Angling Publications - Index

Angling Publications - may2008 - Index

LAWTON WEBBER PHOTOS
wild rainbow population from being muddied with hatchery genetics.
The next dam downstream is the Middlesex Dam, and like all the
other dams on the mainstem Winooski it’s a “run of the river” dam
with no bottom releases of cold water. Below the Middlesex dam
downstream through the town of Waterbury is where you’re likely
to run into another angler on the weekends and in the evening. The
water here is mostly classic, large freestone water, with bigger riffles
and runs piling into large ledgerock pools. Some of these pools are over
12 feet deep, which affords larger trout a sanctuary during winter and
in times of heat stress. The Mad River enters the Winooski less than a
half mile from the Middlesex Dam, and is a significant trout stream
in its own right, receiving generous stockings of rainbows, with more
wild fish in the stretches above the village of Waitsfield.
There are a few rainbows stocked in the Winooski from Middlesex
Dam down to the town of Waterbury (1,100 total in 2007), but wild
rainbows make up the majority of fish caught here. There are very few
wild browns in this stretch, but those that are caught tend to be larger
(13- to 21-inch average). In the town of Waterbury you’ll find the
Winooski’s Trophy Trout Zone. From the Route 2 bridge downstream
to the Bolton Dam, the Winooski is stocked annually with over 1,000
2- to 3-year-old rainbows running 15 to 19 inches, a few of which top
three pounds, plus about 500 2- to 3-year-old browns that run a tad
smaller. These fish are stocked around May 1.
In Vermont terms, there is quite a bit of fishing pressure through
Waterbury, as anglers of all types look for these fish, but when compared
to other famous “big stocked trout waters” like the Beaverkill or West
Branch of the Ausable, the pressure is light and the river is bigger. There
are also wild rainbows and browns in this stretch, which make up the
majority of the catch after July when all the trophy trout have either been
caught or have died from heat stress. Waterbury, by the way, is a great
place to base yourself when fishing the Winooski and its tributaries.
Just downstream from Waterbury the Winooski gets a shot of
much-needed cold water from its tailwater tributary, the Little River.
The Little itself is not a highly regarded fishery, as the flow regime is
a feast-or-famine proposition. At flow it runs at 440 to 480 c.f.s., but
during low-flow periods it can drop to as little as 10 to 15 c.f.s. The
real benefit for the Winooski is that high flows on the Little drop the
Winooski’s temperature to about 60 degrees F. from Bolton Dam 15
miles downstream to the town of Richmond. The Little River flow
regime is being re-evaluated by state and federal regulators, and it is
expected that the low baseline flow will be raised, and the ramping up
to high flows will be extended to a more natural river level rise rather
than the mini tidal wave that comes down it now.
From Bolton Dam down to Richmond is big water, usually running
from 250 to 900 c.f.s. during its most fishable times of year. The
rainbows in this stretch are all wild, and no stocking has occurred since
1991. There are also a few wild brown trout, but the river is stocked
with 2,800 9- to 11-inch browns each spring. Despite the bigger water,
the trout average 7 to 14 inches, about the same as other reaches of the
river. There are, however, some rainbows and browns that reach into
the low 20s, though most of the browns over 20 inches are caught by
spin and bait anglers. Every big run/pool will hold at least one fish over
14 inches, but it’s big water, and these larger trout have an abundance
of larger prey items like sculpins, fallfish and crayfish to chase after.
Many of these fish do a great deal of their feeding at night during the
summer months when water temps are at their coolest and larger prey
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