Fishing Report - 10/28/25
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.
Already in the past week, I’ve noticed the shift in the trout's behavior as they’ve moved further back and further down in the water column, as they head to the deeper water in the tailouts of pools. What little bug life is still around is small, so I’m focusing on throwing smaller flies, and more natural patterns. However, making sure you have enough weight on your rig to get down to the slower, deeper water in the column is starting to become more important. Be patient with your drifts and target slower, areas with ample structure and you may well be rewarded with a fish.
I’ve had some success throwing streamers, particularly olive colored ones following the rainstorms when the water has been elevated; but it has been somewhat hit or miss on whether the trout have been eager to chase flies or content to wait for more natural food to come towards them.
In terms of patterns that have been successful for me: predominantly natural patterns such as hare's ears, frenchies, caddis nymphs, and walts worms. For streamers, I’ve had a few fish willing to chase bigger articulated dungeons, but smaller, lighter colored, single hook patterns have been more consistent in getting attention.
The high temperatures should hopefully stay up into the 50’s for the next week or so and we’re expected to get another inch or so of rain at the tail end of next weekend which should help keep the afternoons and middle of the days productive.
Please feel free to swing by the shop if you have any questions or need any materials. Make sure to get out while you can before the truly cold weather comes and good luck out on the water.
-Jake Leamon
Previous Reports
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/
Temperatures are starting off chilly in the morning and warming up quickly in the afternoon, thankfully all the water we have been on recently has stayed nice and cool during our current low water conditions. Nymph fishing under indicators or with euro rods has been our most productive technique as of late. If you’re able to get out at first light streamers can be a fun way to cover more water. I would expect the streamer bite to pick up if we get some rain. The extended forecast shows the potential for some showers over the next 10 days.
A whole lot of recent rain has our rivers high and muddy at the moment. Luckily, the rain, in combination with the stretch of colder weather, has dropped the water temperatures significantly and has allowed a lot of the lower reaches of the bigger water to be able to fished throughout the entire day. The rain will be important with the next stretch of warm weather we’re supposed to be seeing, as it should help to extend our trout fishing season through the warm weather we often see during the end of August and first week of September.
