12/8/14 frostbite river fishing updated 10/31/2017

[bagman]

based on the data from last year and this I think it would be foolish for the sate to continue to use our funding and license fees to continue this study

[riverrunner]

It's a study over a period of time. The biologist have to continue the study until it is finished. Can't bail out with it not being completed because the results might be skewed. When the study is done the answers should be answered. . . not a bunch of what if's, or what could have happened/been done

[Matt]

Was his fly reel spooled with mono? If so I've seen him. Raking and lifting the tailout. There will be more of this because its become acceptable "fishing" in NY. Haven't fished upstream and haven't been there in over a week. Did my damage early with snow on the ground and nobody around. Matt are you keeping track of finclips> left rear are Chambers creek and right rear are Magog. I have not caught a Magog fish yet and others I have talked to are having the same results. Which basically tells me the 10'000 Magog fish stocked are unsuccessful. If they go full Chambers creek the run should be way better. Are you listening Brian Chipman? Matt congratulations on a beautiful fish. Hopefully many more to come. Did you ever hear what happened to our Winooski snagger? We should hook up (no pun intended) sometime

No it wasn't him but I know who you are talking about. I haven't checked all fish but I do remember two unclipped fish down low. I will go through some pics but early assessment tells me very few Magog fish which is too bad. They thought they might perform better but it doesn't seem to be the case. I don't really think Magog fish get that big either....Willoughby river is 90% cookie cutters IMO. Only time will tell and we can only hope to see better returns in the future. As for the snagger - I ran into him at the hatchery during the Winter. He was all huffy and puffy and I told him if he didn't snag he wouldn't have anything to worry about. Got mad when I told him he was standing on top of fish and then proceeded to ask for my help in catching them the right way. Told him id be happy to help.

Seems like the Lewis run is ending fast. Fish are dropping back and should be feeding aggressively. Just have to find them pooled up in between drops. I won't have the time to really chase them again in Lewis because of work but I bet there are still quite a few around. Good timing since the NEK runs just started days ago. Weather isn't looking good though. Thanks for the grats and keep in touch. I must have missed you at Lewis everytime I went.

[fishy1]

a freinds son with a nice 27 inch spawned out female.

[fishy1]

matt recognize this fish. one lamprey mark and a spawned out female.

[fishy1]

fished for awhile this morning in a champlain tributary and sight fished only 3 small steelhead so im guessing the spawn is over and they have left for the lake. i did hook in to a nice brown though . will be waiting impatiently for the fall run of salmon and browns though. i didnt put much effort into steelhead fishing this spring because of the salmon being on fire in the lake.

[fishfarmer]

I found a dead steelhead up in Lewis Creek yesterday while harassing the bass.

It was a right ventral clip and about 16" long, had one healed lamprey scar and what looked like bird talon holes in its side.

[fishy1]

I found a dead steelhead up in Lewis Creek yesterday while harassing the bass.

It was a right ventral clip and about 16" long, had one healed lamprey scar and what looked like bird talon holes in its side.

i found 3 dead steelhead 2 weeks ago in a stream where vt matt caught the 32 inch steelie. then vt matt came back last weekend and said he saw another rolling over and trying to survive. cant figure out what is happening if its bad handling of catch and release or coming down from the falls. we sure would like to know.

[fishy1]

anyone fishing the rivers at all for trout?

[Matt]

I was out on Saturday and landed a few wild brookies and rainbows in some skinny water. Checked the upper Winooski later on and the water temp was already 72! Sunday was supposed to be lake fishing for warmwater species but the rain canceled that. Now I'm waiting for good water.

[fishy1]

with all the great reports on champlain hasnt anyone got any for the rivers. has to be some fly guys out there.

[fishy1]

well my first trip to the champlain tributaries for salmon and browns was a bust. 3 hours fishing a deep hole and only 1 hit. threw an assortment of swimbaits with 3 or 4 different colors but nothing seemed to entice them. i sight fished at least 6 or 7 and saw at least 4 rise. saw one salmon caught in the 5lb range and that was when i was leaving. the fisherman wasnt there 10 minutes walked out in the middle of the river with his fly pole and fish on. it was a joy for me just to see the fish fight and the man didnt have a net. a good performance and fun to see. going back this weekend.

[Matt]

Chilly morning turned into some HOT action for the day. 7 nice big, wild browns today....love it!


Heres a link to the pictures http://imgur.com/a/9UvpT

[fishy1]

awsome matt. hopefully ill get into them this weekend going to move up river. i know where your going maybe you can join me next week.

[Gecha (Gerry)]

Chilly morning turned into some HOT action for the day. 7 nice big, wild browns today....love it!
Heres a link to the pictures http://imgur.com/a/9UvpT

Great pics Matt. Beautiful colors. Thanks for sharing.