May 1st Fishing Report
We’re just a few days away from the 16th Otter Creek Classic. There is still time to sign up and grab some support stickers. We have some awesome prizes to give away at the BBQ this Sunday. When I think back to previous OCC tournaments high and cold water seems to be a trend; baring a big rain event this year will be much different. Over this week depending on the river system temperatures have ranged from the mid 40’s to mid 50’s. The mayflies I’ve seen hatching seem to prefer the cloudy/overcast drizzly days. Bug activity seems to peak in the early afternoons.
While all of my fishing has still been sub surface I’ve heard of anglers having success on dry flies. Fish have started to move out from the depths and hold in protected seams next to fast water. The several guided trips we have taken out have all produced a mix of wild and stocked fish. With the low and clear water I’ve started to size down my fly options which have consisted mostly of mayfly nymphs. Some flies to have on hand consist of pheasant tails, thread frenchies, blow torches, and red darts. I would expect as the water continues to warm caddis should start making more regular appearances so think walt’s worms, peeping caddis, and GTI’s. As fish start to key in on hatching bugs more a good option is to fish a soft hackle or a CDC nymph on your dropper on a 2 fly rig. Letting your flies swing up at the end of your drift can bring some aggressive strikes.
This weekend is Vermont’s green up day. If you’re fishing the tournament you’ll get bonus points for collecting trash. If you find yourself elsewhere consider picking up trash as you fish. There’s no coincidence that trout need cold and clean water so please do your part to keep this state’s river clean. If you haven’t stopped in the shop recently we’re receiving summer clothing daily as well as hiking and camping gear.
Cheers,
Craig
Previous Reports
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.
Greetings out there anglers! As we turn the corner to September, we’ve got some very similar conditions out on the local rivers. Otter tributaries are low and clear, and although this morning was chilly, it looks like we have a bit more heat and humidity to deal with in the coming days. I was able to get out on the Middlebury River this morning and found a cool 62 degree water temperature in East Middlebury and was able to pick up a few fish from the faster pocket water in that stretch. Most fish came on size 14-16 frenchies.
Greetings out there anglers! Trout fishing continues to be mostly weather dependent, with cooler mornings and after rain events getting the most action. Who knows, we may have left the majority of the heat and humidity behind us with this last bout storms that rolled through. At least for this coming week, the nighttime lows are looking good, so it is a possibility that some more water could be fishable in the mornings. Please do take temperatures before you start fishing. It seems that most folks are still pickling up fish on nymphs, mostly in sizes 14-16 and of the mayfly variety.
