This past February was like no other that I can remember. In Vermont, we are typically a block of ice and snow. The skiing is great and the ice is a foot or more thick on ponds and lakes. Fly fishing rivers is generally out of the question as they are always closed up tight with ice. The only time we had an average temperature was when the thermometer was moving from one extreme temp to another. Snow was mostly confined to the mountains. It rained most of the time as we had more days than not in the mid to upper 40’s. To end the month in the mid to upper 50’s.
These extremes made for questionable ice all winter long on still water. While rivers have remained mostly free of ice, so fishing them has remained open with comfortable temps and some good catch days.
We actually got 6 inches of snow on this first day of spring. The forecast is for more chances of snow through the weekend with highs only in the 30’s. Rivers are in good shape. Temps on the big rivers are in the low 40’s. Flows are good which has been great for the anticipation of a good run of lake Champlain steelhead to start their spawning migration Rivers will remain in good shape during this time with no limited precipitation predicted.
March is the month we start to target steelhead. Their run is from late February to mid April. With no ice and snow to deter you from going after them, this could be a great year with higher success rates. Some of our guides have already been scouting and picking up a couple.
We would love to get you started chasing spring steelhead or help you become more successful when chasing the ol chrome dome.