Cool nights have brought the water temps back down to decent levels so we are seeing some more trout activity.
White mayflies (“Ephoron leukon” for you Latin lovers) are hatching now. These are evening hatching insects so 6 PM to 9 PM is best time to fish them. Try them in a size 14 hook. Three tails. White thorax. This is a burrowing nymph that lives in the sand and silt bottom of the stream bed. The nymphs rise quickly to the surface and emerge as a dun and fly off. The male duns quickly molt and come back over the water to mate with the female mayflies carrying their yellow egg sacks (females don’t molt). Unlike other mayfly species, Ephoron leukon emerges, mates, lays their eggs and dies all in the same night. This mayfly hatch usually lasts for 2-3 weeks. Although you might try nymph patterns, why bother when a dry fly will work (don’t forget spinner patterns for the post-mating carnage as spent, floating white mayflies lie on the surface of the river). If you aren’t tying your own flies try these patterns: White Wulff, Light Cahill and Cream Variant. SAFETY NOTE: Be sure to have a good head lamp for fishing the twilight hours.
Smallmouth fishing remains good on the Connecticut River and local lakes/ponds. Here’s a picture of Dave and Ben with a nice Smallie from Lake Sunapee.
Sunapee Smallie
USGS Streamflow Map
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Ron – Took your advice and headed up to the upper White and its tribs. Lots-o-rainbow trout as I’m sure you know, a couple of which probably were pushing 10″; not too shabby for small stream trout. Water temp. was around 58 and took just about everything on a Stimulator. I could easily see myself spending a day there… Seth
Temp update:
Sugar River is 73 degrees today, and the Mascoma River is 78 degrees.
Anyone hear about the huge mayfly hatch on the Conn River bridge going to Charleston NH? I guess it was huge, cars skidding
off the road, a motorcycle dumped, they had to sand the bridge.
White Mayflys were 7″ deep in a nearby boat landing according to police in the paper. My friend drove thru it and the back tires slid.
9pm. Amazing
Kathy – sounds about right. They hatch in LARGE numbers in August. If you don’t already have one check out Tom Ames’ Hatch Guide for more info. on this fly, and all the others that we fish with here in VT & NH. It is a must have for every fly fisher! – Ron
[img]http://www.hanoveroutdoors.com/uploads/Aug 7 2010 005.jpg[/img]
Nice Rainbow caught this morning in Vermont , can’t remember the lake : )
I took Greg Sullivan (Dartmouth ’84) on his first Vermont brook trout fishing expedition yesterday. Water was 60 degrees. I tied on a orange stimulator, size 14, to start and Greg caught several nice brookies. The fly got slimmed and watered logged so I switched over to a Lime Trude, which also produced several beautiful brookies.
The White in bethel is smoking after 7:30 pm- light cahill 14 and the light cahill parachute.Largest landed 16in had other good hook ups and then unhook(fishing).Off to AK
I was on Mascoma Lake last night and noticed that the cinnamon ant hatch is on. Ron noticed them on the White River as well. This is a good time to take a begginer out to the lake to catch white perch – they are readily taking ants, they fight hard, and if you like to eat fish, it does not get much better than white perch. Evenings are your best bet for fishing the ant hatch.