Monday, June 29, 2009

Vt fly fishing guide service report

This is the time of the year when I am splitting my time between lake and river. Guiding fly fishing for trout on rivers and spin fishing for bass, pike and panfish on lakes. So here's what has been happening....

June 25th...an instructional day on a pond learning to fly cast and then some time on the Battenkill teaching clients to wade, cast, down and across, and "chuck and duck"...catching fish wasn't really an option because these folks had never fished for anything on any gear....no building blocks is a tough feat to catch fish with a fly. However this party was also in the book for tomorrow. Hence the plan was to line up all my ducks on day one....then knock them down tomorrow.

June 26th...Day 2....need to "catch"....went to the "sac" and we did catch trout. Wife caught 2 and husband 3. All nice Brown Trout....then the rain started.....man it has been wet this month....seems like it has rained every day for weeks. We caught swinging caddis pupa and dead drifting red midge worms. Very successful outing. Two first fish catches!

June 27th Lake fishing with my father/daughter regulars from Bennington....We caught a bunch of bass and a single pickeral. One of the bass was a 17" smallmouth (Brown Bass) which had a huge case of BAD ATTITUDE...I LOVE BROWN BASS.....they just are pissed off as soon as they get hooked....Today was the first day in a while that a rain coat wasn't needed. The bigger bass seem to be pulled off the bank....they move around but I have been seeing the last couple years that the bigger fish are getting away from the fishing pressure the visible bank cover gets.

June 28th Fly fishing for trout....I had this group last year in October and got humbled with them. Yes folks it does happen....I don't like it but it does happen....its called fishing not catching.
I was glad to get a second chance with them.....We went to my best two spots on the Walloomsac and hammered them pretty good. Hot flies: red midge, caddis dry and tungsten nymphs size 14.
The water levels have been all over the place but mother nature has been kind to me so far.

Today June 29th...Lake fishing with a grandfather and a 8 year old grandson. Today was a jig and crawler panfish fest while granddad caught about a dozen bass on shiners....Vermont fishing trips guide sevice will fly fish for trout always.....but on the lake I fish with whatever it thats.
We caught: Bluegills, pumkinseed, yellow perch, white perch, largemouth and smallmouth bass.
Bottom line....this child likes to fish!!!!This was his second time with me and there was a promise to do it again next year.

Tomorrow:::Trout fishing... up at O dark hundred hours....please stay tuned and I would like for you to sign up in the followers box and contribute...

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Walloomsac Fly fishing in Southern Vermont

We fly fished the "sac" yesterday with great success. Catching a bunch of Brown Trout and several Brookies on red midge worms in the spillway, then caddis pupa behind a tungsten hares ear and after dinner on rusty spinners & tan caddis. Now its morning mode fishing for the most part......getting in at 10pm....unloading shore meal stuff....returning emails etc... the alarm clock set for 4:30....it was a SHORT night...

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Vermont Mountain Brook Trout Fly Fishing

Here in Vermont there are countless miles of mountain brooks. Some of which are teeming with Native "wild" Brook Trout. On Monday we sampled a couple and the Mountain Brook Trout bite is on!!! 6 foot 2 weight rods, short leaders, short casts and drifts with easy to see dryflies. Want to spend a fun day... try fishing Vermont mountain brooks.....July and August are the best months to target these areas. My favorite dryflies are: ausable wulffs, yellow adams wulffs, caddis, black beetles and sometimes a black ant trailing fly. These Brookies are not real big....4 to 9 inches but they have attitude and are mountain jewels. Talk about quick....sometimes these little buggers will hit a dryfly twice on a drift and not get pricked. Postcard settings, easy to read water, aggressive dryfly action during bankers hours...Give it a try soon....the Mountain Brookie bite is on!

Friday, June 19, 2009

Southern and Central Vermont Fly Fishing

With all the rain we have had this week, the Trout will not have to deal with fishing pressure this weekend. Almost all river and streams are blown out!!! Bass fishing yesterday was good...not great but that had more to do with where we fished. The "Ty" area of Lake Champlain just gets too much bass fishing pressure. I believe the fish are holed up in deeper water than we fished. My "girlfriend" Cathy....really doesn't like fishing off the banks or in deep water...we caught a bunch of Bass...but honestly over the years we are very spoiled. Lake Champlain is an awesome Bass fishery and we have had a ton of days when we hammered them both in numbers and in size.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Testimonial email for this last week

‘’I have fished with great trout guides in Montana, New Mexico, Argentine Patagonia, Iceland, UK, Ireland, France & Spain, and with Chuck for the last 5 years in Vermont. The scenery is lovely, the tackle is good, the flies are spot on, and Chuck is a great technician who knows his rivers very well. It’s also great fun. I can catch much easier and/or bigger wild trout elsewhere in the world, but I keep coming back…’’
Adrian Latimer, Paris, France

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Walloomsac Trout fishing

June 13th. Went to the Walloomsac in Bennington with a client. With the rain we had and the caddis and sulfur hatches....the "sac" has come to life!!! Fly fishing was excellent for Brown Trout as well as a few very nice Brookies. Water level was a touch high for dryflies but we did very well fishing down and across and upstream with indicators. This is a huge turn around from how poorly the "sac" was fishing. Have some open dates this weekend June 18, 19, 20. Please call me if you are interested in booking a date. 1 800 682 0103 or email ckashner@msn.com

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Knotted Leaders

I use and tie my own knotted leaders. This is not really a cost saving plan. Instead, I believe its a more effective way to manage clients leader issues. I tie a stock leader being a 9' 4X leader. From this I can add 3' of butt section to make a 12' or better leader to fish the Battenkill. Or I can cut the butt back to make a short leader to fish mountain brooks. For lighter tippets...5 or 6X....I cut the 4X tippet on the stock leader and add more or lighter tippet. Here is the leader formula I use:

Knotted 9 foot 4X leader:

Butt 36" of .019
16" of .017
12" of .015
6" of .013
6" of .011 (0X)
6" of .009 (2X)
tippet 26"of .007 (4X)

Replacement mono or spools of mono I have in my vest for leader repair or tinkering:
.019, 0x, 2X, 3X, lots of 4 &5X, 6X and in August 7X.

Best bet if you are going to build some leaders is to buy a leader tie kit. Another advantage to tying some of your own leaders is the practice at knot tying....will help you on the water.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Vermont Fly Fishing Early June

June 4 & 5th we fished East Creek and Otter Creek in Rutland ,Vt. The water levels were perfect and both trips were very successful. Primary technique was short line nymphing with indicators. They were still eating a Kashner tungsten nymph in 10 thur 14 very well. In fact we broke one off in a fish...then later we caught the same fish...on the same fly....I think they like it.

June 6th we fished the roaring branch in Kelly stand for about 1 1/2 hours...caught 3 native brookies on Ausable wulffs....but its still a little early for mountain fishing. Later we fished the main stem Battenkill off of Rte 313. My client caught several brookies and a very health 16" Brown Trout. We ended the trip at 8pm for their dinner plans. Caddis hatch was just starting...
looking like the primary rise is between 8 to 9pm....very normal for this time of the year.

June 7th...finally got a chance to fish with my son "Nick"....its been over a month since we've trout fished together. Pulled into East creek...as good as it was Thursday and Friday....Sunday was a bust...they were holding back water at the dam....minimal flows on East Creek is tough, tough....after hitting 3 pools we were on our way to Nick's favorite brook. We fished about a quarter mile of brook catching in most spots we fished. Pattern doesn't matter as long as you can see it. Later we hit Otter Creek nymphing down and across with Kashner Caddis pupa....the old guide actually even fished... making sure the young buck remembers that Dad can still cast.
Several browns and one very feisty rainbow came to hand.

June 8 & 9th we got some very needed rain!!! Water levels on the Black River in Ludlow were lower than I ever remember fishing.

June 9th Fished the branches of the Battenkill with guest. Caught a bunch of Brook Trout...the sad news is Rock Snot is now present in places on the west branch....to say the least I am pretty bummed about it....guess the beavers and ducks haven't been dipping in bleach like we have.

For the next several days, I will be guiding on the Battenkill drainage around Manchester and Arlington, Vermont. I expect to see caddis, sulfurs and rusty spinners. The Black River in Ludlow is now a morning only fish....so for me and my guiding its time to move on a feature the Battenkill. Next week I plan to scout some on the Mettawee and fish for Bass at least on day.

Please stay tuned and comments are always welcome.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Early June Vermont Fly Fishing for Trout

Its June....the purple and white phlox are blooming...and the Vermont Trout fishing is excellent!
Last week, we had some very needed rain and some rivers were unfishable on Friday May 29th. But, the Black fished well and the branches of the Battenkill also produced. Currently for hatches I am seeing the following bugs: tan caddis 14, 16, Yellow Sallys 12, 14 (finally...they are late), cahills and sulfurs are building in nightly numbers, rusty spinners after 7pm.

Hot patterns:
fishing down and across: Bh hares ear sz 12 with a caddis pupa trailer, shushan postmaster trailer with a light cahill wet on the dropper, or a march brown nymph with a light cahill wet trailer.

strike indicator (chuck and duck): Tungsten hares ears 10 to 14, march browns sz. 12, Queeche brown nymphs.

Dryflies: Sulfur usual/compradun, Light cahill, tan caddis, rusty spinners.

The Vermont fly fishing is excellent> GO FISHING TONIGHT!