General Fishing Report September 10, 2023
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
Previous Reports
Its been awhile, but I thought I would jump in for a guest fishing report, OCC update and some overall thoughts for a successful early season on the water. It is without a doubt a very exciting time of the year. With the winter months all but behind us, we are looking into the slow but sure entry into warm weather and good fly fishing ahead. I have always felt that April was the most brutal month in VT.
General fishing report for March 29, 2019. Since we’ve last spoke we’ve lost some snow, gained a bunch in the mountains and started losing some again. The extended forecast looks to keep the melt going, but it doesn’t seem that we’ll have any huge runoff issues, not yet at least. For me personally, I have not been out recently, but perhaps this weekend. The Otter is a bit high and looks like it’s rising, but if you can find some slower water (but still moving) near some deeper winter holding areas that would be a good place to start.
After a Busy weekend of guiding and personal fishing, here’s what the guides have to report and what to look forward to. First off, just two more weeks left of the regular season! If that doesn’t get you motivated to get out and enjoy some fall fishing, then I’m not sure what will! Last weeks rain definitely had the fish in an eating mood, but it was hard to pin down any one fly that did the most work. Worms worked in the more off color water, as did nymphed and swung streamers, but as things cleared, more natural bugs like October caddis patterns and Pt’s did the work.
Greetings Anglers! I hope everyone is able to get out and enjoy this beautiful state that we live in! Despite the dry summer it seems that the trees don’t really care and are putting on quite the display for us. And we are getting rain, which makes the trees and us happy right? The recent spell of rain seems to have got the fish (trout) kicked into feeding mode, especially on the tribs. After a couple slow days on the Creek, I had a productive few hours on the Middlebury today, with nicely stained water and a ton of leaves to catch!
Hello Folks! Happy Fall! We did pick up some much needed rain this week, some areas more than others, but after a long, dry summer every bit helps. Locally the Otter seemed to have been the big winner, compliments of some significant downpours in the Rutland and northern Rutland County areas. Levels have seemed to plateau, and despite the big bump in levels, clarity is pretty good. Tribs did see a bit of a bump in levels, but are still low. Water temps have settled back as well.
Greetings Anglers! While we are still in low water mode, the outlook looks promising. Cooler temps and shots of rain all next week should help the fishing out there. We were out today with a four person guide trip and found some low 60’s on the lower New Haven and upper 60’s on the Creek. We found many species other than trout on the Otter, but fun none the less. In my experience, once the Otter water temp gets in the lower 60’s, the trout become more active. Until we get really colder temps, they are usually found still in the faster water.
Howdy folks! With some well deserved relief from the heat and much needed rain on the way, things couldn’t be looking better on the local fishing scene. Many Otter tribs started the day in the low 60’s, but are still low and clear. The Otter itself was still a touch over 70 early this morning in the Middlebury area, but I found some mid 60’s further south on the Otter. Some Iso’s, and a few caddis were around. Fish seemed to like the standard Iron Lotus, rainbow warriors, and frenchies. Pretty much what has been producing fish for people the last few weeks.
