The Zug Tug

Late May into mid June and late August into late September afford even the less skilled nymph anglers the opportunity to catch trout aggressively chasing fast swimming Isonychia nymphs.

I do not profess to be the most competent of nymph anglers. My dry fly affliction is such that the fine art of fishing the sunken fly have largely escaped me. I will happily swing a wet fly through riffled waters or skate a caddis in the expectation of picking up a fish or two. These are techniques well within my comfort zone. My efforts at euronymphing were half hearted and very brief. My shoulder hurt and I wondered if I couldn't just use a spin fishing rig and do just as well. I do pick up the occasional trout by just fishing it in a variety of ways that cannot not be called thoughtful or systematic at all. I keep telling myself I can and will do better. I even tied up some Waltz Worms on the recommendation of Battenkill aficionado Jim Clune. He's a fine angler with a full bag of tricks.

There are two times during the year, however, when my nymphing game rises to the level of reasonable competence. In late May and then again in Late August Isonychia nymphs begin swimming to shore or midstream rocks (what few there are on the 'kill) to crawl out of the water and escape their nymphal shucks much like a stonefly. These chestnut colored nymphs are very fast swimmers and move through the water with ease. Imitations of this bug will trigger aggressive strikes from trout if they are fished in the proper manner.

My technique is pretty simple. I seek out riffled water, preferably in a shaded area and a couple feet deep. I cast either directly across or down and across at an angle and begin my retrieve immediately. The retrieve is done with a series of short tugs that move the fly through the water quickly, just as the natural does. If a trout wants it, there will be little question. Even a small fish will slam the fly and generally hook itself.

I like to make a couple casts in a given spot then take a step or two downstream and continue the process all the way through the riffle I happen to be fishing. A more sophisticated technique has been employed by Peter Basta, who has guided clients on the Battenkill for years. He likes to position his sports along the edge of the stream and have them cast towards the middle and then retrieve towards shore. This makes a lot of sense and I have certainly mimicked this approach. The idea is that the bugs are moving towards shore and the trout are there along the edges waiting to pounce. It certainly works, but I do pretty well standing in mid stream where I can work a bit more water. Varying your position and placement of your fly helps.

The window of opportunity for these two periods is about 3 - 4 weeks so about May 20 - June 10 or so and then again around August 20 - Sept 15. Fishing in this manner even after the bugs have largely hatched out will still work since the fish are keyed in on them already. For flies I simply use a bead head zug bug in a 12 during the spring season and a 14 for the late summer iteration. This seems to be most effective during the morning hours. It's an enjoyable and active way to fish nymphs and definitely brings results. Give it a try and I am sure you too will feel the tug!

River Report

There are a variety of bugs active at the present time. Besides the Isonychia mentioned above, anglers can expect to see March Browns, sulphurs in a variety of sizes (14-18), tan caddis in about a 16 and the blue sedge caddis in about a 14 (these are the caddis you will have crawling up your legs in the evenings). A dark colored wet fly fished in the film will work well for this emergence. You will likely see flights of yellow sally stoneflies. These don't attract fish on top but a dead drifted yellow stonefly nymph in a 14 or 16 works well in riffled water. Spinner falls have been very important. Put your trust in rusty spinners that are sparsely tied. Refer to the Battenkill Flats in my book (a fly originated by the late Dudley Soper). Tied in a variety of sizes and colors to imitate the prevailing spinner falls will work out well.

Thankfully, we got some rain overnight and the river is now at 755 and still going up. The median flow is 626 so we are back above the norm after a few days of fairly low water for this time of year. It will be a streamer anglers paradise today and tomorrow. The next week looks seasonable with cool nights and comfortable days. Fishing conditions should be excellent for the foreseeable future.