By Lawrence Pyne, for the Free Press

June may be national dairy month, but in Vermont it could just as easily be dedicated to our fly-fishing heritage. This is the month when it all comes together for fans of the long rod.


Water temperatures and river flows are ideal for fly fishing; insect activity on ponds and streams is at its annual peak; and long evenings provide plenty of opportunities to cast a fly, even after a full day’s work.

Dry-fly fishing in particular can be excellent. June marks the transition from dark mayflies that hatch during spring afternoons, such as the March Browns now coming off many Vermont rivers, to the light-colored mayflies that hatch during early summer evenings, notably Pale Evening Duns and Sulphurs. Caddisflies also begin hatching in earnest on waters across Vermont, and even stoneflies such as the Yellow Sally add to the buggy potpourri that has trout looking to the surface for their next meal.


On more productive streams, it’s not unusual to see several major hatches in the course of a single June day. When in doubt, try an Adams or an Elk Hair Caddis, which work just about everywhere in Vermont.


Unfortunately, stream-hopping fly rodders also need to keep a sharp eye out for Vermont’s newest invasive species. Didymo, or “rock snot,” has been found in the Connecticut, White, and Batten Kill rivers, and anglers who do not clean their equipment after fishing infested waters can inadvertently spread the single-celled alga to other rivers.


If you see didymo, or are fishing a river known to have didymo, thoroughly clean your waders and everything else that comes in contact with the water, including boat hulls if float-fishing, with hot, soapy water; soft, absorbent items, such as felt wader soles, should be soaked an additional 30 minutes. Dry everything for 48 hours before using them on another river or stream.


And don’t forget to take a non-angler with you Saturday during “Free Fishing Day” in Vermont. Spread fishing, not didymo.
Champlain Valley

Bass season opens Saturday, and anglers seeking largemouths and smallmouths on Lake Champlain will find conditions in a state of flux.

On Missisquoi Bay and the Inland Sea, most bass should still be on their spawning beds, according to Capt. Gilly Gagner of Bronzeback Guide Service (868-4465), who has recently enjoyed double-digit days throwing tubes and stickbaits. The lake has dropped and cleared up significantly, he said, which makes sight-fishing for bedded bass particularly productive.


On the Broad Lake, however, many smallmouths are still in a pre-spawn mode. Look for schools on rocky points and shoals near deep, cold water.


But on the South Lake, most largemouths have finished spawning and can be found actively feeding on 5- to 10-foot-deep flats near shallow embayments.


Elsewhere in the valley, trout anglers are doing well on streams draining the Green Mountains, such as the New Haven and Neshobe rivers, as well as the lower Middlebury, which was recently stocked with large, surplus brood fish from the Salisbury hatchery.
Northeast Kingdom

Northeastern Vermont is renowned for its fine small-stream fishing, but it is also blessed with numerous small brook trout ponds. Now is the time to hit these clear, cold gems, according to Chris Raymond at the Village Sport Shop in Lyndonville.

“With the warm weather, the ponds should really be picking up,” he said.

High on Raymond’s list of still-waters is a quartet of prolific ponds in Westmore and Newark: Long, Bald Hill, Jobs, and Center. All have state boat access areas and can be fished from a canoe.

Rising water temperatures has the fishing picking up on the region’s larger trout rivers, such as the lower Passumpsic River and the Connecticut River above Bloomfield, Raymond said, while fast action for smallmouths can be had on Moore Dam and Comerford reservoirs.

Raymond’s favorite dry flies for June trout fishing in the Kingdom are a Cream Wulff and the timeless Black Gnat.
Central Vermont

The Winooski River from Bolton upstream to Middlesex has produced consistently good trout fishing the last two weeks, and Bob Shannon at the Fly Rod Shop in Stowe doesn’t expect that will change anytime soon.

“Water levels are good, hatches are really starting to get going, and the warm weather should only help fire things up,” he said.

The Lamoille has been “up and down,” he added, both in terms of water levels and fish activity, while the Gihon River in Johnson has produced “spectacular fishing” for both wild and stocked brookies, browns, and rainbows.

Some good trout been caught in the main stem of the White River, but visiting anglers should know that didymo is widespread from Bethel downstream to Royalton.
Southern Vermont

Southwestern Vermont’s two largest waters are well known for their bass fishing, and rightly so, but Lakes St. Catherine and Bomoseen also yield some very nice brown trout, thanks in large part to recent stockings of 2-year-old “trophy trout” and surplus brood fish.

Lake Bomoseen in particular has produced some big browns in recent weeks, including a gorgeous 6-pounder that was caught by a neophyte troller using two colors of lead-core line, according to Rob Steele at Tom’s Bait and Tackle in Bomoseen.

The stream fishing has also been very good, Steele said, with the Poultney River from Poultney upstream to Middletown Springs producing many stocked brook trout.