Vermont Fishing Reports

This foot of snow was a much welcome and needed event in the high altitudes of the green mountains in Southern Vermont.  After a relativly light snow fall Feburary, March storms have added nicely to the snow pack which will translate in fresh cold water in the tributaries making there way down to our prime valley rivers the Batrenkill, Hoosick and Walloomsac.  Winter snow fall is so important to keeping our rivers cool and flowing for our indigenous trout populations.  While the Battenkill has thousands of springs that keep it cool and flowing well into July our other primary valley rivers rely on snow pack feed tributaries from the mountains to keep them cool and supporting the brown, brook and rainbow trout we love to chase.  While I've been a Vermont fly fishing guide for the last six years, I've lived and fly fished this beutiful area for the past 30 years.  Know 

Recent snow and rain has been good for Southern Vermont Trout fisheries.  Today i restocked the streamer box,  it wont be long before water temps start to inch up and those big battenkill browns start to move up out of their deep winter holding water to become a bit more active.  Starting to have those fly fishing guide dreams... 

Big rain in southern Vermont all day yesterday had the  Walloomsac running 4x normal flows but there where fish to be had.  On today's guided fly fishing float trip 3 quality fish where landed on streamers and nymph rigs.  

Rain was heavy today but the first half of the trip was very fishable.  i had a first time fly fisher in the boat and he did great.  Nymphed and streamer fished given the high off-color water consitions.  we got a few eats and one very healthy male brown was landed, photographed and released.

Really fun day on the Battenkill river with Tom and Jason.  Water temps started the day in the high 50's, air temps the same and the Battenkill water flows where nice at arond 350 CFS. Both men where very good fly fishers-  we tried a lot of different set ups, while the fishing was not robust they where able get a dozen or so chases, eight or so hits and 3 brown trout to the net.

Steady day on the river starting with rising fish early morning and ending with some streamer chases and catches.  We had a cold feont push through the night before so i exoected things to be slow but not the case- we had steady action the entire float.