Fishing Season: Vermont section CLOSED. NY OPEN catch and release/artificials only.

Battenkill - VT

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

Water Temp:

34

Orvis Manchester's Tip of the Week

REMINDER VT STRETCH OF BATTENKILL RIVER CLOSED TO FISHING NOVEMBER 1ST- APRIL 15TH 2023!! Weather is starting to really cool down here in Vermont. Cold mornings have made slow starts to fishing days, but by high noon, air temps have been increasing the water temps just enough to entice some fish. Defintely focus your efforts with smaller bright streamers and a sinking line or poly leader. Swung wet flies have been the ticket to smaller aggressive fish locally. When the flow does bump up and get slightly off colored try using white, olive, black, rust and even more flashy and heavy patterns near the bank and around current seams. Don't forget to nymph the deeper runs and seam breaks as well. As always be careful wading in higher water conditions, bring a buddy and make sure you have a wading staff!

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Map of Battenkill

Water Flow Data

Tidal Conditions

Orvis-Endorsed guides nearby

Ray Berumen
Peter Basta

5-Day Outlook as of 1/30/23

Focus your efforts sub surface coming into these true North Eastern winter conditions! Bite windows are key to finding feeding trout, make sure you get out during the warmest and most sun filled times of the day. Streamers and nymphs down low, in the slower deeper pools are your best bet. Always err on the side of caution while wading when the flows are above 600cfs, anything above 600cfs on the Battenkill can get hairy fast especially in more narrow parts of the river.

Techniques & Tips as of 1/30/23

Get down deep with tungsten beadhead nymphs. There have been good reports from people nymphing the deeper pools and winter holding water. For those wanting to try something other then nymphs, fishing with a trout spey rod can be effective in the winter months. Keep your streamers slow and deep. Stop by the Manchester Flagship store and ask us what our favorite patterns are for this time of the year.

Local Species Available Vermont section CLOSED. NY OPEN catch and release/artificials only.

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    Trout

Orvis Manchester's Recommended Fly Patterns

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

Name: Colors: Size(s):
Mickey Finn Red/Yellow #8-10
Moto's Minnow Brown/Olive/White #4-8
Quasimodo Pheasant Tail natural #16-18
RS2 BWO #18-22
Rusty Spinner Rust #12-18
Woolly Buggers Olive/Black #4-8
TH 20 Incher Black/Yellow #12-16
Adams Grey #16-20
Prince Nymph N/A #12-16
Hare's Ear nymph natural #12-16

Mickey Finn

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Orvis Manchester's Recommended Gear

Description: About Battenkill

The Battenkill is a small to medium-sized river that is famous for its incredibly difficult brown trout and relatively abundant brook trout. A freestone stream but rising out of many springs in marble bedrock, it stays cold all summer long and is famous for its good midsummer fishing - although in the past 20 years this summer fishing has become difficult because of large crowds of canoes and inner tubes on warm summer days. The river is all wild brown and brook trout throughout its Vermont section, and both 2-year-old and yearling brown trout are stocked in the New York section almost to its confluence with the Hudson River. There are also wild trout in the New York stretch. The Battenkill used to be known for its abundance of small brook and brown trout, and although the brook trout are still abundant (it's rare to find wild brook trout in a river of its size outside of northern Maine), brown trout have become scarcer but much larger. Twenty-inch-plus brown trout are taken all season long on streamers and occasionally by the dry-fly angler patient enough to find and stalk one of these bigger fish. Best fishing is from mid-May to mid-July, but early mornings and evenings are good throughout the season, especially in midsummer. Fall fishing is un-crowded but seldom spectacular. The Battenkill is a difficult river because of its clear, silky, and fast currents, lack of large insects, and wary trout with little midstream cover. A few fish a day is considered very successful on this river. Anglers looking for easier fish (but tighter and tougher casting) should try its two headwater branches upstream (north) of the town of Manchester, or one of its tributaries like the Roaring Branch, Green River, or Bromley Brook.

Nearest Airport:

Albany International Airport (ALB)

Hatches:

Caddis ( #14-20) Rusty Spinner (#12-18) BWO ( #18-22) Midges ( #18-24) Stoneflies (black #12-16 and yellow #8-12)

Best Time to Fish:

Late morning, early afternoon

Best Access:

Lots of access through towns of Manchester, Sunderland and Arlington, VT as well Shushan, Salem, and Cambridge, NY. Rt 7A, 313, 22, and 29. Call the shop at 802 362-3750 for details.