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Catamount Fishing Adventures, 699 Glenbrook Road, Stowe, VT (2026)

08/15/2026

Hi Folks, August has been a fabulous fishing month thus far. The river smallmouth fishing has been outstanding! The small stream fly fishing for native Brook Trout and wild rainbows and browns has been solid. Water levels have varied over the last week. I like the water coming up and then down. The increased flow shuffles the deck (moves fish around). Water temperatures for big water Bass fishing have been between 71 and 75 degrees. Nice having cool nights with morning fog. Most of my trips have been early morning forays. I like getting on the water by 6 to 6:30am. Lake surface temperatures have been a bit warmer, ranging from 73 to 77 degrees. Regardless of the setting, the bass and trout have been looking up. Starting to see some very large fish as well. It is a time plenty for bass currently. Lots of crawfish in the shallow water. Crawfish are bass candy and a big source of protein. Bait fish balls are everywhere. Typically they are suspended towards the surface and are easy pickings for death from below. Much of the surface activity I witness are smallmouth crashing into a bait ball. Been seeing lots of Ephoron leukon or the White Fly hatching at dusk. Tons of spinners carpeting the waters surface in the morning. I think this hatch gets the bass looking up. I don’t think you need to match the hatch. Boogle bugs and sneaky Pete’s in yellow/black have been my most consistent patterns. Many of the takes have come dead drifting the popping bugs in around channel edges, large boulders and eddys. The smallmouth we are catching currently are big fat and happy. The small stream/brook fly fishing had been really consistent. Water temperatures in the early morning have ranged from 61 to 63 degrees. Walking a lot of clear Brooks. Stealth is important. Grasshopper, ant, Caddis, and Stone Fly imitations are all working. Casting accuracy and making good dead drifts are the keys to getting eats. Fished a wooded Brook recently. Really fun watching trout emerge out of wood jams to smash a dry fly! There have #22- #24 Tricos hatching in the morning. Mostly see the hatch on the big water where I’m guiding bass. Big water trout fishing is not an option with the high temperatures in our big rivers presently. Leave the fish alone if the water is 68 degrees plus. Time to pay attention for Flying Ants. Typically I see this phenomenon after thunderstorms in August. The ants really get the fish looking up. Well, good fly fishing to be experience presently. Get out there after them! Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home. Have Fun, W***y

07/29/2026

Hi Folks, I spend a lot of time guiding fly fishing trips for smallmouth bass during the summer months. I guide big rivers and Stillwater locations. Lots of variety when it comes to chasing smallmouth on the fly in Vermont. In my guiding operation I use my motorboat, canoes, float tubes, drift boat, and wade. I would argue that Vermont’s best fishing opportunities are for smallmouth bass!
The smallmouth bass fishing really turns on for me once water temperatures exceed 70 degrees. Typically, once the big water trout fishing slows down due to warm water, the bass bite accelerates. Spring and Pre spawn is a great time to bass fish. I just find that they do not fight as hard in cold water and I’m more focused on trout fishing that time of the year. I do not fish bass on spawning beds. I don’t think that yanking bass off spawning beds helps the long term health of our fishery’s.
Lately I’ve been mixing up between small lakes/ponds and big river systems. I like to get on the water bright and early or late day to dark. Low light is when the best top water fishing takes place. Though on an occasion in bright sun you will have a bass crush a top water. My feeling is the top water offering is landed right next to a large to rock, lily pad, or w**d bed and the fish can’t resist an easy meal. I fish the shallow margins for bass. Not a fan of deep water fishing with heavy sinking lines. Might as well use a spin rod in that case. So, we focus from 15’ of depth in. Many of the lakes I guide have clear water so the fish have no problem rising from the depths to eat. We had smallmouth smashing a block head yesterday in 12’ of water depth. A hard bottom is always important in locating smallmouth. Add in some w**d, downed wood, a dock, a boathouse, and bottom contrast and you have the makings for a good smallmouth water. I’ve learned that many bodies of water I fish, the smallmouth are the King. In other words they are the top line predator and often get to hang in the preferable locations for feeding. In large bodies of water like Champlain, the bass are not the top dog. Other predatory fish might drive them into certain niches like deep water reefs and shoals. Plus, the prey items can vary from lake to lake. Crawfish are the main forage in many places I fish. Lots of baitfish in the shallows these days along with any number of terrestrials that drop into the water. The Hex hatch certainly gets the fish looking up and programmed to the surface.
Working and covering water is my method. Always attempt to fish the shady shoreline. My opinion is smallmouth move a bit during the day from shallow to deep and return shallow to feed late afternoon to dusk. I learned to catch fish by line of sight. Not through electronics and cameras that spot fish. I pride myself on finding fish via my accumulated knowledge. I do have lots of maps of bottom topography that I used to help locate fish in certain lakes and ponds. River fishing is simply the ability to read moving water. Large pools, soft water that abuts fast water, eddies, large rocks, and wood jams all can hold river bass.
The fly patterns I like Are all over the board. My color selection is consistent. Chartreuse, Yellow, Blue, White, Olive and Black. Then contrast each pattern with black, red, yellow, or green. There is a big difference in how a Boogle pop sounds to a fish than a more aggressive popper like a Block Head. Fiddle around with fly selection and see what works on any given day. Also, think about the profile of the popping bug on the surface. Traditional poppers sit up while crease flies sit in the film. Black or Blue are my first choice when it is dark or very low light. Black silhouettes the best in the water during light.
I will fish below the surface on occasion. Only when the bass simply will not look up. Can’t go wrong with a Clouser Minnow in olive/white or chartreuse/white. I find that river fishing is where I get down and dirty much more than in still water.
So, now is the time to cast popping bugs for big angry bass. Lots of fun on a 6wt. or 7wt. outfit. Smallies jump, tail walk, head shake, pull drag, and just fight hard! Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home!
Have Fun, W***y

07/16/2026

Hi Folks, Full on summer conditions. I have been spending my time between small stream fishing for native brook trout and wild rainbow and brown trout. Or chasing smallmouth bass in lakes, ponds, and big rivers. It has been a bit hot lately. I’ve been guiding first thing in the morning in order to beat the heat. Awesome time of day to be on the water. Water temperatures in the small brooks have ranged from 60 to 63 degrees. Water levels are finally holding seasonal levels. A lot of up and down with water levels this past spring. For hatching insects I have found Golden Stone fly casings on stream rocks and seen a tan bodied Caddis hatching mid morning as well as all black Caddis. Lots of young green bodied grasshoppers are showing up. It is not too often that I find rising fish in small streams. However, most of the fish we catch are caught on dry fly patterns. Most Vermont small streams are infertile. Not a ton of food. The fish have to eat, thus a well presented dry fly gets their attention. Trout are drift feeders and are opportunistic in a river ecosystem. Working upstream is important in clear water. Over casting can put fish down in these clear brooks. Fly patterns that are working: #12-14 green GFA, #12 Rubber Legged Royal Trude, #12- #14 Royal Wulff, #12 Orange bodied chubby, #14 green bodied chubby, #12 Royal Chubby, a # 12 Purple Parachute, and a #14 Goddard Caddis. The Bass fishing has been consistent. I mostly guide for smallmouth bass on inland lakes and big rivers in Vermont. Water temperatures have ranged from 73 degrees to 79 degrees. I am a top water snob. I think that smallmouth in certain environments and conditions are programmed to eat off the top. All of my bass fishing/guiding is done early morning or late day. Fishing shady/low light areas are important in surface fishing. I cast to a lot of rocky hard bottomed shoreline areas. The shallows in lakes and ponds hold a tremendous amount of food from juvenile fish, to crawfish, to terrestrials. Crawfish activity increase at dark and when the moon cycle prompts the mud bugs to move into the shallows for reproduction. Fly fishing for river smallmouth is a ton of fun as well. The Smallies like rocky rivers with big rocks and boulders. The fish hold in soft water that abuts the heavy water. Riffles that feed big pools are obvious spots. They often hold in front of behind or underneath big rocks. Big eddies will hold multiple fish. River channels are fishy spots with the bass positioning themselves on the channel edge. Fly patterns: #4- #6 Black, Blue, Chartreuse, Blue, or Yellow Boogle Bugs. #6 Blue, Black, or Chartreuse Block Heads, #4 Chartreuse or Black Gurglers, #4- #8 Frog patterns with yellow bellies, and a #6 Black/Yellow cork popper. Whether you enjoy small stream trout fishing or bass fishing, these fish can and will dry fly patterns. Nothing better that surface feeding fish! Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home. Have Fun, W***y

07/06/2026

Hi Folks, With the current heat wave, my focus has really moved to chasing bass. Water temperatures in our lakes and ponds have surged to 77 to 82 degrees. Fortunately, a welcome cool down has arrived for this weeks weather. The top water bass fishing has really picked up. My take is the Hexagenia Limbata hatch. The largest mayfly comes off on our still water from the last week of June into July. The bugs typically emerge at dusk into dark. Spinners usually fall on the water during the very early am hours. Point being, when the giant mayfly shows up, it prompts lots of surface feeding and gets the bass oriented to eat off the top. Not to mention, terrestrials are showing up everywhere and baitfish are prevalent. Early morning, late day, and cloudy over cast days are great times to locate surface feeding fish. I am a dry fly snob. My preferred method to catch fish is off the top. I try to always fish during low light periods. I find surface fishing exciting, interesting, and visually tantalizing. During the Hex hatch, I’m not convinced that matching the hatch is necessary. I’ll cast slim bodied popping bugs in yellow and black, but also cast a black popping bug. For surface feeding trout, a well placed Hex imitation is more important. Still I have caught trout on bass poppers during the Hex hatch. Popping bugs that we are casting: #4- #6 Boogle Bugs in yellow/black, blue, black, and white. Block heads in Chartreuse, Blue, and Black. Any Frog pattern especially with a yellow belly. Crease flies catch big bass and are an awesome pattern for sitting in the surface film. My trout fishing these days are in small cold high elevation brooks and streams. The big trout water is too warm to fish!!!! The Brook trout fishing has been consistent. All dry fly fishing. Water temperatures have ranged from 59 to 64 degrees. We have been working upstream and presenting to all of the duct water that is adjacent to the heavy water. Many a trout rise from under huge rocks to eat the dry. Don’t be afraid to cast your fly against large stream boulders. Tons of fun watching a beautiful trout come up and slam a fly. Patterns we have been casting: #10- #14 Chubbies in green, purple, orange, royal. #10- #12 Royal Wulff, a Rubber legged Royal Trude, and a #12 Royal Dry Humper all attract attention. More traditional patterns like an Elk Hare Caddis, Adam’s Parachute, and a variety of stimulators work well in lower water with fussy fish. Lots of fishing options currently. I am wading, rowing my drift boat, canoe fishing, and using the motorboat to fish presently. Remember to clean your gear and kept the non-native species at home. Have Fun, W***y

06/30/2026

Hi Folks, It is a time of fishing transition as we have move into summer conditions. Good time of year to carry a thermometer if you are river fishing for trout. The Lamoille and Winooski’s water temperature has reached 70 degrees. Warm water is tough on trout and catching them stresses them out even more. Fishing smaller water now is the best option for river fishing for trout. Lots of high elevation brooks and streams that maintain temperature and hold good populations of Brook trout, wild rainbows and browns. Smaller fly rods are required than what is used on the bigger water. I like 2wt. and 3wt. outfits in the 6’ to 7’6” range. All of the fishing is small brooks is dry fly fishing. Our little streams lack significant hatches. Thus, the fish need to eat when presented with an opportunity. Well presented dry flies are the ticket. I almost never nymph small water and on an occasion I will tie on a dropper nymph under a big dry. Working upstream is important as to not spook fish. Fly patterns that work in small VT water are #10- #14 purple, royal, orange, and green Chubbies, #12- #14 Royal Wulff, #10- #12 rubber legged royal trude, #12- #14 Goddard Caddis, #12- #14 Elk Hare Caddis, and #10- #16 Adam’s parachutes.
Bass fishing is beginning to shape up. The bass are starting to set up in their summer haunts. The #4- #6 Hexagenia Limbata hatch has begun on all of the NEK lakes. The big mayfly really gets fish looking up. Plus bait fish populations are starting to come to fruition, crawfish are migrating shallow to reproduce, and terrestrials are starting to be part of the dinner platter. I like top water fishing for smallmouth and largemouth. Fishing during low light periods is the best time for a top water bite. Early morning or late day. I target rocky shorelines, w**d, beds, downed wood and any man made structure. Patience is the key in top water bass fishing. From allowing the fly to sit after the cast to letting the fish eat the fly. Fly patterns that are effective: #4- #8 Boogle Bugs in Blue, Black, Chartreuse, and White, Block Heads #4- #6 in Black, Chartreuse, Blue, and white, #2- #4 Crease flies in fire tiger and blue. If the top water bite is slow, #4 Clouser Minnows in olive and white, olive and orange, Chartreuse and white. In my opinion, the smallmouth fishing in Vermont is our best all around fishery. Lots of summer fishing ahead. Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home. Have Fun, W***y

06/13/2026

The June fishing had been steady. I have been mixing it up between river trout fishing and lake fishing for bass. I’m currently offering wade, motorboat, and drift boat trips. Pretty darn warm currently and water temperatures are creeping up. River temperatures have risen to the high sixties (ouch) I’ll be fishing trout in smaller water this afternoon. It does look like cooler air temperatures for the upcoming week. Water levels in the big water have been up and down. Would be nice to see some consistent flows. There have been a number of bugs hatching. Predominantly seeing Caddis hatching in the morning with egg laying in the afternoon. #16 tan Caddis that I imitate with a Slaughter Caddis pupa, a wire Caddis, and an x-caddis. At dusk I have been seeing a few remnant big Sulphers, but mostly little Sulphers now. A yellow soft hackle swung in a riffle results in some jarring strikes. A dead drifted #16- #18 pheasant tail under an indicator is effective before the bugs really hatch in large numbers. For me, I like dry fly fishing to Sulphur feeding trout. The bigger fish rise right at dusk. #16- #18 Compara Duns, Parachutes, Rusty spinners, and crippled may fly patterns all draw interest. Still, in Vermont there many times with little or no bug activity. I like searching out water with #12 red thread tungsten Prince nymph, #10 black and olive tungsten bead wooly buggers, #12-14 black double tung head, #12- #14 Copper John’s, and #12- #16 flashback pheasant tails. June is one of the better months to chase trout in Vermont.
I have started to pursue bass now that they are done spawning. Not a fan of fishing for spawning bass. I’m not convinced that pulling fish off beds is good for the fishery as a whole. The bass we have landed this week were all post spawn fish. Post spawn bass can be tricky. Location, location, location. They are a bit nomadic currently as they find their summer habitat. Water temperatures have ranged from 68 degrees up to 73 degrees. They were certainly eating. I’m a big fan of top water fishing. Just the method I enjoy and I know to fish this technique at low light periods. Still lots of fish in less than 10’ of water. I have seen smallmouth on rock piles and rocky points. The largemouth have been amongst milfoil beds, duck w**d and downed wood. Still seeing the occasional Northern Pike while bass fishing. Fly patterns that have worked are Block Head poppers, Boogle Bugs, Dahlburg Divers, Crease flies, Clouser Minnows, Half and Half’s, Bunny Bu**ers, and Deceivers. White colored patterns have been the most consistent followed by black, fire tiger, and olive.
Great time of the year to fish in Vermont. Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.
Have Fun, W***y

05/06/2026

Hi Folks, Fishing season is ramping up. I’ve begun my open water fishing season. Chasing post spawn Northern Pike and chasing wild river trout. It has been a pretty typical early season with ever changing weather. Warm and sunny, to rain and cold, with consistent wind. We could use some rain. River and lake levels are somewhat low for this time of the year. River temperatures have ranged from 48 to 52 degrees over the last 10 days. My focus is on rivers that warm more quickly than others. In other words, valley streams, ones that do not emanate from high elevation, and are exposed to the sun. I’ve been mostly fishing the afternoon when water temps. reach their high point of the day. Lake temperatures are somewhat warmer than our rivers. Lake temperatures have ranged from 55 to 60 degrees. We have been pursuing Northerns in shallow water. Less than 10’ of water in bays with dark bottoms and new emerging w**d growth. Lots of casting involved. Working a 9wt. with a sinking line and a 8wt. with a floating line. Covering water and the ability to double haul is important. I vary how I retrieve the fly. I find an erratic slow retrieval prompts a lot of responses. I speed up the retrieval as the water warms. Always retrieve the fly back to the boat. Pike chase the fly. My fly selection has been toned down. I have tons of fly patterns to cast at Northerns, but I’ve found a select few that are consistent producers. The Bunny Bu**er, Clouser Minnow, Lefty’s Deceiver, The Half n Half, and a Dahlberg Diver. I vary color schemes. Black and white works the best for me. Olive and yellow, all white, chartreuse, fire tiger, white and grey are all productive colors. Incorporate Flashabou into these patterns to make them really jump out. Early spring trout fishing in Vermont can be tricky. The water is cold. Our resident river trout coming out of winter are lethargic. I’m not interested in catching stocked trout personally. Great resource for clients. I fish wild trout streams and find big stable pools that are not adversely impacted by winter storms and run off. Then I like to pick them apart. I find that I fish water more thoroughly in the early season. My tactics have been to tight line nymph, use a strike indicator, and fish streamers on a sink tip. I have been carrying multiple rods. Many of the strikes are pretty subtle. Focus is required.Fly patterns have been #10 and #12 double tung stonefly in black, a #12 Hare and copper, #12 Black Copper John, #10 sparkle buggers in black, olive, and white. I do not think fly selection is overly critical. It is more the ability to get your pattern down to fish and right in front of them. Most of the trout have been hooked with nymphs. The Hare and Copper is a great imitation of the #12/ #14 Little Brown Stone Fly. Stone flies that have been hatching every sunny afternoon. I’ve found a few mayflies on rocks in riffled water as well as a few Caddis. Hopefully, we will see some Hendricksons hatching in the very near future. The best is yet to come and we are just getting warmed up! Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home! Have Fun, W***y

03/19/2026

Hi Folks, The ice fishing for the last 3 weeks has been very consistent. I have been focusing on catching Northern Pike. Ice conditions have begun to decline. I watched ice thickness shrink from 18” of black ice to 8” to 13” of black ice. Still plenty of ice on the in land lakes I guide. The edges of lakes are the areas that require caution. The shoreline always melts first. I have been carrying a spud bar, wearing the picks of life, and carrying rope. With all of the snow melting, ice creepers are required. The ice is still safe with a return to winter after the recent warm spell. The buddy system is a good idea this time of the year. I have been chasing pike in staging areas to where they will move to spawn shortly. 8’-15‘ of water off giant w**d beds and bays that have dark soft bottoms. It is a great time of year to catch a large Northern Pike. The larger pike are females. Chances are pretty good that any fish over 30” is a female and is carrying eggs. Those in my opinion are the fish to release. Keep the smaller fish. Protect the big spawning females as they are producing the future for the fishery. My tactics have been to set tip-ups baited with live shiners, dead shiners, live perch, wounded perch, and dead perch. I find that dead baits catch big fish this time of the year. We have been setting right off the bottom unless there are thick w**ds. Then we set at the top of the w**d beds. I have a lot of success catching pike on jig sticks. Jigs in fire tiger, chartreuse, and hot orange tipped with either maggots or minnows have worked. I have been using lots of fluorocarbon leaders. Pike are sight feeders. I fish lakes that receive fishing pressure. I like the stealth of fluorocarbon. Big fish, big eyeballs. We do lose a few fish to break offs but not very often. I plan to ice fish until the end of the Onto if not into April. All contingent on Mother Nature. Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home. Have Fun, W***y

01/18/2026

Hi Folks, It has been a great start to the ice fishing season. Lots of safe ice throughout Vermont from big lakes to small ponds. I have found anywhere from 7” to 10” of black ice. Plenty of ice to walk on. I have been mostly chasing Northern Pike and Yellow perch. Big w**d beds with adjacent deep water have been most consistent. 10’-15’ of depth with hard and soft bottom. We have been setting large Golden Shiners and small yellow perch under tip-ups just off the bottom. We have had a lot of success jigging up Northern Pike! Man they put a bend in little ole jig stick. Hali Jigs are my most reliable ice fishing lure. I use them to catch everything. Varying sizes from large to small. Fire Tiger and Chartreuse have been the most consistent color schemes for Perch and Pike. Small Hali jigs in silver, gold, green/gold, green/silver, and glow in the dark have been working well on smelt. Into the jigs with either maggots or a minnow. Most of the Pike and Perch have been caught off the bottom. When fishing heavy w**ds, I set and work the area just above the w**d bed. I like chumming in my shanty when jig fishing. It brings the big fish to the holes. Plus it can keep a school of perch or smelt hanging around. I’m preparing to go walleye fishing and trout fishing in the NEK. Nice winter to ice fish. Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home. Have Fun, W***y

08/29/2025

Hi Folks, It has been a busy August. Very warm and dry. Finally getting a much needed cool down with some rain. Our Brooks and Rivers are as low as it gets. Lake levels have dropped dramatically. Surface water temperatures on lakes have ranged from 70 degrees to 78 degrees. The big water temperatures, where I guide river smallmouth, are between 69 and 73 degrees. Fortunately with the nighttime air temperatures dropping into the forties and fifties, water temps. are coming down. The trout brooks I visited this week were 57 degrees and 62 degrees. With the low water, stealth has been necessary. Finally saw a decent hatch #14- #20 flying ants late day. It prompted smallmouth to rise and eat off the top. With the water levels being so low, the smallmouth are holding in the large primary pools. In small Brooks, the trout are holding under rocks in pools and under the heavy water feeding the pools. They need somewhere to hide. Our tactics have been to cast dry flies up into the suspected holding water and drift only the leader. No drag allowed. It’s fun watching the dark shape of a trout come up and smash the dry fly. There have been numbers of freshly hatched golden stone fly shucks on rocks as well a late morning hatch of micro Caddis. I have seen a few tiny sulphers at dark. Patterns we have been casting: #12- #14 Purple and Royal Chubbies, #12- #14 Royal Wulffs, #14 Atomic Ant, #12- #16 foam flying ants, #10- #14 tan and olive GFA, #12- #14 Orange Stimulator, #14- #16 Goddard Caddis, #16- #18 X-Caddis, #10- #12 Black and Golden Tunghead, and #10- #12 Olive/Black Wooly Bu**ers. The smallmouth bass fishing has shined in August. I’ve guided mostly with the fly rods, but I have done a few spin trips. Senkos and more Senkos crush the bass spin fishing. 3”-5” Senkos in Watermelon Red Magic has been the most consistent color. I think any Senko in earth tones catches bass. The top water smallie fishing has been solid. Fly patterns: #6- #8 Boogle Bugs in blue, black, chartreuse/black, #4- #6 Block Heads in blue, black, and chartreuse. Any surface frog patterns have worked well in still water applications. I’m looking forward to fall fishing. The next two months are one of my favorite times to be on the water. Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home. Have Fun, W***y

Catamount Fishing Adventures

08/15/2026

07/29/2026

07/16/2026

07/06/2026

06/30/2026

06/13/2026

05/06/2026

03/19/2026

01/18/2026

08/29/2025

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