Fishing Report - 6/27/26
Hello everyone! I’m glad to be back in the States and sharing some insights with you all from my first week or so back on the water here in Vermont. I will have more information to come as I continue to refresh myself on the water nearby.
The New Haven has dropped from its higher levels last weekend to 200 CFS at the time of writing. The Otter is still pretty high with levels at 1800 CFS in Middlebury but is starting to drop further south with a reading of 700 CFS around Rutland. The Otter is still fairly off color but the tributaries have shed their rain and cleared at this point. I have seen a fair amount of bug activity in the evenings with some tan caddis, pale evening duns, and some small black stoneflies hatching.
The fish themselves don’t seem to be too picky in terms of what bugs they’re eating. Small streamers in a variety of colors will work well in higher water, with my main preferences shifting to lighter olives and tans from black and brown as the water color clears. Small mayflies nymphs such as hare's ears, pheasant tails, waltz worms have been successful. In the afternoon as bug activity increases, soft hackle nymphs such as blow torches fished on a swing or higher in the column may be the ticket on feeding trout. I managed to have some action on Pat's rubber legs as well. I wouldn’t be surprised as well if as the water drops and clears some fish begin to look up towards the surface and feed on some of the caddis and mayflies that are hatching.
We are in full swing on the guiding front and will be running trips (as long as water conditions allow) through October. Please call the shop at (802) 388-7245 to get on our guiding calendar for this summer so we can get out there and show you some tips and tricks on our water and put you on some fish! We also have a full selection of flies, terminal tackles, rods and reels, waders and boots, and more at the shop on 56 Main Street in Middlebury, pop in to pick up some gear or if you have any questions.
Tight lines and good luck out there,
Jake Leamon
Previous Reports
First off, thank you to everyone who came out for the Otter Creek Classic last weekend. It’s pretty humbling to realize we’ve made it 18 years, and we’re already looking ahead to OCC19, scheduled for April 9–11, 2027. With around 95 anglers on the water, we gathered some great early-season feedback.
With the warmer weather this past week, we are finally getting some open water on the rivers around Middlebury. Currently Otter Creek in Middlebury is at 1000 CFS, and in Rutland just below 700. The New Haven is at right around 250 and most rivers are running fairly clear with a hint of the runoff blueish-green color.
We’re coming up towards the end of October and with it the end of the traditional fishing season. Remember, Vermont does have a plethora of year round water available to keep fishing into November and the Winter beyond, however, these last few weeks will be some of the last chances to target fish that are eating consistently and moving aggressively on food.
Get out while you can! The cooler temperatures combined with the recent rain has been making the fishing hot right now!
The New Haven peaked at nearly 800 CFS on Wednesday morning and has dropped down to 75 and has gone from muddy to clear but the fish have seemed much happier and more active on both it and the Middlebury since the increase in flows. The Otter Creek has just peaked today at around 530 and with the colder temperatures, should fish well for trout, pike, and smallmouth as long as the flows stay above 300/400.
Finally! With this week’s inch plus of total rain, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The New Haven peaked last night at just over 200 CFS, a flow level it hadn’t reached since 96 days prior, back in June. It’s back down to around 135 CFS, but that is still a steady improvement to the previous conditions. The Otter in Middlebury is up to right around 200 CFS and climbing. If it continues to rise and with the lower temperatures it has, fishing the Otter could be worth considering. The other tributaries, further south, have also been fishing well.
Chilly nights have been a blessing recently, but their positive impact has been (at least) balanced out by how low our rivers have been. The drought from this summer has continued; however, hopefully conditions and the fishing will continue to improve as fall comes into swing.
June 2nd Fishing Report – Vermont
It’s been a wild spring, with water temps and flows bouncing all over the place. I was able to wet wade a stretch of the New Haven last week, but after the recent rains, I’m back in waders and a light puffy. Water temps in Addison County streams had been steadily climbing—we pulled a 58°F on the Middlebury and a 61.4°F on the New Haven last week—but this morning the New Haven cooled off dramatically to 49.6°F.
Here's a mid-March fishing report for Vermont, packed with insights for anglers navigating the unpredictable spring conditions:
Welcome to the uncertainty of fishing in March in Vermont. By the end of last week, rivers were in great shape, especially the smaller freestone streams in the valley with excellent flows and visibility. If you had the chance to fish then, you may have enjoyed some prime conditions. However, expect things to shift quickly as we’re in for another round of rain and snow, which could change the game.
It’s looking like we will have a string of favorable weather here over the next 10 days. Air temps are predicted to reach into the 40’s. With this warm up it’s no surprise to see rivers opening up and some little black stones crawling around in the snow at the water’s edge.
My ideal early spring fishing conditions start in the mid 30’s and end in the upper 30’s. With this much snow on the ground, warmer temps will cause the snow to melt which will stain and drop the water temps.
Otter Creek Classic 17 April, 11-13th 2025
https://www.mmvt.com/fishing/otter-creek-classic
https://flyfilmtour.com/film/2025-fly-fishing-film-tour-official-trailer/
