Late season fishing

Last week was really warm.  I heard about people taking rising trout on dry flies during the warmer periods during the week.  I desperately wanted to get out of work on Thursday to fish, but there were some complex problems at work that required me to be here.  So, I waited until Saturday.

The weather wasn't as nice on Saturday, but it was close to 50F, a bit breezy, and mostly sunny.  I decided to head to Otter Creek, which I hadn't fished since opening day.  It's been a few years since Otter Creek shut me out for a season, and I wanted one last chance at the browns in the river there.  To be honest, I'm not sure if I caught a brown this season.

I got to Belden Falls just after lunchtime, and I was told that there had been 15 or so fly fishermen in the area just a couple hours earlier.  But, a quick check showed that the water I wanted to fish was open, so I geared up and hiked for a few minutes.

I had a few quick strikes, but couldn't seem to hook anything.  I was fishing a white woolly bugger and a Prince nymph trailer.  I was guessing the missed strikes were coming on the trailing fly, but I couldn't be sure without catching one.  Finally, a fish managed to hit the fly and hook himself.  I was surprised to see that it was a rainbow:



The fish had indeed taken the Prince Nymph and not my woolly bugger.  I fished for another hour or so at Belden with a few more strikes but no more hookups.  From there, I traveled back to Middlebury to the lower dam.  Two other fishermen were leaving as I arrived, but they had no waders, so I was guessing they hadn't fished the water I wanted to fish.  Regretfully, it didn't seem to matter, as I came up empty in the two main spots I'd wanted to fish.

I was now stripping the woolly buggers, trying to provoke browns to strike, and my hands were getting wet and cold.  About 15 minutes before sunset, I'd had enough and I headed back to Middlebury for a beer at Two Brothers.

I only got one fish, but it was better than nothing at all the last time I was out.  It is also rare for me to catch rainbows in the Otter, so that was an interesting change.

It is quite possible that I'm now done fishing for the season.  But, on Sunday, it's supposed to be sunny with temperatures close to 50F.  Maybe I'll give the White River or the Winooski one more shot this season.