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
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.
Greetings out there anglers! As we turn the corner to September, we’ve got some very similar conditions out on the local rivers. Otter tributaries are low and clear, and although this morning was chilly, it looks like we have a bit more heat and humidity to deal with in the coming days. I was able to get out on the Middlebury River this morning and found a cool 62 degree water temperature in East Middlebury and was able to pick up a few fish from the faster pocket water in that stretch. Most fish came on size 14-16 frenchies.
Greetings out there anglers! Trout fishing continues to be mostly weather dependent, with cooler mornings and after rain events getting the most action. Who knows, we may have left the majority of the heat and humidity behind us with this last bout storms that rolled through. At least for this coming week, the nighttime lows are looking good, so it is a possibility that some more water could be fishable in the mornings. Please do take temperatures before you start fishing. It seems that most folks are still pickling up fish on nymphs, mostly in sizes 14-16 and of the mayfly variety.
