 Much has been said recently regarding distance fly casting, with some big names in the industry really putting down the need to cast at distance. One very well known name in the industry even went as far as to say of fishing with a 5 wt fly rod “its absolutely stupid to throw a 40 foot cast with the goddamn thing, its just stupid, you’re going to fish 20’ away from you”, which inspired me to write this article. The truth of the matter is that it depends on the situation and having the ability to cast distance will put more fish in the net, but what is more important?
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 April can be a tough month on the trout stream, but there is one pattern in particular that will up your odds of success from late fall through early spring. The mighty Egg, a naturally occurring, high calorie trout food, that stands out and draws fishes attention. When presented properly, this fly will be the most consistent pattern in your fly box at a time when trout are still quite lethargic from cold water temps. I’ll explain how to fish these flies as well as the colors I prefer.
 One year ago to the day Vermont again experienced massive flooding thanks to Hurricane Beryl. The damage was quite devastating again for many of the same communities that got hit last year, and extended east into New Hampshire and Maine. Devastation of homes, businesses and property have been tough to look at, but how have wild trout been affected?
In 10 years of owning my guide service, I’ve had the privilege of guiding thousands of wonderful anglers of all ability levels. Many anglers come to me specifically to help them up their game, often in Euro nymphing, another solid portion hire me because they are new to the area and have not quite figured out trout fishing in the northeast, some want to be shown around new rivers and explore new areas, and then there are a portion who are simply on vacation and want to give fly fishing a try. Three common mistakes anglers of all ability levels struggle with are approach, line control, and accuracy, regardless of skill level.
One of the amazing things about our Northern New England’s river fisheries is that we have a wide variety of wild salmonid species we can target. Wild and native Brook trout and landlocked salmon, (as well as non native wild salmon in some fisheries) and non native wild rainbow and brown trout are abundant depending on the particular river. All characteristics of each species unique habits are generalizations, and I’ll only be focusing on wild stream born fish.Geographic location varies by species as well as the overall abundance. Some rivers are home to all four.
Early spring is an amazing time of the year to fly fish lakes and ponds for trout. From just after ice out through the the spring green up is a fantastic period to get on a stillwater, and just might produce the biggest trout of your season! When rivers are flowing fast and cold, lakes are heating up and the fishing can be outstanding.
September and October are exceptional times to be a fly angler. River temps are generally optimal and flows are often quite low allowing us to wade stretches of river that are difficult or impossible to reach in the spring. The colored hillsides and relative lack of fishing pressure make for my favorite time of the year to be on a river.
 Without a doubt, the theme of the summer in the Northeast was the never ending rain. My dad always says one weather extreme follows another and after not getting much of any precipitation all spring, the rain just didn’t stop this summer. Much of Vermont experienced a 100 year flood event this past summer and most other areas have seen excessive rainfall if not severe floods as well. So what is a trout angler to do when the rain just won’t stop and the rivers are high and occasionally muddy?
 Fly Fishing a Dry Dropper Rig
Suspending a nymph under a dry fly is an extremely exciting and effective tactic when fly fishing for trout The visual aspect of focusing on the dry fly while also targeting trout that are feeding subsurface makes this a favorite of mine on both rivers and lakes throughout the season, but is most effective late spring through fall. Let’s dig into some of the finer details that will help you catch trout with a dry dropper rig.  ***This Article Appears in the May 2023 Northwoods Sporting Journal***
May in the Northeast, probably the most anticipated month on a fly fishers calendar. As I tell all of my prospective clients, this is the time to book a trip! There is so much to look forward to this month that it can be a little overwhelming. Lakes and ponds are fishing great with trout feeding all day right up near the surface, bass and pike are shallow and aggressively feeding pre-spawn, and of course the river fishing is quite literally heating up, whether from a drift boat or while wading. |
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