We are a month into the season since the trout opener in April. What started out as an early spring following a mild winter, the later part of April and early May were cool and below normal temps. Spring definately slowed down till just the last few days. Our water conditions have been excellent for this time of year due to the below normal precipitation this spring. Median flows in most streams have been 60 % of normal till just lately. Rain events on 4/24,5,2,and 5/6 have brought water levels up but only unfishable for a day after the rain. All good !

While I have done some trips since the opener I have had some time to fish and scout myself. Also I have been getting caught up on projects at home which once the season gets going I will not have any time to do. I did have a great afternoon in the lower NY Kill 3rd week in April where I was fishing an area that was one of my primary haunts as a kid. Hendricksons and Blue Quils were coming off sporadically and only the rare splashy rise. I decided to first go through swinging a Hendrickson nymph and olive caddis trailer. Several good pulls and a nice hook up with a 16-17 Brown, however he shook off after a minute. This was repeated again further down and this fish I landed, a beautiful 19 inch female. This stetch is far away from stock points and rarely holds stockies. This was true 50 years ago and is the same today. Took a break and just sat waiting for the surface to get more active but the three fish I saw earlier I hooked 2. Decided to make one more pass, this time fishing a streamer. No pulls or hits till I got almost half way down (this is a big pool). I knew immediately that this was a big fish by the Kill standards. A couple of head shakes deep and then off to the races down the pool once into the backing. I was sure glad I ws fishing 1X tippet. Aftr 10-15 minutes he was begining to tire but still a botttom hugger. Finally I got him on top on his side and sliding toward the net, only to have the hook pull within a foot of the net. A beautiful Hooked Jaw male, definately in the 26 "+ range. It was great !!!!

Back to the report. Stream stocking really picked up the last week of April and first week of May. In VT the Wallomsac got its first stocking in the trophy stretch on the 25th April and yearlings on the May 6th. The Black got 500 Rainbows in the Trophy Stretch the first week of May. As othe 10th of May the Kill and Mettawee in NY have been both been stocked. We are pretty much done with Hendricksons and I am just starting to see Cahills and more and more caddis.This evening I was fishing small water near home and around 7:00 p.m there wer tons of spinners mostly from Blue Quills and a few Hendricksons. It was so neat just to observe. I was successful on the only rising fish where this was happening.