When Trout Waters Turn Warm, Carpe Diem

We all know the phrase carpe diem (Latin: ‘pluck the day’ or ’seize the day’): the Roman poet Horace used it to express the notion that one should enjoy life while one can. I mention this because I could relate to this phrase during a time when I was trying to figure out trout fishing when water temperatures turned warm. 

An unexpected lesson and an unlikely fish helped me realize what I need to do and look for to continue having that same feeling when I catch my beloved trout. Though trout are abundant in waters all throughout the country and are great entry fish for new anglers, they still present enough of a challenge and excitement because there’s so much to consider (in this case, water temperature) when trying to find and land them.

As the dog days of summer arrive, when trout waters turn warm and are running low, you know it’s time to switch up our trout fishing game. So why should you listen to me about trout fishing? Here’s why: My name is John Rogers, a fourth-generation fly fishing expert, and enthusiast based in Vermont. I act as a fishing guide with Vermont Flyfishers, which offers fishing excursions and charters around Southern Vermont and Eastern New York. For over 40 years, I have dedicated my time as an angler fishing for trout. I’ve traversed the globe chasing these wonderful creatures in some of the most beautiful, remote, and pristine destinations — to say I’m a bit of a trout snob is an understatement. I’ve seen and caught them all, from brook trout and rainbow trout to cutthroat trout. But this summer, my eyes were opened to a game fish worthy of praise and respect.  

Looking for Trout, Discovered Carp

Southern Vermont saw the worst drought conditions I can recall in my 20-plus years of living and fishing in this area. In a certain year, by mid-July, I was not feeling great about pressuring trout in the main branches of our primary rivers, given these extreme warm conditions and water temperatures. It definitely wasn’t trout season. The effects of climate change and many other factors, without a doubt, transformed some of my favorite fishing spots I thought I had come to know.

Earlier that year, I had befriended a young man who was from Georgia. While an accomplished fly fisherman and used to fishing in warm water temperatures, he had never caught trout. While out teaching him the ways of trout fishing, he started telling me about warm water fishing back home in Georgia for common carp (Cyprinus carpio). That’s right, this kid, while walking some of the most revered trout beats in North America, the stomping grounds of notable fly fishermen Lee Wolf, John Atherton, and Charles Orvis had the gall to speak poetically about chasing common carp with a fly rod, giving me a crash course and fishing report in something at that hour, I wasn’t interested in or didn't believe in. It's like he was presenting me his unreviewed research.

He was so passionate about telling me how carp had brains five times the size of trout. He also went on to say that carp have lateral lines so sensitive that chasing them with a fly rod was only for those who could hit a frisbee-sized target at 40 feet with their cast. He continued on to tell me it was a sight game, much like when one chases permit or bonefish. He said that, like those amazing species, carp also cruised the flats, took on crab patterns, and would take you to your back in seconds when stung with a hook.

His words haunted me. Obviously, you can see I was taken aback by his claims. But the summer went on, and my favorite trout waters got lower and slower. Water temperatures picked up, but the water levels dropped. So I considered and conceded. I loaded up my drift boat, grabbed my 7-weight fly rod, and met the young man at the large, slow part of one of the local rivers. While floating the river streams, he was placed on the bow of our boat, and 10 minutes in, we spotted several carp cruising up to the flats foraging for crayfish. I was amazed. They were in less than two feet of water level — moving, hunting, eating, and having their tails breaking the water’s surface just like redfish in Florida’s gulf. I recall feeling a rush of stress, energy, and emotion and had several thoughts racing through my mind; ‘Wow, What?, Wait a minute, Where am I?’. You can assume that all these years later, I still think about this experience (that happened just 20 minutes from my home).

My young fly fishing and carp fishing sensei made a few casts on them, but they peeled away from the fly. They were not bolting, but plenty was still swimming away faster than they arrived. I told him to hit them again, but he replied, ‘Nope, they're onto us, let’s move on. There’s more, we must find eaters.’ Lo and behold, he was right. There were more. We drifted for over three hours, and during that time, we spotted over 50 fish and had legitimate shots at over a dozen. Some were even as close as 10 feet. We caught five fish for eating and four amazing fish, with one in the 8-pound range, when we cast long range at over 50 feet. 

From that day on, in the middle of summer, in the parching month of July, I was hooked. It was like being transported to the salt flats without having to board a plane. Seeing tailing fish, sight casting, having visible eats, fly fishing with strip sets, the place — the whole thing opened my eyes and mind. I got so excited, so I started reading everything I could find, watched hours of YouTube videos, and even became a member of the American Carp Society. For the remainder of the summer, I had so much fun fly fishing and catching these smart, weary, and powerful fish. I just couldn’t get enough. It’s like discovering my love and passion for fishing for the first time all over again. Since then, whenever I have a free day from guiding, you’d best believe that I’m chasing common carp here in New England, which is the place to be doing this at a certain time of year.

Next time you want to mix it up a bit, maybe by easing up a bit on all the saltwater fly fishing you’ve been doing, or you’re keen on trying to chase new targets, then I have one thing to say: Carpe diem.

For more information, check out Vermont Flyfishers’ website and book your next trout fishing trip with them and John Rogers today! Don’t miss out on getting the chance to land sought-after fish like brook trout and common carp in scenic Vermont!