General Fishing Report for April 20, 2018.
Greetings! Now that we have another successful Otter Creek Classic in the books its time to get down to the serious business of early season fishing! First congrats to our OCCX winners, Josh White in the amateur division and GMA's very own Devin Wendel in the pro division. Conditions were not ideal for opening weekend, but 36 fish were caught, most on the longer and slightly warmer first day. What surprised me was that not all fish caught were associated with early season water. I heard of several fish getting landed in pushy runs, some on swung streamers too. I was able to get out this morning for my first official day of the regular trout season (the ten minutes Saturday and Sunday without waders doesn't count as official!) and despite the 38 degree water, I was able to put five quality fish into the net on the lower New Haven. Most fish took my favorite stonefly, the girdle bug, but two took a nymphed white wooly bugger. The fish were associated with the current, but definitely to the soft side. Some of the really slow runs did not produce. Having my pair of nymphs near the bottom and bouncing bottom occasionally was the ticket. The majority of the fish are still on the soft side of the current and until the water warms to the 50's, this is where you should be concentrating your efforts. Same with fly selection: stones, worms, mops and larger pt's and hares ears. Keep some smaller more naturals on hand with clearer water. Look for the trout activity to improve next week with some warmer temps and rain near the end of the week.
It's a great time to be out-- no lawns to mow yet and in my opinion the best time of the year to land some big fish. I've had the best luck with the bigger fish when the water is stained this time of year.
Email me with questions dave@mmvt.com and I hope to see you out on the water!!
Cheers,
Dave