We are well into the dog days of summer and despite the August heat and lack of rain we’re still finding some fish. In terms of water levels. the New Haven River is at 44 CFS, Otter Creek in Middlebury at 350, and Rutland at 228, and Lewis Creek is at 34 CFS as of the time of writing. The forecast for the coming week shows generally lows around 60 degrees and highs in the upper 70s. There will be some scattered showers and thunderstorms in the evenings with potential for more significant rain later in the week. The most important condition to keep an eye on at this point in the year will be water temperatures. Remember, once temperatures get above 67 degrees, trout will not be able to survive the stress of being hooked, and handled, making catch and release impossible. If wishing to fish lower elevations, make sure to be fishing in the low light hours, particularly in the morning when water temps are lower. This also should correspond with the more active fish hours. During the middle of the days, the primary options will be to head up in elevation to the smaller brook trout streams and to target bass, pike, and the other warm water species on the still water, and lower reaches...
