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Best bets around the state
Vermont's trout season begins in just six days, and Friday the weather forecast for opening day called for scattered showers and a high temperature of about 50.
Opening day conditions are expected to be actually fairly decent this year -- with little snowpack left in the state. High water in rivers and streams could prove most troublesome, but dry weather later this week could bring down the levels on swollen streams.
Traditional best bets for early season trout fishing include the Willoughby, Barton and Black rivers in the Northeast Kingdom, and the Williams, Saxtons rivers and Mill Brook in southern Vermont.
The Mettawee is perhaps the best spot in southern Vermont, largely because of its ability to produce wild rainbow trout. The lower Castleton and upper Poultney rivers are good early-season bets for brown trout.
Gearing up: It's tiny, light and casts well; whether it catches fish is up to you
At first blush, the Compact Pen-Sized Collapsible Fishing Rod and Reel from gofastandlight.com looks like something Ron Popeil would hawk on an infomercial. Though it costs about the same as the Pocket Fisherman (Pocket Fisherman is $20; Pen-Sized Collapsible is $19, including a choice of reels: spin, fly or casting), this tiny gizmo might really have some backpacking applications. We took it along on a six-mile hike into the Echo Lake chain and cast it a few times. It fits quite nicely into a pack, and the rod expands to 36 inches. It weighs only 2 ounces (about the same as nine quarters, according to a news release). Granted, this isn't something you're going to use at a Bassmaster's fishing derby, but its compact size and light weight underscore the company name: Go Fast and Light. Did we catch anything with it yet? Well, uh, no.
Cyber-trip pioneer towns and mountains in southeast Idaho
You could be sitting in a boat right now, trying to outwit a trophy-size cutthroat trout or just relaxing and enjoying the scenery surrounding mile-high Bear Lake in Idaho's southeast corner. It's just one of the many attractions in an area that some travelers might overlook on their dash to more northerly parts.
Bear Lake www.bearlake.org offers a little of everything from fishing and sailing in the summer to skiing in the winter. Click on "Spring/Summer/Fall Activities" to look up fishing and see just how big those trout can get, and check out hiking trails, caves, camping and water sports. We're too late for Raspberry Days, Aug. 3-5, but you could file it away for next summer. And whether you travel with a tent and sleeping bag, a camper trailer or just suitcases, there are plenty of places around the lake to spend your nights.
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