right now are some small 14-18 tan caddis and small Blue Winged Olive mayflies in 16-20.  Look for both to get active on sunny days when the air temp warms up and for the BWO's they really like the cloudy days.  I've had recent reports of Brookies rising  and with some warmer air temps towards the end of the week, there might be a few more looking up.  Reminder here also that Brookies are fall spawners as well.  So really, just watch your step and leave the fish alone to do their reproductive thing.  

With some warmer recent temps, fish seem too be found in all water types, but that will change a bit this week,  as daytime temps are lower.  Think of softer edges with some fish transitioning to deeper holes as well.  And deeper is just a relative term depending on the average depth of surrounding water.  Surprisingly, the only flies that haven't been producing for us that well as of late have been the stripped streamer.  Not sure why, but could have been the day.  There is a ton of natural baitfish in the water right now too.  Don't forget about that forage when matching the hatch (hint: Jig Streamer on a nymph rig). 

Lots of good opportunities right now, which thanks to the new regulations, will continue with catch and release season after October 31.  It's hard to predict how this later season will shape up, as in recent memory we've only had the Otter and a few other streams around the state to fish after the 31st.  I will try and keep sending out some reports as conditions warrant.  Also, as Steve transitions seasons, some of the fishing gear will be moved out for winter gear, but if you are looking for something specific, he can easily locate it in the guide/ski storage area next door.  Feel free to drop a line dave@mmvt.com.  Have a great rest of fall and hope to see some of you on the water.  

Cheers,

Dave