Fishing Season: Year round. Nov. 1 to Friday before 2nd Sat. in April, catch and release only

Black River - VT

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

Temperature 62°

Temp:

62°

Water Temp:

59

Woodstock Inn's Tip of the Week

Flows are dropping and sit at 257 CFS as of Wednesday at noon. With recent stocking fish are loading up in the pockets. Slow and low but don't count out the riffles. Reports of fish being caught on wiggly-worms, flashy nymphs, sculpin patterns, clawed changers and articulated streamers! Fish still being caught throughout the Black River watershed including wild & holdover rainbows & browns. If it looks good, fish it! Bug action is starting with golden stones and hendricksons. From Woodstock Fishing Guide Gregg Maddock: Black is the color on The Black. Add in Olive Wooly buggers when the water is clear. Kaufman Stones, Black & Olive Wooley Buggers with some green flash have been working for me and my guests. Vary your strips with streamers, consider changing your strips and depth before changing flies! Try slow retrieves with a hard stop. If you venture out from the usual fishing holes (pull offs) and do a bit of hiking, it will pay off! Consider throwing the biggest streamers you got. Get their attention and make it worth the effort to eat! From Woodstock Fishing Guide COLIN MACMILLAN: Spring is here and fishing has been great as of lately. Nymphing has been consistent, don’t ignore the riffles, fish are slid up chewing nymphs this time of year. There’s has also been great streamer fishing windows. Lower light periods are your best bet (dusk, dawn, and overcast days). Jigging small streamers has also been productive. Look to do that near structure like log jams or big boulders, a large fish can’t often resist a small streamer in its zone if presented properly. Dry fly fishing has been inconsistent with bugs sited but no fish rising to them. Hopefully that will change soon! Midweek and Weekend updates can be found on Instagram/Facebook at @woodstockfishingguides. THE FLY SHOP @ THE WOODSTOCK INN & RESORT is open daily from 9am-5pm. We are located in our Spring/Summer/Fall location in the Activity Center (located behind the Woodstock Inn & Resort on Cross Street) After Hours: May 16 5:30-7 PM Join our Orvis Endorsed Guide Team and learn Basic Fly Casting and other fundamentals (equipment, gear & strategy), plus a different advanced topic at each gathering! Interested in Fly Tying? We will have a guide on the vise. Socialize and meet other anglers and “talk fishing.” We will be test casting the Orvis Helios rods! These events are free and open to the public. Please RSVP, walk-ins are welcome as space allows! Call 802-457-5530 or email fish@woodstockinn.com

Directions open in app

Map of Black River

Water Flow Data

5-Day Outlook as of 5/15/24

Flows are dropping. Can I say we need rain? Pockets and holes are starting to show where fish are holding. Stocking has taken place in most of our watersheds. Get out and fish, now is the time! Good bug action with later morning, afternoon and evening hatches of golden stones (yellow sallies), Hendricksons and Sulphurs. Definitely seeing baitfish, so don't count out streamers! Midweek and Weekend updates can be found on Instagram/Facebook at @woodstockfishingguides. THE FLY SHOP @ THE WOODSTOCK INN & RESORT is open daily from 9am-5pm. We are located in our Spring/Summer/Fall location in the Activity Center (located behind the Woodstock Inn & Resort on Cross Street). Orvis clothing and flies are 20% off! After Hours: May 16 5:30-7 PM Join our Orvis Endorsed Guide Team and learn Basic Fly Casting and other fundamentals (equipment, gear & strategy), plus a different advanced topic at each gathering! Interested in Fly Tying? We will have a guide on the vise. Socialize and meet other anglers and “talk fishing.” We will be test casting the Orvis Helios rods! These events are free and open to the public. Please RSVP, walk-ins are welcome as space allows! Call 802-457-5530 or email fish@woodstockinn.com

Techniques & Tips as of 5/15/24

Slow and low. Nymphs. Streamers. Swinging weighted flies or nymphing to get down deep. Fish were aggressively hitting streamers once you got them down to them, then they would follow. Warmest part of the day is best. Nymphing will get the fly in the zone. Midweek and Weekend updates can be found on Instagram/Facebook at @woodstockfishingguides. THE FLY SHOP @ THE WOODSTOCK INN & RESORT is now OPEN DAILY 9AM-5PM in the Activity Center.

Local Species Available Year round. Nov. 1 to Friday before 2nd Sat. in April, catch and release only

  • Fish Icon

    Trout

Woodstock Inn's Recommended Fly Patterns

"Must-have" fly fishing patterns in descending order of importance:

Name: Colors: Size(s):
Flying Ant Olive
Chernobyl Ant N/A
Hopper White
Cream Variant N/A
Stonefly Nymphs green 16
Wooley Buggers Black/Green 8
Quasimodo Pheasant Tail N/A
Bead Head American Pheasant Tail N/A
Streamers White/Green 4
Copper John N/A

Flying Ant

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Item #54E6

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Woodstock Inn's Recommended Gear

Description: About Black River

One of Vermont’s “Trophy Trout” stocking program rivers. Fish the Black River along Route 131 in Weathersfield and Cavendish, from Downers covered bridge upstream (approximately 4 miles) to the next bridge across the river, the Howard Hill bridge. Brook, Brown, and Rainbow Trout: length limit, none; daily limit, 2 trout aggregate Open year-round from Howard Hill bridge downstream to CT River. Nov. 1 to Friday before the second Saturday in April, open ONLY TO TROUT FISHING (Catch and Release Only) using artificial flies and lures.

Nearest Airport:

Lebanon, NH, Rutland, VT, Boston, MA, Burlington, VT

Hatches:

Hopper Crayfish Sculpin Caddis

Best Time to Fish:

Warmest Part of the Day

Best Stretch:

Route 131 in Weathersfield and Cavendish, from covered bridge near Downer's Corners, upstream to Howard Hill Rd. bridge.

Best Access:

Trophy Section