By ED BARNA

Make hay when the sun shines, and cast when it rains: this summer’s wet weather may have hurt farmers, but it’s been a boon to fishermen and to the businesses that keep them angling.

In the case of fly fishing – an activity rich in lore and tradition that many consider one of the peaks of sport fishing – such businesses can include restaurants and lodgings for those who have come from afar to fish Vermont’s streams, ponds and lakes.

Rain cools the temperature in streams and keeps water levels high, said Ron Fox, who runs the fishing department at the Great Outdoors Trading Company in Rutland. So, instead of the low, slow, overheated water flows typical during midsummer, Vermont is seeing excellent fishing conditions, Fox said. The wet weather also has delayed insect hatches, he said.

The Great Outdoors Trading Company is one of several places where fly fishing enthusiasts can go to choose from a variety of quality products. Fox said the company carries everything: rods, reels, line, creels, waders and flies, which are imitations of stream insects that attract fish.

There’s another reason for going to the Great Outdoors Trading Company: up-to-date tips on the best places to go.

“Most everyone in here fly fishes and does so quite often,” Fox said, adding his workers aren’t secretive about the location of the hot fishing spots.

Fox himself fishes the Cold River a lot, and said he’s heard good things about the Neshobe River in Brandon and Furnace Brook in Pittsford. Otter Creek, with its state-designated trophy areas, has a reputation like that of the Battenkill, which flows from the same divide, only north, but the Big Branch in Danby, a tributary, is also worth a look this year, he said.

If the Battenkill is famous, that’s partly because of the Orvis Company, which has been selling gear since 1856. Today, it not only has 30 company stores and a list of approved outfitters, but also runs fly-fishing schools at its flagship center in Manchester.

Predictably, both the store and the school bring to Vermont upscale visitors who are likely to patronize area inns, restaurants, gift shops and more, said James Hathaway, a spokesman for Orvis.

“Things are going very well” despite the recession, said Hathaway. “We’re very happy with the year so far.”

The company’s product list has expanded greatly over the decades. It’s now possible to buy Orvis clothing, watercraft, fishing luggage, cameras, books, videos, vacation packages and even log homes. It sells products globally through mail and Internet orders, bringing dollars to Vermont.

Orvis fly fishers watch to see if the company has introduced any new products, since the firm’s research and development unit is constantly devising groundbreaking developments. For instance, said Hathaway, this is the first year of the Helios fly rod, which – in contrast to its classic bamboo rods – uses carbon fiber technology, which is the same kind of material used to make modern airplane wings.

Manchester also draws fly fishing enthusiasts because it is the home of the American Museum of Fly Fishing. Sarah Moore, president and administration coordinator, said the museum sees about 3,000 visitors a year.

Most of the out-of-state visitors are from the Northeast, but some have come from the southern or western U.S., she said.

Moore agreed this year has presented anglers with good fishing opportunities. “I know that locally, it’s good,” she said. “I think other fishing is good, too.”

The Orvis Web site at www.orvis.com is also a way of finding a Vermont fly fishing resource that appeals to high-end anglers who fish the world-famous Battenkill. Once here, they learn the river, which runs through Manchester and Arlington, isn’t the only one with a naturally reproducing trout population, which is a rarity in much of the U.S.

The area has several Orvis-approved guides including Pete Basta of Dorset, Randy McGuinness of Mendon, John Morawski of Manchester, Greg Newton of South Chittenden and Matt Stedina of Stockbridge.

“It’s nice work if you can get it,” Newton said. Moving around between little and big streams with a client during an eight-hour day, “it’s not uncommon for people to catch 75 or 80 trout in a day.” ?