General Fishing Report September 10, 2023

Hello out there fishing friends.  Conditions on local rivers for trout remain variable, but decently solid!  On any given day, you can be faced with a blown out river, or drive a few miles in another direction and gin-clear flows.  Being up for anything seems to be the name of the game this summer and early Fall. Some of our Otter tribs have fared well this summer, while others seem to be shifting around with every high water event.  I have noticed that the Middlebury in particular, especially in the mid-reaches around East Middlebury has had significant changes and things are still shifting around.  Seems like the fishing in this stretch right now is hit or miss, possibly depending on water flow. Other tribs to the north and south, while getting their share of water, seem to be handling it a bit better.  A couple positives from all this rain though:  cooler water temps throughout the summer and lots of healthy (well fed) fish.  

Techniques that are working are as varied as the river conditions, so be prepared!  Nymphing gets the job done most days, but dry/dropper approaches or streamer games are working really great right now too.  One thing I have noticed guiding and fishing over the past couple weeks is that there are areas that will hold multiple fish, whether due to a safe haven during high water or whatever, but fish that area again if you have some luck, and take note of what that area had to offer in terms of structure and find that type of water to locate more fish.

Fly selection is somewhat typical for this time of year and conditions. Lots of stonefly shucks on the rocks in certain rivers, small minnow type ‘nymphs’ are working well, as are attractors with some flash or brighter beads. Recently I’ve seem some smaller caddis and mayfly types hatching , and as we head further into the fall, more small Blue Winged Olives (BWO) should be coming off, especially on cloudy/rainy days. And of course, with the frequent increased water flows, streamers have been producing fish.  Nothing in particular, but streamers in the 3-4” range in olive, white and black are go to patterns.  I’ve had luck during guide trips and personal fishing on small minnow type nymphs, girdle bugs, Rainbow Warriors, Royal Stimulators, small BWO nymph patterns, Iron Lotus, Front End Loader Caddis and Hares ear variations, with either a bright tag, or bead.  Keys are to try stuff and not be afraid to change it up.  

We’ve got a bunch of trips upcoming and if you’d like to get out with one of our guides, give the shop a call to check on availability.  Be careful wading out there, as things are still unsettled in some areas and be open minded to flies and techniques on any given day.  Still a stout fly selection at the shop, along with waders and warmer layers as we head into the fall. Good luck out there, check the river gauges this week, as the rivers could spike with projected rainfall, but looks like cooler daytime temps are on the horizon.  

Cheers,

Dave