The Battenkill is an iconic and often frustrating trout stream. It’s a gorgeous river with a healthy population of wild trout, but it has had its ups and downs over the years. Doug Lyons is a lifetime Battenkill expert who knows the river perhaps better . . .
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Phil’s Top 10 Dry Flies for Mountain Streams
In late summer, many of the valley rivers in Southwestern Vermont get low and warm. That’s when I head for the hills, by which I mean the Green Mountains. This beautiful stretch of the Appalachians is veined by tumbling freestone streams that are home . . .
Read MoreStory and Photos: Just What the Doctor Ordered
One August afternoon several years ago, I returned to my desk at Orvis HQ to find that my neighbor, Tom Rosenbauer, was missing. Taped to the back of his chair was a hand-scrawled sign that said, “At an appointment with Doctor Triceau.” Once I . . .
Read MoreClassic Story: The Trout Stream That No One Else Wanted
With a sparsely attended Catholic church at one end and a Taco Bell at the other, Benmont Avenue is representative of the hard times that have befallen many American mill towns. This is not the scenic Vermont of postcards, but instead a hardscrabble . . .
Read MoreStory and Photos: You Never Forget Your First Love
The first brook trout I ever saw was about three inches long, little bigger than a baitfish really. But the memory of that vision—of that glittering flash of color and light—remains sharply etched in my . . .
Read MoreClassic Story: “Taking Your Chances” with Brown Trout
This is the picture I should have been posting, but alas I didn’t “take my chance” when it
presented itself. So I must be content with this imaginary brown trout.
Photo-illustration by James Daley
In this country, the phrase “to take your chances” usually means to try something that may end up being a disaster—as in “You’re taking your chances driving on those bald tires.” But across. . .
Read MoreNew TU Program Aims to Restore the Battenkill to Former Glory
Fickle anglers are known to say, “Fishing sure isn’t what it used to be,” as soon as they notice their catch rates starting to suffer on their favorite river. These observations from veteran anglers often turn out . . .
Read MoreClassic Story and Photos: Fly-Fishing for Monsters
The bowfin is an indiscriminate predator. It seems all mouth, when viewed from the front,
and its conical teeth would do a number on your skin.
Photo by Phil Monahan
The first time I ever heard of bowfin was about seven years ago, when I was ice-fishing for pike on Lake Champlain with a couple of friends from Orvis—I didn’t work here yet—and a few of. . .
Read MorePhotos of the Day: A Vermont Brook Trout Patchwork
The many patterns and colors of wild Vermont brookies are amazing to behold in this fashion.
Images by Jason Gragen
Jason Gragen is a Vermont angler who lives just over the mountains from Orvis HQ, and he posts beautiful images of brook trout to our Facebook page pretty regularly. This weekend, he. . .
Read MoreTrout Bum of the Week LXVII: Phoebe Bean
Phoebe Bean with a gorgeous Bitterroot brown caught last fall.
Photo courtesy Fiona Bean
Phoebe Bean was an intern here at Orvis in the fall or 2014, and she has written a bunch of posts for this blog. (Scroll to the bottom for a full list.) As you’ll read, she caught the fly-fishing bug. . .
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