General Fishing Report for June 2, 2023

Sorry for the lack of fishing reports recently, I hope that you all have been getting out and enjoying the local waterways.  Despite the interesting spring, with seemingly less rain fall, but cooler overall temps, the fishing has been great. This week has changed things some with the heat, but next week looks great as well.  Clouds and rain, should at the very least give the fish a chance to avoid the sun!  Hatches have been strong on our local trout water, with mostly caddis and some larger mayflies (March Browns).  I know a few days ago, the spinners were heavy and although they were not dropping eggs yet, the fish were keyed in.  Nymphs with slender profiles and the right size and color to match the naturals produced for me.  Look for those bigger mayflies to start trickling off, leaving plenty of caddis, and in our more oxygenated stretches, yellow and green sally stoneflies.  I have seen a few of the larger stonefly shucks, but they should be on the move now.  Techniques are all over the map now too.  Nymphing tends to pay the bills and can get you into those deeper spots, but dry fly and dry/dropper action is on and should stay that way for the rest of the summer.  I have not been fishing much with  streamers, as I tend to use the stripped fly when water conditions dictate that larger more predatory trout are on the move; think stained water after some rain, or low light conditions. 

Moving forward, it seems like most area trout rivers have received their stocking, so look for a mix of wild and stocked fish showing up.  Clouds, rain and cooler weather should improve the trout fishing next week. Also, as this week has shown us, it is time to start checking water temperatures before fishing.  We typically look for water cooler than 68-70 for catch and release trout fishing.  Generally mornings are the best and further up in the watershed tends to be cooler.  Many of our Brook Trout streams are options all summer long. I had a chance to kill some time in Bristol earlier this week, and with the water temps creeping into the high 60’s, I found myself perched on a great viewing rock above a run.  Looking around, I saw maybe 5-6 fish of various sizes doing their thing.  It was quite educational, as I saw fish facing different directions in the pool, all either facing into the current, or hiding under structure with the current flowing in front of them.  

As far as flies go, have some dirty water nymphs and streamers around, should water levels fluctuate with any upcoming rain.  Typically, mayfly nymphs and caddis nymphs/pupas will be on the menu until we get into the middle of summer.  Just size your imitation to the naturals.  Thread Frenchies, iron lotus and other slim bodied mayfly imitations are great, caddis pupa and sexy Walt’s worms are great as well.  I like good floating dries for my dry/dropper and brook trout fishing.  Corn-Fed caddis, front end Loaders and Stimulators cant be beat.  Take the time to dry them out every now and then, or carry a few to keep swapping out.  I also look for dries that I can see on the water.  This doesn’t have to be a big wing, but sometimes just a small splash of color to pick it up in the drift. If the water stays more clear than stained, also consider lengthening your leader set-up, downsizing your fly selection, using flies with less flash (including bead colors) or working in stealth mode.  Sometimes it takes all four plus some to tilt the table in your favor.  

The shop is well stocked with all the essentials and Steve usually has more up to the minute conditions to report.  We’ve got a bunch of trips headed out over the next week, so we will have some good intel.  Fishing reports should become a more frequent thing, but feel free to check with Steve at the shop or drop me a line dave@mmvt.com with any thoughts or questions.  Good luck on the water.

Cheers,

Dave