Don't Spread Didymo !

May 4th, 2008

CLICK FOR CURRENT VERMONT STREAM FLOWS

CLICK FOR LIVE INTELLICAST WEATHER RADAR LOOP

Kind of miserable weather we’re having right now. No wonder so many people get the flu this time of year. Some 70/80 degree weather for awhile and BAM, right back down into the 40’s/50’s with spotty showers here and there. Today’s rain showers will be taking a break mid-day and then likely returning this afternoon for one last fly over. Tomorrow and Tuesday will be sunny and in the lower 60’s and then we may have spotty showers again on Wednesday afternoon with temps still in the 60’s.
The recent rain showers have had little to no impact on stream flows, so with the return of some more favorable air/water temps, the bite will start to increase. The F&W Dept. has begun stocking and will likely continue to do so while flows allow.
Many of our customers have been reporting tough fishing on the tribs, which isn’t too surprising considering the amount of snow still left up in the higher elevation mountains….that’s some cold water comin’ down.
Steelhead are still pushing up the Magog tribs accompanied by PLENTY of suckers. Anglers putting in the time are usually able to weed through the crowd and eventually hook up with a steelie. Sucker spawn patterns have been the ticket. Stop by and grab some on your way up.
The reports of pre-spawn smallie fishing on the Champlain tribs have been outstanding! Lots of big bass being landed…..just don’t harass the fish on their beds and definitely don’t keep any of ‘em. The lake needs those fish.
Steelhead fishing in the Great Lakes will begin slowing down as many fish are dropping back to the lake, but there’s still some time left, so swing by in you’re going out there and we’ll set you up with the right tackle and techniques. I gave Dave off through Wednesday so he could go out to Pulaski, so we’ll have the report in a few days.
Sorry the newsletter is a bit late, but I’ll get it out shortly. Sign up for it if you haven’t already done so.

ATTENTION
We will be hosting a 2 Day Beginners Fly Fishing School on….
May 16 & 17 (2 spots left)
&
May 31 – June 1 (2 spots left)
*Check out our “Clinics & Classes” page for more info on the school. This is the best way to learn the sport of fly fishing in a relaxed environment with friendly instructors
*Call 802-644-2214 or 800-495-4271 for info



April 25th, 2008
Some outstanding weather we’ve been having here in Northern Vermont. It’s a bit scary to have 80 degree temps in April, but quite a treat to kiss “old man winter” goodbye….for a few months anyway :)
It looks like we’re in for a showery week, with a chance of rain just about every day and temps getting back down into the 50’s.
The Lamoille as of today has come down to about 1600cfs and is still dropping. It is fishable at this flow, but likely not your best bet for some action.
Between our small crew here at the shop, we’ve landed some real beauties thus far this season. Some big browns, lakers and steelhead have come to hand on both fly and conventional gear.
We witnessed F&W doing some electro-shocking on the Willoughby River last week……nothing to write home about. In about 10 minutes we only saw about 5 or 6 fish netted and nothing was bigger than about 20-22”. Although, just yesterday Dave went up and they were shocking the river again. This time they had a biggin’ in the bucket….just shy of 7 pounds. There ARE some big fish running that gauntlet.
Pike fishing last week was a little slow on Arrowhead Lake. Dave and I managed couple’a small ones and had some exciting follows, but no signs of big fish other than baitfish frenzy here and there. The water was almost 56 in the back bays, so the big females may have been in full-on spawn mode and completely un-interested in our flies. We’ll let them do their thing and go back at it after they’re done spawning.
We’ll see what this week does, but conditions should continue to improve daily unless we get slammed with rain.

We will be hosting a 2 Day Beginners Fly Fishing School on….
May 16 & 17 (2 spots left)
&
May 31 – June 1 (2 spots left)
*Check out our “Clinics & Classes” page for more info on the school. This is the best way to learn the sport of fly fishing in a relaxed environment with friendly instructors
*Call 802-644-2214 or 800-495-4271 for info


April 20th, 2008
Crazy summerlike weather has been hanging around and will continue to do so for a while. This weather is enjoyable but I do not like seeing this dry pattern. We want temps to rise up slowly, not spike like this. Anyway, the very warm weather has the rivers high right now with the Lamoille full to its banks but, there are still plenty of options for fishing right now. In fact, this week has given up more large fish than any opener in a while. A couple of 20 in. brown trout, some steelhead, some pike, and even 7lb. lake trout (from shore w/ hardware) have all been caught this week. All fish were caught on baitfish imitations, streamers, and eggs.
For what it's worth, early dark stoneflies have been pretty thick in the p.m. on the Lamoille this week. Otherwise, we have not yet seen to much in the way of bugs.

April 14th, 2008
Water levels are receeding and some smaller rivers are looking better day by day. The Lamoille is flowing at 2100cfs. which looks low compared to two days ago when the flow was almost 7000cfs. Nevertheless, there are opportunitites out there as our buddy Dave proves with a very nice early season brown. Conditions will continue to improve daily this week with high pressure and pleasent temps present into the weekend.

April 12th, 2008
Hey Folks!...Happy Opening Day!
Unfortunately, it's not lookin' like there will be much, if any decent fishing opportunities. The Lamoille in Johnson is flowing at about 3300-3500cfs and it will likely fluctuate from high to intensely high flows at least over the next couple'a days.
A stationary front producing a mixed bag of rain, snow and even partially sunny skies will hover over VT today and only add to the mess. We've gotten just over a half-inch of rain thus far.
I would avoid larger moving water all together for a bit and focus on some stillwater as soon as it thaws, which may in some places be before the rivers are fishable.

Look for the April issue of our "Fly Times" newsletter in your inbox soon!
If you haven't signed up for the newsletter, just click the "Join our Mailing List" link on the left side of this page.



March 13th, 2008
Alright winter...enough is enough...I'm ready to fish!
Attended a F&W public board hearing last eve in Waterbury. The hearing was in regards to some new regulations for Muskie, Walleye, and Trout. There was little to no interest in the Walleye/Muski reg changes. However, a show of hands revealed that all of the 35 or so attendees were there in full support of a new trout regulation that will close certain Winooski River spawning tributaries until May 31st of each season.
The F&W board may vote to close the lower sections of the following tribs for the spring spawn...
- Joiner Brook, Bolton - From the confluence of the Winooski River
upstream approximately 1900 feet to the first falls.
- Pinneo Brook, Bolton – From the confluence of the Winooski River
upstream approximately 100 feet to the railroad crossing.
- Preston Brook, Bolton - From the confluence of the Winooski River
upstream approximately 2600 feet to the first falls.
- Ridley Brook, Duxbury – From the confluence of the Winooski
River upstream approximately 1700 feet to the first falls.
If this vote passes with F&W, the new rule will go into effect for the 2009 trout season.

On another note, be sure to sign up for the Lamoille River Anglers Association 2008 Poker Tournament Fundraiser...
Poker Tournament Info


Hey Folks.
We're back to work after a nice month off and our Great Lakes trip this year was off the hook!

CLICK HERE for some photos from our trip
Don't miss the crazy deals we've got going on for the holidays! If you haven't seen the sale list, drop us a line at info@gmtrout.com and we'll shoot one over to you.


Oct 29th, 2007
We're just about to wrap up another VT trout season and it was another great season in the store and on the water! Thanks to all our customers for your support!!
We will be going on our annual Great Lakes trip in mid-November and will be closing the shop from November 1st - November 25th. We will re-open on the 28th.
Although the store will be closed, we'll still be checking email and phone messages so, if you need anything, don't hesitate to drop us a line.
Best Fishes -------------------------<")))))))))><


Oct 27th, 2007
Lots of rain has fallen today and rivers that looked like they might come down this a.m. are now blown out.


Oct 24th, 2007
It was quite the soaker we had all day yesterday, delivering just shy of 1.5" of rain to the area. The Lamoille is currently a rockin' muddy river and will take at least a couple'a days to come down to fishable levels. Tribs are also currently out of the question unless your white water rafting.
Not much left to the season now. We'll be closing from November 1st - 25th for a brief break, so get in here now to stock up for your November fishing excursions!
Also, if you need flies tied for your Great Lakes outings, let us know. We'll tie you flies that catch fish at a nice price.

Oct 21st, 2007
The Lamoille and Winooski are both stuffed full of water right now. The Lamoille has some visibilty in spots. Warm/dry weather will continue till about mid-week. Streamers and nymphs will be the name of the game this week. With the warm weather we are still seeing active terrestrials so a sunken ant is also a good fly to try.

Oct 19th, 2007
Certainly feels like indian summer with temps in the mid-70's forecast for today. Here's an interesting tidbit...
Back in 1947, VT experienced a record Fall heat wave with 4 consecutive days above the 80 degree mark in October. Interestingly enough, that following winter turned out to be the coldest of the entire following decade. Get that firewood cut and stacked!....but after you get back from fishing <")))))))><
Some heavy rains are forecasted for later today and tonight and this system could bring up to an inch of rain with it. Fishing conditions today should be outstanding. The warm weather will have the fish charged up a bit and ready to take your fly so get out there and fish!
We've also had a large influx of beetles over the past day or so, so be sure to have some beetle patterns in your box. Otherwise, bwo's and caddis are on the menu.

p.s. - sorry for the temporary outage of the website. We had to renew our domain :)


Oct 13th, 2007
Rivers looks great right now and this weeks fishing looks great as well. Dry cool weather is expected until at least mid-week. Much better than yesterday where it felt like it was December. 42 degrees and rainy/windy makes it hard to tie knots. Even in the cold weather the wild rainbows were agreable eating princes and buggers. Only 2 1/2 weeks left of trout season, so it is cruch time.


Oct 8th, 2007
Another inch of rain fell here in Jeff last night. The rivers are now pretty full and will stay high depending on how much rain is still to come. More rain is forecasted but, it is supposed to be on the light side.
Last night the Lamoille was still clear but, rather slow for me. Fished for about an hour without seeing one fish rise. I only managed 1 wild brown. Bugs were most numerous at dusk but nothing coming off in large numbers, where I was anyway.



Oct 7, 2007
We got over a 1/2 in. of rain yesterday. The rivers look nice and refreshed but the Winooski looked dirty in Montplier.
This week ahead looks like BWO weather all week. #18-24 comparaduns and para-adams work well. Also try olive or gray CDC patterens since most BWO action is on flat water. Also, now with the higher flows, streamers will be a good fly of choice.



September 28th, 2007
Our rain gauge here at the shop is showing about 3/4" so far for total rainfall. The Lamoille has spiked up to about 280cfs as of 8:15 this morning, but didn't look overly dirty from what I could see. Those warmer nights we recently had pushed the Lamoille dangerously close to the 70 degree mark, and likely over 70 in some spots, but thanks to the rains, the river is nice and freshened up. We're in for some excellent fishing this week!
Hatches have been heaviest at dusk with lots of caddis of different sizes and colors, some iso's and plently of bwo's bringing fish up to the surface.
It's a great time of year to be out on the water!



September 24th, 2007
Fall is officially here. Certain things have come to mean fall fishing in V.T. for me. Corn stalks in the river, tiny little BWO's, and swinging nymphs and picking up leaves (and setting the hook) are some of these things. 80+ degree days are not one of those things. The Gihon was a balmy 68 degrees this weekend. Everything points towards Fall but something just doesn't feel right. Like last year when we fished for trout on the last day in Nov. in short sleves. It just feels out of wack. A couple more unseasonably warm days before we get some cooler rainy weather later this week. Tues and Wed. of this week will have the potential for record high temps.
This week we saw the usual suspects. Iso's, Yellow Quills, Flying ants, Caddis and Bwo's. We caught fish on princes, ants, caddis pupas, and stimulators. Talked to one angler who was fishing for bass and said that dragonfly nymphs were the ticket.
As low as our water is, it's nothing compared to western N.Y. where Lake O tribs are at crazy low levels with some smaller tribs dry down to the creek beds. They have a severe drought going on and without major water events, levels are predicted to stay low throughout the fall.



September 22nd, 2007
Despite the lack of rain pretty much everywhere and the low flows, fishing has been great! The temporary return of summer like weather has caused insect activity to really pick and we've had some great dry fly action on both the small streams and larger rivers. On yesterday's outing we saw good numbers of Isonychias, yellow quills, and flying ants. I had a larger female flying ant land in my shirt yesterday, and she had a number of very small males all over her.
Fish rising everywhere...


September 14th, 2007
Current fishing conditions really couldn't be much better. Water temps have the fish very comfortable and willing to eat. The small stream I was on last eve. was fishing great and I had some really nice wild rainbows and a wild brown come to hand. A royal stimulator was the trick with a prince dropper cast right into the plunge. Tons of fun on the 6'6" 3 weight!
Just got back from a short trip to Cape Cod and MAN was it sick!!! I had negotiated for 2 mornings away from the family to do some fishing. I only had to break away from the fam once, snince we had busting bait, stripers and bluefish right in the surf of the beach we were loungin' on. All the bass I saw off our beach were schoolie size and I landed one of about 4-5 pounds and lost several others. Sight fishing for stripers is absolutely awesome!
We got hammered by rains one day, but the tides were just right for fishing from the beach. I went out to the mouth of the Bass River in Yarmouth and got completely soaked by monsoon type rains. I almost left 2 or 3 times, and I hadn't even casted yet. Finally the rains subsided, and I started'a'castin'. Not much doin for awhile and then BAM. Like a freight train, this fish hit my fly and pulled most of my intermediate line off the spool in 3 or 4 seconds. A 5 or so minute fight on the 9 weight revealed a beautiful striped bass of about 28-30" that I will never forget. The very next cast I had a huge strike again that shook it's head twice and took my clouser. Felt like a good one, but I'll never know.
A great trip to the Cape with no crowds and plenty of fish. I'm already thinkin' of going back later in the month. That's the "problem" this time of year....the fishing's getting really good just about everywhere!



Sept, 12th, 2007
We got some more rain last night and the rivers look great. All signs point to great conditons this week so get out while the getting is good. Expect to see BWO's on these cooler/overcast days. With the extra water, streamers are also a good option.


Sept, 7th, 2007
Low low low. The rivers are very clear and we could some rain, which might come this weekend. Flying ants and tricos were on the water this morn. Fish crusing flat water were eating very consistantly but not holding, just crusing the pools. Very spooky fish. Targeting moving water, wherever you can find it, will get you into less spooky fish. Up top, ant patterns were working and for nymphing, we used wet ants as well. The wet ant was the ticket.


Sept, 4th, 2007
The rivers are very low right now. Crazy weather this week will start very cool and by Fri. we are looking at temps in the mid-80's. With the Lamoille flowing under 100cfs., it will run warm despite the shorter days.
Fishing/water temps have been good and most fish we have caught have been on princes, stimulators, ants, and para-admas. Mostly, we have seen Iso's on the water and there have been lots of shucks in the eddies. Don't be shy to throw a size 10 dry to imitate these mayflies, they really are big. Also look for Bwo's, White Flies, Yellow quills, and caddis.
Good flies this week would be adams/para-adams #10-12, princes #12, Stimulators #8-14, White wulff #12, Yellow comparadun #14-16, Bwo Comparadun #18-22, and Ants/Beatles/Hoppers



August 28th, 2007
After tomorrow, some cooler weather will be moving back into the area with highs around 70 and night time lows in the 40's/50's. This will bring water temps down on the big rivers and offer some great fishing conditions.
The Lamoille has receeded from it's recent muddy flows and should shape up nicely for the return of the cooler weather. Be sure to still keep stream thermometers handy and check temps before fishing. The Upper Lamoille is currently 70 degrees and will likely climb up a bit more by days end.
It's hard to believe that Sept. is right around the corner, as is Landlocked Salmon season.


August 27th, 2007
The Lamoille Valley got a good dose of rain last night and the Lamoille is flowing brown. The smaller tribs are clear and the larger tribs are stained. The Winooski drainage was less effected and the mainstem is flowing low and clear.


August 25th, 2007
A MASSIVE flying ant hatch last evening had just about every fish in the Lamoille looking up! Unfortunately, the water temps were likely over 70 by the time the hatch was in full swing, but I watched from a bridge over the Lamoille as trout gobbled up flying ants over and over again. I saw some pretty large trout roll on the surface and had flying ants in my hair, flying into my pockets and swarming everywhere!
Get the stream thermometers out and be sure to check temps before you fish.
Air temps should be cooling down a bit as of tomorrow.



August 23rd, 2007
The Lamoille started off the day yesterday at 60 degrees and only topped out in the mid 60's by days end. We'll likely see river temps rise above 70 in the afternoon/evening hours this upcoming week since air temps are forecasted to climb into the 80's again.
I had a great night on the Lamoille last night catching rainbows from 10-15" on mostly prince nymphs. There was some real heavy surface feeding at about 7:45p.m. with a thick caddis and stonefly hatch coming off the water. Not many wild fish in the piece of water I was fishing, but the hatchery fish were certainly gorging themselves on the plethora of insects floating by.
Everything is fishing great right now, so get out there!


August 19th, 2007
We have had some very cool weather the past couple of days which has been a blessing for the fishing. Expect more seasonal temps and some rain for later in the week. The Winooski is low and cool and the Lamoille is just clearing up from the large storms we had. I would say the next couple days should be great conditions.
This week we had some action packed fishing and throwing a stimulator/prince combo was the ticket. I hadn't seen much for hatches this week but, I fished mostly tribs. Reports of Iso hatches have started and so did the flying ants. I saw ants twice in Stowe last week but when the heat stopped, so did they. Expect them to return on the next hot/sunny day. Trico reports have been rather inconsistent. Some folks have reported large swarms and heavy surface feeding while the next day, nada.
On the water look for Tricos #22-28, Isonychia #10-12, Flying Ants #16-22, stoneflies #6-10, BWO's 18-22 and Hopper/beatles.


August 17th, 2007
That storm last eve was certainly no joke! 70mph winds, quarter sized hail, downed trees everywhere and a real mucky looking Lamoille River. I don't think that any tornados touched down, but they were forecasted and it definately looked like Kansas out here.

Read the Burlington Free Press Article
The Lamoille has spiked up to approx. 950cfs and looks muddy from, at least Hyde Park down to Jeffersonville. The East Georgia USGS gauge reads only 546cfs but, east of that, I believe that the strom tracked right up the Lamoille Valley, likely mucking up most of the upper reaches as well. The tribs that I saw looked alright, but some may have gotten hit harder than others.
Rest assured....there's good weather ahead!


August 15th, 2007
Some spotty showers and t-storms are currently moving through the area and are expected to appear off and on today and tomorrow before giving way to a clear & cool weekend.
I walked down behind my house last night to take a Lamoille temp at about 7:30p.m......74/75 degrees!!!!Ouch!!!! Thankfully we have some rain and cooler weather in the forecast to help bring those temps down. Flowing at onle about 150cfs, it's tough for the Lamoille to combat even mildly warm weather.
Tribs have been fishing just fine with terrestrial patterns producing nicely on top, as well as stimulators. Lots of BIG stonefly shuks around.
We should be looking at a great week for fishing!


August 10th, 2007
We're getting spared from some pretty serious storms that are currently moving through the southern portion of the state and most of the rest of New England for that matter. It's currently beautiful outside with a nice breeze.
The Lamoille was 68 at 9a.m. today in Jeffersonville and looking really nice. We still should see some fairly warm weather this week, but the nights will be our saving grace with air temps ranging from the mid 40's to upper 50's. Bigger rivers will definately be fishable in the a.m. hours and tribs continue to maintain desirable fishing conditions.
Our first order of Korkers just arrived and are ready to go for just $119 (including 3 soles!!!!!) These boots feature interchangable soles made of felt, rubber lug, and most importantly non-absorbant AQUASTEALTH. Compared to Simms L2 Aquastealth at $139.95 and the LLBean River Treads at $109 (Both featuring only 1 permanent sole), our Korkers are the best deal around. Throw in FREE SHIPPING on top of that and your ready to hit the water with the finest in wading boot technology!


August 8th, 2007
Cloudy and humid is what we're currently lookin' at here in Northern VT. Some showers are expected to pass through the area tonight, which could bring 1-2" of rain to the area. The Lamoille is flowing in the mid 300's currently, but still looking pretty dirty and will certainly blow out if we get a good bit of rain. Tribs are looking and fishing just fine, so we'll check back on them after any showers pass through. Mike spotted an abundance of flying ants last evening in the town of Stowe, so make sure your box has plenty of ant patterns for this hatch which can produce some outstanding fishing!
Our first order of Korkers just arrived and are ready to go for just $119 (including 3 soles!!!!!) These boots feature interchangable soles made of felt, rubber lug, and most importantly non-absorbant AQUASTEALTH. Compared to Simms L2 Aquastealth at $139.95 and the LLBean River Treads at $109 (Both featuring only 1 permanent sole), our Korkers are the best deal around. Throw in FREE SHIPPING on top of that and your ready to hit the water with the finest in wading boot technology!


August 6th, 2007
About 1/4 in. of rain fell on our area this morning, which will fill the rivers a bit. Except for Tuesday, air temps should be cooler this week than last week. Many flies would work now but stimulators, ants, and princes are some good picks. Haven't seen to much hatching but, there are a bunch of stonefly shucks around.


July 31ST, 2007
The Lamoille is flowing clear and was 68 degrees @ 8:00a.m. Hot days in store this week before a shot at rain on Friday. Thursday is expected to push 90 degrees. So a.m. fishing on tribs would be best for the fish and fisherman. I have heard only good reports on local bass fishing in both rivers and ponds so, now is the time. Hex's and some drakes continue to come off some lakes although surface water is warm, Lake caspian was 74 @ 10:00p.m.
Ants, Hoppers, Beatles, Stimulators, Princes, Cahills, Yellow stones, have all been working.

July 29th, 2007
We got some rain yesterday which brought the Lamoille up over 400cfs. Just in time for this upcoming week which looks hot and dry. The Lamoille this a.m. at 7:30 was 64 degrees upstream. A big improvement from earlier this week when some Lamoille tribs hit the upper 70's. Even some smaller mountain streams hit the mid 60's by mid-day. So this week trout fishing should take place in the a.m. whenever possible. Otherwise, stick to smaller tribs and bass fishin'. Still some Hex's popping off as well.
With the hot, dry weather ants, hoppers, and beatles are the go-to bugs. Cahills and stimulators continue to produce as well. Potomanthus (golden drakes) have been steady on larger streams but evening temps will be too warm for targeting them. Also look for trico's on select tribs.


July 26th, 2007
Sorry for the delayed report folks! Mike and I were both out of the shop for the past few days.
Hot days in the upper 80's and low 90's have been around for the past couple'a days and the night air temps have also been pretty uncomfortable for the fish and the sleeping fishermen as well. Looks like a front will come thru this weekend with the possibility of some precipitation. The Lamoille is currently at 265cfs and will continue to drop in flow and rise in temperature as long as this hot, dry weather sticks around, so let's hope for some cool rain! Tribs are looking low and spooky clear, so approach slowly so as not to push the fish away before you even get a cast off.
I'd seen good numbers of Golden Drakes (Potamanthis) on my window screens during the last round of cooler weather that we had. This morning, when I stopped in Johnson for gas, there was a big beautiful dun on the gas pump. They're hard to miss with their large yellow/golden bodies, so keep an eye out.
Although the bigger water is heating up, there's still plenty of good fishing to be had. Whether it be small streams, bass water, stillwater, or whatever, there's always some place to find great fishing experiences in VT!


July 19th, 2007
Scattered showers, expected to be heavy at times, have moved into Vermont this afternoon from the west. Before the latest spat of rains, the Lamoille had high flows, yet decent clarity and was fishing good with a temp of 62 at 6:30 this morning. Tribs are still looking good despite the rain and should maintain decent flows and clarity as we approach the weekend. Tributary trout have been responding well to stimulators, prince nymphs, stone flies, hornbergs, and wulff patterns. We didn't see too much insect activity on the waters we've been on, but reports of micro caddis, small stones and paraleps(Blue Quills) have come in. To imitate the Paraleps, swinging tiny PT nymphs are a good bet in sizes 18-20.


July 15th, 2007
Still some rain around keeping the flows up on most rivers. Tribs in the area look good but some are still running fast. The smaller streams have been productive and it seems they are fishing better with the exta water. The big rivers are still brown. This rainfall is nice cause it looks the like days will warm into the 80's this week.
Yesterday on a small mountain stream I saw many little yellow stoneflies(#14) and some larger stones(#8) as well. There we also some larger mayflies but I couldn't catch any. I think any fly would have worked but I used a red wire nymph and a smalll stimulator.
Haven't heard to much about Hex's. Talking with a friend, we figured that the constant threat of T-storms has keep some people from Hex fishing as much as usual.
For hatches we have seen: stoneflies #8-14, Cahills #12-14, Golden and yellow drakes #10-12, paraleps #18-20, Black caddis #18-20

If you haven't yet checked out our Didymo Information Page please get over there right now and educate yourselves on this madness!
We need to spread the word on this as quickly as possible.


July 13th, 2007
Happy Friday the 13th! Not much else to do today than sit in front of the tube and watch some guy behind a hockey mask wreak havoc through sequel after sequel.
Smaller streams started off looking pretty decent this morning, but this band of rain that is currently moving through (2 p.m.) is mucking things right up again. Select tribs should clean up once again by tomorrow.
If you haven't yet checked out our Didymo Information Page please get over there right now and educate yourselves on this madness!
We need to spread the word on this as quickly as possible. From what I have seen on various fly fishing forums there are numerous anglers who, unknowingly, waded in the stuff on the CT and then went on to fish other rivers in the region. In that case, all we can do is act fast so that it doesn't spread any further. I'll be honest when I say that it's not looking good.
Please print the following Didymo Facts Poster and spread it around to as many users of these resources as you can.


July 12th, 2007
The Lamoille is a very, very angry river right now at 7500cfs. In some spots the Lamoille has already jumped its banks and caused some pretty serious flooding, as have many other rivers statewide.
It was a nice treat to wake up this morning to some much drier and cooler air temps. The smallest, steepest tribs aren't lookinig too shabby and should be in real nice shape by the end of the day. The bigger rivers will take some time to come down, so we'll keep you posted on their conditions.
Now's a great time for stillwater fishing!
Please take a look at the Winooski River Tributary Closure Petition if you support wild trout management in the state of Vermont. Delayed opening of the Winooski's tributaries each season will assure that trout from the Winooski main stem can safely reproduce without being "hooked and cooked" by anglers taking advantage of spawning fish.

Kayakers ruining your day?
Here's the answer...

July 11th, 2007
Rain, rain, rain is the story of the week. The good news is, however, that cooler air temps are on the way and smaller tribs are currently in decent shape for fishing. The bigger rivers are gonna need some time to come down after all this rain passes us by. Time to sit down at the vice and replenish the fly stock.
Please take a look at the Winooski River Tributary Closure Petition if you support wild trout management in the state of Vermont. Delayed opening of the Winooski's tributaries each season will assure that trout from the Winooski main stem can safely reproduce without being "hooked and cooked" by anglers taking advantage of spawning fish.

July 10th, 2007
More rains last night and the rivers are currently stuffed. Stillwater's gonna be the name of the game over the next few days. Good thing for the high water as air temps will be pretty warm this week.

July 9th, 2007
We recieved a good bit of rain region wide last night. The major rivers are up and stained with the tribs running fast. We have warm weather coming this week so a.m. fishing should be the best bet. With the higher flows I would expect nymphing to be the most productive tactic. Princes and stonefly nymphs are a good choice.

July 7th, 2007
Well...it looks like there is confirmation that Didymo is, in fact, in the Connecticut River. Read todays
Burlington Free Press article for the full scoop. For detailed info on how to clean your gear go to www.biosecurity.govt.nz. They recommend soaking felt soled boot/waders for at least 40 minutes in a solution of 5% dishwahing detergent and very hot water. Let the gear dry as throughly as possible. This is really really not good news for Vermont & New Hampshire fisheries, so please educate yourselves of how to help stop the spread of this invasive species that has already destroyed aquatic ecosystems in the United States and abroad!

The Lamoille upstream was 69 degrees last night at 7 p.m. with fairly weak insect activity until almost 9 o'clock. The a.m. hours are most definately the better bet for the Lamoille and Winooski currently. Small streams have been fishing well lately with water temps ranging from the low to mid 60's.
We'll have some pretty unstable weather this week with some less than favorable night time air temps in the upper 50's to low 60's and a chance of showers just about every day. We could certainly use a bit more rain to bring up flows and cool down temps.

July 2nd, 2007
We decided to fish the Winooksi last night and so did everyone else in Vermont. A ton of anglers were out enjoying the cool weather on the holiday weekend. The Winooski is very low and as a result was still 69 degrees at 7:00p.m. last night. Alot of bugs present (Yellow drakes, Golden Drakes, Iso's, Bwo's and caddis) with very few fish responding to them (where we were). We still did alright hooking up with caddis pupa, pheasant tails, buggers, large elk hair caddis and cream parachutes but not much luck with any iso/drake patterns.
We were fishing around 8:00p.m. when the water 40 ft. downstream exploded with a huge blast. I looked up to find the farmer that fired the shot and couldn't see anyone nor could Chris who was across the river. 20 seconds later I saw the coulprit high on the bank. I shouted and they jumped in the car and peeled out. It appears we were victims of a 4th of July prank. Damn Kids! Have a safe holiday.


July 1st, 2007
The Lamoille is flowing just below average with the Winooski running a bit lower than normal. Downstream of the little river might be higher depending on where they level the flows on the little river. The flow chart for the little river over the last 48hrs. looks like an EKG graph. This cool water should help the already low Winooski.
This week ahead look like great fishing conditions with daytime temps around 60/70. In the eveining we have seen iso's and caddis, but mostly cream cahills and yellow drakes so be sure to have a couple of yellow colored dries. X-caddis (olive), para-adams and stimulators have all taken fish in recent days.


June 28th, 2007
Last nights localized t-storms brought heavy downpours in some areas, while leaving other areas untouched. We received about 3/4" here in Jeffersonville and the Lamoille is currently looking pretty brown and flowing just under 300cfs in Johnson. Some of the Lamoille's tribs have dirtied up a bit, while others are just flowing a bit high. The Brewster is looking half decent and should only improve throughout the day.
The Winooski looks like it was missed by the rains and temps of 72 degrees were reported yesterday in the mainstem, so please avoid fishing it until it cools down.
Cooler weather is forecasted for the next week or so with daytime temps in the upper 60's - low 70's and nights in the upper 40's - low 50's.
Please use your stream thermometers and never fish in water over 70 degrees. We welcome any reports of stream temps if you would care to send them in to us at info@gmtrout.com



June 26th, 2007
We're in for a real hot one today and tomorrow with air temps in the 90's! The bigger rivers will be too warm for trout fishing, so please focus angling efforts on smaller streams and/or warm water species. This weekend is calling for much cooler weather of 60's-low 70's during the day and some chilly nights, so water temps should once again recede.
Didymo? Is this invasive specie gaining a foothold in Vermont waters?
Read Lawton Weber's CT River report from 6/25/07


June 23rd, 2007
Thanks to Dave Durovich for sending in this great photo of a wild Winooski 'bow! Here's what Dave wrote...
"Hi,
Here's a picture of a beautiful wild rainbow I caught and released on the Winooski in Bolton today. As good a fight as i've ever had with many long runs and jumps. Caught on a Hare&Peacock nymph. I hope you enjoy the picture, nothing more beautiful than a wild Vermont Rainbow..
Thanks for the great reports!!
Dave Durovich"
If only the Little River had higher minimum flows....The Winooski would remain quite a bit cooler downstream and likely sustain a much healthier trout population. We'd have tons of 20" fish just begging for photo opps.
The Lamoille jumped up to over 400cfs with last evenings downpours and is looking pretty dingy. This a.m. the river was 59 degrees with about 2 ft. of visibity. It souldn't take too long to clear up and should be fishing really nicely upon clearing a bit due to much more favorable air temps = much more favorable water temps = happier, hungry fish. Looks like air temps will barely get out of the 60's today.
Smaller streams look great and should fish well today and if you're planning on floating one of the bigger rivers, this would be a good time over the next few days. A solo pontoon boat (hint...hint) would be ideal. And what do ya know, we just happen to have some of those boats for rental/sale ;)
No crazy hatch activity to report.
Good luck!

June 22nd, 2007
Thanks to the cold front that swept into the area yesterday, the Lamoille is dropping back down into the upper 60's, but anglers should still use caution and check water temps before fishing. Flows are still pretty low and seemingly unaffected by last nights downpours aside from a slight bit of dinge to the water.
Mike and I found water temps of 68 degrees last night on the stretch of the Upper Lamoille that we fished. Just about a dozen fish landed between the 2 of us and probably just as many hooked and lost, and not a single wild fish came to hand. Some nice holdover fish of about 14", but no wild ones. There were tons of insects and very few fish feeding on the surface. Streamer patterns were giving us the best results until pushed off the water by a lightning storm at about 8:30.
I did get the one 43 pounder in the photo to the right :) Alright, maybe not. But some guy in Canada did. Looks like a record....or a photoshop masterpiece?


June 21st, 2007
Until Sunday we should have some cooler weather which make for some very favorable fishing conditions. Water levels are still low but Fri. should bring some more rain. Next week looks to bring more summer like temps back so get out on the rivers while the gettin is good. We have had reports of heavy surface feeding on area lakes at dusk.


June 17th 2007
We recieved almost 1/4 in. of rain last night here in Jeff. Looks like that amout was localized and some areas got less. Any rain is great at this point because rivers are at very low levels. The Lamoille yesterday was 67 degrees at 6:30 a.m. and hit 70 by 9:00 a.m. I counted 16 trout stacked up against the mouth of a small Lamoille trib yesterday. It is best to leave these fish alone until things cool off or we get more rain. Both are possible this week after some warm weather Mon. and Tues. Air temps are forecasted to stay in the 70's after Wed. and some rain is also possible.
P.S. A little birdie told me the north branch has recieved its spring stocking. These fish should be larger than normal due to the extra time spent in the comforts of the hatchery.

Anyway, with the warm weather this week I have started to see alot of new mayflies popping up. Most notable would be the light cahills 12-14. Also BWO's 16-20, paraleps 18, yellow quills 14-16 cream cahills 14-16 and even an isonychia dun 10. March Browns 12 are still around (not for long) as are sulfers 16-18. Yellow drakes 8-10 should also be showing up in some areas.


June 14th, 2007
The Lamoille in Jeffersonville was 68 degrees at 9a.m. this morning which means that it WILL climb to 70 or above by days end. The good news is that we have a cool night ahead of us tonight, which should bring the river back down a couple'a degrees over night.
Time to break out the canoes, rafts, pontoons, float tubes or whatever and hit some stillwater or warmwater options. We've got rentals if you need(wink...wink), so stop on in!
Nothing new for hatches but Hex's are right around the corner!

**As per requested, we will now be archiving all of our reports so that you may look back on previous dates**

June 13th, 2007
The Lamoille got hit with a double wammy yesterday when predicted (much needed) thunderstorms missed the area, air temps reached the mid-80's, and Morrisville Water and Light Dept. reduced flows on the Lamoille to 100cfs for most of the day.
The week ahead doesn't show signs of too much precipitation and air temps will be topping between the upper 70's to mid-80's, so the bigger rivers are gonna need a break as they climb into the 70's. Make sure to always carry a stream thermometer and use it! Fishing in water that's too warm is unethical and any fish that are hooked will likely die from the stress and lactic acid build up. Even if water temps are hovering in the upper 60's, don't overplay your fish and land them quickly. We can all help keep our trout populations up by simply knowing when and where to fish.

If you're having trouble catching fish or not quite sure if your doing what you should be to help you catch more fish, stop in and we'll help straighten you out. Fly fishing isn't always an exact science and we're always willing to share tips, tactics, advice, or anything else that has helped us along the way and could help hone your fly fishing skills as well. We're here to help so don't be shy....get in here and start askin' questions!
Good Luck!

Hatches: Caddis#14-16, March Browns#10-12, Sulphers#14-16, Cream Cahills #12-16, Brown Drakes #10 and stoneflies #8-14


May ORVIS Wader Swap!!!!!!
This is something to definately take advantage of...Starting May 1st...
Just bring us your old, leaky waders (any brand)that you've been wearing for 10 years and swap 'em for a brand new pair of ANY ORVIS SILVER LABEL, PRO GUIDE OR TAILWATERS WADERS at 25%OFF!!!!!!!!
View ORVIS Wader Selection


This year we’ve added a couple 8 foot solo pontoons to our rental fleet that will go for $45 per 24 hours. Just throw one on top of the car and go! They’re lightweight, easy to handle, and the ultimate fishing craft for our region as well as a great way to see the river like you’ve never seen it. Check out our
Watercraft Rentals Page for more info.

We’re now open 7 days a week from 9am to 5 pm, (4p.m.on Sun,) so we’ll start posting reports more frequently, as well as updating our “Fly of the Month” and “Photo of the Week” pages on a more consistent basis.