Fishing Report - 4/18/26
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.
Water levels across Addison County are running a bit high after recent rains, and it looks like we may get another bump tomorrow. The Otter is currently flowing at 1,760 cfs in Middlebury and is pushing silt back into the freestone tributaries for a few hundred yards upstream. Clarity will vary quite a bit depending on how far you are from the Otter, so it’s worth driving around and checking different sections—fortunately, there are pull-offs every few bends, making that easy. The Otter will likely stay in this condition for the next few weeks. It’s not completely off the table, but caution is key. Wading isn’t recommended until flows drop and clarity improves. A few anglers spent time on the White during the OCC, with most reporting colder temps, very clear water, and limited fish activity. We’ll begin floating the White in the coming weeks and will share more detailed reports as we gather intel. On a more positive note, the Otter Creek tributaries are shaping up nicely. The Middlebury looked great this morning—flows were elevated but manageable, and clarity was around 24 inches once above the silted sections. Water temperatures are climbing into the low 50s, and bug activity is starting to pick up. Expect that trend to accelerate with air temperatures pushing into the 70s today and settling into the 60s next week. We’re already seeing small brown stoneflies and caddis regularly, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see baetis, blue quills, quill gordons, and even Hendricksons starting to show soon. All signs point to fishing improving steadily. After we get past tomorrow’s weather, conditions should trend upward day by day. As water temperatures rise, fish will become more active and may begin moving into faster “A” water—especially if food availability supports it. Stonefly nymphs remain a strong option this time of year, offering a substantial meal for fish looking to bulk up. That said, with so many bugs in play and more on the way, it’s important to stay flexible. Carry a range of nymph patterns and experiment—fish may start keying in on specific hatches as things progress.
Best,
Steven
Previous Reports
Its been awhile, but I thought I would jump in for a guest fishing report, OCC update and some overall thoughts for a successful early season on the water. It is without a doubt a very exciting time of the year. With the winter months all but behind us, we are looking into the slow but sure entry into warm weather and good fly fishing ahead. I have always felt that April was the most brutal month in VT.
General fishing report for March 29, 2019. Since we’ve last spoke we’ve lost some snow, gained a bunch in the mountains and started losing some again. The extended forecast looks to keep the melt going, but it doesn’t seem that we’ll have any huge runoff issues, not yet at least. For me personally, I have not been out recently, but perhaps this weekend. The Otter is a bit high and looks like it’s rising, but if you can find some slower water (but still moving) near some deeper winter holding areas that would be a good place to start.
After a Busy weekend of guiding and personal fishing, here’s what the guides have to report and what to look forward to. First off, just two more weeks left of the regular season! If that doesn’t get you motivated to get out and enjoy some fall fishing, then I’m not sure what will! Last weeks rain definitely had the fish in an eating mood, but it was hard to pin down any one fly that did the most work. Worms worked in the more off color water, as did nymphed and swung streamers, but as things cleared, more natural bugs like October caddis patterns and Pt’s did the work.
Greetings Anglers! I hope everyone is able to get out and enjoy this beautiful state that we live in! Despite the dry summer it seems that the trees don’t really care and are putting on quite the display for us. And we are getting rain, which makes the trees and us happy right? The recent spell of rain seems to have got the fish (trout) kicked into feeding mode, especially on the tribs. After a couple slow days on the Creek, I had a productive few hours on the Middlebury today, with nicely stained water and a ton of leaves to catch!
Hello Folks! Happy Fall! We did pick up some much needed rain this week, some areas more than others, but after a long, dry summer every bit helps. Locally the Otter seemed to have been the big winner, compliments of some significant downpours in the Rutland and northern Rutland County areas. Levels have seemed to plateau, and despite the big bump in levels, clarity is pretty good. Tribs did see a bit of a bump in levels, but are still low. Water temps have settled back as well.
Greetings Anglers! While we are still in low water mode, the outlook looks promising. Cooler temps and shots of rain all next week should help the fishing out there. We were out today with a four person guide trip and found some low 60’s on the lower New Haven and upper 60’s on the Creek. We found many species other than trout on the Otter, but fun none the less. In my experience, once the Otter water temp gets in the lower 60’s, the trout become more active. Until we get really colder temps, they are usually found still in the faster water.
Howdy folks! With some well deserved relief from the heat and much needed rain on the way, things couldn’t be looking better on the local fishing scene. Many Otter tribs started the day in the low 60’s, but are still low and clear. The Otter itself was still a touch over 70 early this morning in the Middlebury area, but I found some mid 60’s further south on the Otter. Some Iso’s, and a few caddis were around. Fish seemed to like the standard Iron Lotus, rainbow warriors, and frenchies. Pretty much what has been producing fish for people the last few weeks.
