Rules and Guidelines

It is with great excitement that Green Mountain Adventures officially announces the 17th Annual Otter Creek Classic April 11th - 13th, 2025.

RULE UPDATES

Fishing Boundaries will be the entire Otter Creek and White River watersheds. If it flows into the White River or the Otter Creek in Vermont, it is inbounds. The White River lower boundary is the confluence with the Connecticut River. The Otter Creek lower boundary is the confluence of the Otter into Lake Champlain.

OCC17 UPDATE  

OCC17 BOUNDRIES AND RIVER CLOSURES: Stocking has begun, which also includes the annual 2 year trophy stocking program.   We are eliminating 2 sections of river due to the recent trophy stocking in those areas.

EAST CREEK: East Creek will be CLOSED to OCC17 competitors from Route 7 west, downstream to the confluence of Otter Creek.  East Creek upstream, east of Route 7 will remain OPEN.

OTTER CREEK:  Otter Creek will be CLOSED to OCC16 competitors from Hartsboro Rd in South Wallingford, VT upstream, south to the headwaters of Otter Creek.  Otter Creek downstream, north of Hartsboro Rd will remain OPEN.

If competitors are observed fishing in these CLOSED areas, they will be disqualified from the OCC17 and subject to street justice.  

Fly Fishing Only

SCORING:  With the rivers being stocked we are utilizing the “Best 6” scoring rule.  This will score your best 6 fish EACH DAY.  If you catch 7 or more fish we will score your 6 longest trout.  Document all of your landed fish with a picture and a measurement and the scoring committee will do the work for you.  If possible, you will be able to score 12 trout, 6 each day.  You cannot carry over additional fish from one day to the next. Each angler will be responsible for their own tape measure.  For those whom do not have one available we have a few extras at the shop. 

Read below for more ways to score points. 

OCC Cares Award Points:  OCC17 competitors that fill a bag of trash over the course of the weekend will awarded an additional 5 points.  1 per the entire event. Please provide your own garbage bag, for those whom don’t have a bag, we will have extras at the shop. 

Cycle Award Points: Any angler who scores all 3 species of trout in a day will be awarded an additional 5 points.  This is available both days to anglers who wish to pursue it, but you must choose to score all 3 species, even if one is smaller than the one of your longest 6 trout. For those anglers who catch a cycle on either or both days the scoring committee will assess your score and give you the highest value of points possible.  

SCHEDULE

Friday, April 11th

FRIDAY, April 11th: PRE-EVENT MEETING followed by the F3T on the MC Campus

In Person: We will be hosting a pre-event meeting at the shop, 56 Main St. Middlebury VT 05753.  This is your opportunity to pick up your entry gift, buy raffle tickets and interact with other competitors. The meeting starts at 5:00PM.  The Fly Fishing Film Tour will be held at Dana Auditorium on the Middlebury College Campus and will be hosted by Midd Fly and the New Haven River Anglers. Doors will open at 6:00PM and movie will start at 6:30PM.

 

SATURDAY, April 12th OCC17 DAY 1

Fishing from Sunrise to 5pm

Scorecards must be turned in to the shop by 5pm

7:00 pm: Virtual Day 1 Update (leaderboard will be posted to our website OCC page, Instagram and Facebook)

SUNDAY, April 13th OCC17 DAY 2

Fishing from Sunrise to 12pm

Scorecards must be turned in to the shop by 12pm

AWARD CEREMONY 1PM, location TBD

Registration will be online at mmvt.com Event entries will be going back to a tiered pricing structure, with four different tiers. Be sure to select your appropriate division (Pro, Amateur or Youth).

The FIRST 40 anglers to register will receive a FREE OCC Pint Glass!

Tier 1 = $225 with a registration prize of a Patagonia Black Hole Wheeled Duffel 40L embellished with the OCC logo (retail value of $359). Must Register by February 17th, 2025

Tier 2 = $150 with a registration prize of a Helinox Sunset Chair embellished with the OCC logo ($169 value). Must Register by March 1st, 2025

Tier 3 = $100 with a registration prize of a Vuori Strato Tech Hoodie embellished with the OCC logo on sleeve and the Maple Leaf Trout on the back (Priceless). Must Register by February 17th, 2025

Tier 4 = $60 with a registration prize of a Men's, Women's or Kids pair of Vermont made Darn Tough Socks.

The FIRST 40 anglers to register will receive a FREE OCC Pint Glass!

All registration fees are non-refundable.  Due to the size of the event and limited administrative staff, refunds will not be offered.  If you register and are unable to attend, your registration will be added to the donation to our conservation program partnership. If you are unsure if you will be able to attend, we recommend you do not register until you can confirm.  

CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP:  The OCC17 will be supporting the New Haven River Anglers Association.  We will be hosting an online raffle, purchase a "support the OCC Stickers" below, each sticker purchased will give you a chance to win some of the great prizes listed. Drawing will be held on Sunday April 13th at the OCC afterparty (you do NOT need to be present to win).

 

Supporting Our Community

Combined with funds raised from the Fly Fishing Film Tour(FFFT) here are several projects the money raised from OCC entries has gone to over the years:

  • Eagle Park UPF (Handicap Fishing Access Ramp) on New Haven River
  • Muddy Branch Project, Riparian Buffer Enhancement
  • Middlebury River Project
  • Saunders Project, (Summer of 2013-14) Large River Improvement on Bristol Flats region of NHR
  • Educational Scholarships, for those seeking the field of Conservation
  • Special Guest Speakers
  • Women in Waders, Free Fly Tying Clinics and Youth Days, and many other free to the public instructional programs
  • River Clean Ups.

The 2012 FFFT and OCC4 was featured on VT public television's Outdoor Journal, for a look at the event here is the link:
http://www.vpt.org/show/11244/1006

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OCC History

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