An Apology

So the other night I put up a post that was over the top. I was fired up and excited after landing my two largest carp to date. I wrote a few things that were really too much. I definitely came across as a pompous ass. For that I apologize.

I also want to let all my readers know that while I am one of the only guides that fly fishes on Lake Champlain at this point, I don’t feel that I am the only good guide in Vermont and certainly not the only guide who can put people on big fish. I know that there are many excellent guides in this area and I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge some of the other guys that do an amazing job around here. I guide trout on occasion but these guys are the ones you really want to talk to if you are in this area and wanting to match the hatch or chase wild trout.

Jesse Haller and Wes Butler at the Middlebury Mountaineerare both fanatic bug chuckers that know the waters around Lower Otter Creek like few others. If you are looking for a guide in the Vergennes to Rutland area you want to talk to these guys. They are both very good instructors and are true professionals on the water. They are also great with getting folks into pike and bass on the Creek.

Chris Lynch and Mike Kontos run the Green Mountain Troutfitters in Jeffersonville and guide for the Inn at Essex, the only Orvis Endorsed Lodge in Vermont. These guys know the Lamoille and Winooski intimately and routinely put their clients on gorgeous trout on these rivers and their tribs. They are also super bass guides and have a lot of ponds and lakes in their neck of the woods that give up some huge largemouth and smallies (and some big pickerel too!)

It goes without saying that Lawton Webber of Pleasant Valley Fly Fishing is “Mr. Trout” in Vermont. He wrote the book on it as a matter of fact. There are few guides in this state that have the encyclopedic knowledge of salmonids in the Green Mountain State like Lawton. From the Upper Connecticut to Central Vermont to down south, there are few places in the state that Lawton hasn’t guided successfully. To top that off, he is one of the most outspoken advocates for trout conservation in Vermont.

If you are heading into the northern Adirondacks, definitely look up Vince Wilcox at Wiley’s Flies. Vince is a signature tyer for Idlewylde flies and has been fishing the waters in Northern New York since he was a kid. His track record for putting folks on wild trout in the Adirondacks is impressive to say the least. He also spends a lot of time chasing bass and pike on some unpressured rivers in his region. He also has a great shop in Rainbow Lake that is worth the drive from Saranac Lake. (I also think he has a great taste in music).

All of these folks I know well and I have worked with. I think if you were to look any of them up you would get a high level of professionalism and have a great time on the water with them. I would also like to say that if you do book a day with me for the species that I target I will do my utmost to make sure that you have a fantastic day on the water too. I am more than willing to share testimonials and provide contacts with previous clients to anyone who wants to know what time on the water with me is like. I want to make sure that you come away from a day on the water with me a better angler, be it new techniques, skills, or species you haven’t caught before.

Finally, there are a lot of excellent guides across the country that chase many of the species that I target in Vermont. I know a few personally and please feel free to ask me for suggestions when you head out. Another great place to look for guides is the listings of Orvis Endorsed Guides. As many of you know I am a huge fan of Orvis gear and these guides match the quality of the awesome equipment that Orvis is known for.