General Fishing Report March 5, 2021

Hey all, I hope that everyone is having a safe and wonderful winter season.  It's been nice to have all this snow for the snow lovers in us and plenty of ice on the lakes for the hard-water anglers.  Stream fishing looks to pick up in the coming weeks with more sunlight and some warmer temps.  A couple of housekeeping notes first off:

The VT fish and wildlife is again holding public hearings on the proposed Fish Management Rules, taking place online on Monday March 29 and Tuesday March 30.  Check the F &W website for more details on joining these meetings.  They still seem to be proposing opening most waters to year round fishing but have also modified the number of trout that can be kept in streams to 8 which can be any combination of Brook, Brown and Rainbow Trout.  An annotated copy of the rule changes are also available on the F & W website.

Also the OCC 13 is happening again (mostly Virtual-- except for the actual fishing!), opening weekend April 9-11.  Again, registration, rules, etc available at www.mmvt.com.  This year we are donating proceeds to the White RIver Partnership, a non-profit based in Royalton, VT.  We have also included the White RIver watershed as fishable water in this years tournament.   For those fishing in the OCC, keeps your eyes open for an online raffle coming up!!

As we start thinking ahead to more fishing, here are some tips for springtime fishing from the guides at Green Mountain Adventures.  Fly selection should be pretty simple this time of year.  Lots of us like trashy/junk flies: worms, mops, streamers (stripped or jigged), eggs and bigger meals like stones and similar.  Either do a double rig with those or pair it with something more natural and you'll have a killer combo.  It is also a good idea to look at how you are rigging your flies during the spring, with more than likely sluggish fish.  Many of us tight line, and typically we put the anchor or heavier fly on the point.  However, if you put that anchor fly on your dropper tag and another fly on the point, the anchor fly will bring both flies just a touch deeper than if you had rigged with the anchor on the point.  Similar if you indicator fish; rig the same if you use droppers, or tie a lighter fly off the bend or eye of the heavier fly.  Also if you are having trouble getting good drifts with a two fly rig, consider just drifting one through some spots a few times.  Especially if the flies are big and bulky, they can drag each other during the drift.  It's a good idea to use this one-fly method in tricker currents to avoid one fly causing drag on another.  

Keep in mind too that our streams will likely have more than one fish in some prime winter holding water.  Typically where there is some depth/cover and a current break.  The trout do still need stream flow to bring food items to them and depth is relative to what the streams average depth in a given area might be.  

I and the other guides are looking forward to getting on the water more in the coming weeks, so look for more frequent reports.  Feel free to send any questions along dave@mmvt.com. With the change in seasons, Steve will be getting the shop geared back up with more fishing gear.  Stay safe out there and we'll see you on the water!

Dave