Jess and I got back over to Vermont for the Stowe Food & Wine Festival this past weekend.  We had an amazing time trying local cuisine, wine, and beers from the area.  The Stowe Valley is home to Stowe Ski Resort and Smugglers Notch.  There is also some solid trout fishing.

I got up one morning to hit up a local river, the Lamoille, before the heat and humidity put the fish down.  The Lamoille meanders through the valley like a giant spring creek with long runs and not many pools.  I landed a dozen in about an hour.  A team of wet flies, a Picket Pinn and a Mini-Muddler, working down stream and a 16 high-vis Adams back upstream did trick.  All the fish were rainbows in the 10-14”.

After that it was time for the festival hosted at the Von Trapp Family Lodge.  Great cooks and local brew masters provided amazing food and beverage the entire afternoon.  To wrap up the day, I took Jess back for an evening session on the Lamoille.   Since my 4wt is in the rod shop, we split time on my 6wt landing around another dozen between us; however, I didn’t mind one bit.  Jess doesn’t get out fishing with me too much, but she did an amazing job fixing her cast, working the flies, and landing half a dozen fish.  I think she will start coming out on the river more often now.  It was great to see her light up and yell that she had a fish on.  I find it more enjoyable to help someone catch a fish on the fly then catch one myself.

The next day we hiked a remote mountain stream called Stevenson Brook.  It is a small tributary of the Waterbury Reservoir.  The stream is tucked away in the woods, and has many broken pockets and plunge pools.  There were small brookies behind almost every pocket.  The real surprise was the decent size rainbow that fought through several pools.  We finished the day off with trips to the Fiddlehead and Alchemist breweries on our way back to the Adirondacks.  Another great trip to Vermont.