Get out while you can! The cooler temperatures combined with the recent rain has been making the fishing hot right now!
The New Haven peaked at nearly 800 CFS on Wednesday morning and has dropped down to 75 and has gone from muddy to clear but the fish have seemed much happier and more active on both it and the Middlebury since the increase in flows. The Otter Creek has just peaked today at around 530 and with the colder temperatures, should fish well for trout, pike, and smallmouth as long as the flows stay above 300/400.
Per usual for the later fall, the hatches have slowed somewhat. Dry fly fishing has been minimal but there have been enough caddis and isos hatching and in the river to keep the fish eating up towards the middle of the column.
Even with the rain, slightly smaller, more natural bugs have been working somewhat better for me. My main method has been euro nymphing- throwing Size 12s with 3.5mm beads as a point fly with a smaller caddis or soft hackle higher up on a dropper. Craigs Pink Bead (Light colored blow torch variant), hare's ears, and other light colored mayflies, particularly with a soft hackle have been fishing well, as well as princes and small caddis pupas. I have had some success throwing smaller streamers, particularly in black and brown but olive and tan will likely produce as well, especially in clearer water. Fishing light tippet in 5x and 6x when nymphing also still feels fairly important, as the fish are still a little spooky with lots of pressure adding up from earlier in the year. Be cognizant of your angles and the shadows you create and make sure to approach slowly from downstream.
With colder weather, fishing the morning- first light bite will not be quite as important. I tend to shift my start time to the afternoons and towards when the sun first hits the water, as prior to this, the colder temperatures (such as this morning) seem to make the fish a little more stationary as the bug life is minimal and the water temperatures are colder. This morning the eats we picked up were very subtle and difficult to pick up, so don’t be afraid to set the hook on small bumps, especially at the front and book ends of the day. Additionally, make sure to fish the entirety of pools- the fish seem to be spread throughout them, in the tail out, middle section, and the head as well.
According to the current forecast, we will be receiving another half inch plus of rain early next week which should continue to prolong these conditions and the good fishing that the bump in water has brought on. The lows will also stay above 40 which will keep the river temperatures from plunging too low as well.
Swing by the shop on 56 Main Street if you have any questions or need any recommendations on what bugs we’re fishing or what sections of water to check out. We will still have the fly table and a large selection of leaders and tippet out for the next month or so.
Good luck out on the river,
Jake
