Road Trip! Northern Vermont

After only using my Vermont fishing license once last year, I vowed to myself that I would make it up there at least more than that this year, so north Dave did venture. I knew conditions would be tough, given the drought the northeast has been experiencing for the past 6 weeks or so; the rivers would be low. I decided that my best chance for luck would be to head for a big watershed. The mountain and feeder tribs would be a trickle this time of year. So, Saturday morning I decided the Winooski river would be my destination. I also wanted to check out the Dog and Mad rivers, feeders to the Winooski, since they are pretty highly regarded as trout fisheries and supposedly ran through some beautiful country.

The Winooski is a large watershed, by Vermont standards. Fed by many feeder streams, it flows east and eventually spills into Lake Champlain in northern Vermont. It runs through Montpelier(the state capitol), Waterbury and finally Burlington/Winooski. I checked my guide books and my topo maps and finally settled upon fishing the river in the area adjacent to the small town of Duxbury.


It took me awhile to find a likely looking spot. Lots of dead looking water to my eye. I pulled over to an area that had a good amount of current, spilling into a deep ledgy hole. Suited up, ready to fish. I get down to my hole and cross at the tail. I take the water temp.... 72 degrees. Not looking good, but what the heck, I drove all this way, might as well wet a line.

I tie on a double rig: Red Fox Squirrel nymph and a small Pheasant Tail. First cast in a fast run.. drift drift drift.... boom! What a hit! After a short battle, I land a beauty of a rainbow. Not really big, but I'll take it. It beats the skunk in a hurry. Usually, catching a fish in the first few casts is a major jinx for me, so I was not overly enthused just yet. Second cast... drift drift drift.... nothing.... yet.... swing... boom! Another rainbow! Hey, maybe this Winooski is not bad afterall!


Well, the action DID slowdown after a short while. Newbie's luck, perhaps. But I did end up with 1 other out of that hole and lost a bigger one (of course). Not bad for 3pm on a hot summer day.

When the day was done, I ended up with 5 rainbows, a brown, 1 salmon parr, 2 micro-bass, and about 30 chubs.

I will take that anyday.

Stayed overnight in Montpelier at a skanky Economy Hotel. Wandered downtown and pulled up a bar stool at McGillicuddy's. Watched the Sox get blown out. Thank God for Bass ale and cheeseburgers.

Day 2 started off promising. Heavy skies, overcast, rain imminent. Took off for the Dog river which was just a few miles up the road from the EconoHell. Not a lot of access, or water. Next destination, the New Haven river, a tributary to Otter Creek, which again eventually flows into Lake Champlain.


After going over 2 mountain passes, I found myself at the upper end of the New Haven river. This is a small stream stretch that flows down from the mountains. I pull over just upstream of Bristol, VT and find some nice looking pocket water. In my 2 recent trips to Vt, I didn't land a single brookie, which this state is famous for. That personal drought would end here. The fishing wasn't great, but I did manage 2 beautiful mountain brookies, and also a wild brown that ended up being the fish of the day at 10 inches. Not quantity, but quality. Not just the fish, but being in solitude on a beautiful mountain stream, all to myself, in the pouring rain. It was a perfect brook trout kinda day.

Sometimes I get disappointed if I don't land a big fish. Not today. Today, I took what the river chose to give me and it gave me jewels speckled in blue and red, painted on a canvas of olive, black and fiery orange.