S8, Ep 13: Essential Patterns: Drew Price Talks Favorite Flies for Vermont

Episode Overview

Drew Price of Master Class Angling returns to The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast to deliver a season debrief from Lake Champlain and discuss the release of his debut book, Favorite Flies for Vermont: 50 Essential Patterns from Local Experts (Stackpole Books). For anglers curious about multi-species fly fishing in the Northeast or the fly patterns that actually produce on Vermont's diverse waters, this episode covers both with depth and specificity.

The 2025 season on Champlain was defined by record-low water levels — a rarity that revealed structure Drew had never seen and produced drone footage that will inform future guiding. Bowfin fishing was among the best he's seen in years, and November lake trout fishing exceeded expectations, reflecting growing demand for Laker guide trips. Drew brings that same multi-species perspective to the book, which covers 53 patterns ranging from pragmatic brook trout dries and blue-line streamer patterns to bowfin, gar and bass flies — including Drew's own glow-in-the-dark Clouser Minnow variation for lake trout and Chocklett-influenced bowfin patterns he's adapted for Champlain conditions. The conversation also covers the production process in candid detail: Drew's self-directed macro fly photography, his phone-interview approach to wrangling 50-plus tiers across Vermont and the editorial relationship with Jay Nichols at Stackpole. The historical dimension is a highlight — patterns like the Governor Aiken Bucktail, the Spirit of Pittsford Mills and a tribute to the late Rhey Plumley place Vermont's fly fishing culture in a lineage that goes back to Mary Orvis Marbury's early commercial tying work in Manchester.

Key Takeaways

1. How a record-low water year on Lake Champlain exposed bottom structure and shifted Drew's understanding of fish-holding spots in ways that will pay off for seasons to come.
2. Why Vermont fly tiers skew pragmatic — tying quickly and in volume over aesthetics — and why beat-up flies often outfish perfect ones.
3. How to properly attribute pattern variations to their originators, and why that intellectual honesty matters for the sport's tying culture.
4. When to expect outstanding lake trout fishing on Lake Champlain, with November emerging as a peak window for fly rod Lakers.
5. Why Lake Champlain's combination of world-class bass fishing, exceptional bowfin populations (including multiple IGFA tippet-class records) and 88 resident species makes it an underappreciated destination for fly anglers.
6. How Tom Rosenbauer's CDC Rabbit's Foot Emerger became a standout pattern in the book, and what the story behind its development reveals about matching emerger behavior in the surface film.

Techniques & Gear Covered

The episode touches on a range of techniques tied to Champlain's multi-species fishery rather than a single tactical deep dive. Sight fishing in the shallows — push-pole work targeting bowfin, gar and carp — is central to Drew's guiding approach, and several flies in the book were designed specifically for those conditions. For lake trout, Drew discusses his glow-in-the-dark Clouser Minnow variation, a deep-November pattern that he describes as producing an unmistakable visual trigger as the fly returns to the boat in the dark. Variations on Blane Chocklett's patterns adapted for bowfin fishing also feature in the book, illustrating how Game Changer-platform thinking has crossed over into the warm-water exotic-species world. The book's fly photography (all shot by Drew himself using a macro setup he developed during the writing process) includes both hyper-realistic imitative patterns — like Thomas Ames's emerging caddis, designed to capture a specific stage of insect emergence — and intentionally rough, high-production guide flies built for Vermont's blue-line brook trout water. The trolling application of the Governor Aiken Bucktail for landlocked salmon rounds out the technique coverage, reflecting the lake's migratory salmonid fishery that intensifies in fall.

Locations & Species

The episode centers on Lake Champlain and the broader Vermont fly fishing ecosystem, with the lake positioned as a legitimate destination fishery for bass, bowfin, lake trout, pike, gar, carp and landlocked salmon — as well as brown trout and brook trout in the tributary streams. Drew notes that Champlain has ranked among the top five bass lakes in the country according to Bassmaster for three decades, and that it holds records across IGFA tippet classes for bowfin. The book also addresses Vermont's blue-line brook trout fishery, acknowledging the state's honest limitations as a trout destination (no super-consistent hatches, less predictable than Pennsylvania or Colorado tailwaters) while pointing readers to the wild brook trout corridors that define summer fly fishing in Vermont. Historically notable waters referenced include Furnace Brook in Pittsford — President Eisenhower's favorite trout stream — and the Northeast Kingdom, the setting for an archival photo tied to the Governor Aiken Bucktail chapter. November is flagged as a particularly productive window for lake trout on fly, with record-low 2025 water conditions adding context for why structure knowledge carries outsized importance on Champlain.

FAQ / Key Questions Answered

What made the 2025 fishing season on Lake Champlain unusual?

The lake hit near-record low water levels in 2025, a sharp contrast to the high-water years immediately prior. The low water exposed bottom structure Drew had never seen, allowing him to understand exactly why fish hold in certain locations. Drone footage from the season is now part of his ongoing location research.

What types of flies are featured in Favorite Flies for Vermont?

The book covers 53 patterns, with roughly 40 trout flies and the remainder targeting warm-water and exotic species including bowfin, gar and bass. Patterns range from simple Tenkara-style CDC dries to hyper-realistic emerger caddis imitations from Thomas Ames. Several historically significant Vermont patterns are included, such as the Governor Aiken Bucktail and the Spirit of Pittsford Mills dry fly, with full attribution and historical context for each.

How does Drew Price approach pattern attribution in his book?

Drew is deliberate about crediting the originators of any pattern he's adapted, even when his modifications are significant. Variations on Blane Chocklett's warm-water patterns and a riff on Bob Clouser's minnow design for lake trout are both attributed explicitly in the text. He extends the same standard to historical patterns, tracing variations back through the tying lineage rather than presenting adaptations as entirely original work.

When is the best time to fish for lake trout on Lake Champlain with a fly?

November stands out as the peak window, based on Drew's guide experience. The season saw strong late-year Laker fishing and a notable uptick in guided Laker trip requests, which Drew describes as a welcome surprise. A glow-in-the-dark Clouser Minnow variation is his go-to pattern for night-time and low-light Laker sessions on the lake.

Why does Drew Price consider Lake Champlain an underrated fly fishing destination?

Champlain holds 88 species, roughly 30 of which are realistic fly rod targets — Drew has personally caught 15 different species in a single day on fly. The lake consistently ranks among the top five bass lakes in the U.S. and has produced IGFA tippet-class records for bowfin across nearly all classes. Despite those credentials, it remains well below the radar of most traveling fly anglers, which Drew is actively trying to change through the book and continued guiding.

Sponsors

Thanks to TroutRoutes for sponsoring this episode. Use ARTFLY20 to get 20% off of your TroutRoutes Pro membership.

Related Content

S7, Ep 27 – Master Class Angling: The Art of Fishing Exotic Species with Drew Price

S7, Ep 8 – Fly Tying Mastery: Tim Cammisa's New Book and Euro Nymphing Adventures

S2, Ep 114 – All Things Game Changer with Blane Chocklett

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