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Otter Creek Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 11, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Vermont’s longest river: Otter Creek runs trout in the hills and pike in the Champlain lowland.

5/5
Excellent. Go now.Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor.
Flow
395 cfs
Air / High
54 / 70 F
Wind
N 3 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 04282500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
11
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

5/5Excellent. Go now.Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor.

Otter Creek offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The river is running 395 cfs, on the rise. Today brings a mixed sky, wind N around 3 mph, falling pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 70. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:32 PM-1:32 AM and 11:32 AM-1:32 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassExcellent

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

WalleyeExcellent

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

MuskellungeExcellent

Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Catfish (blue, channel)Excellent

Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 77 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 12, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Vermont requires a fishing licence from age 15, from $28.00 for residents. What a Vermont licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing smallmouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with VTFW before you keep anything.

Water and weather

Live readings from OTTER CREEK AT MIDDLEBURY, VT.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 04282500.

221290358395 cfs08/1208/2209/0109/11

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp54 F
High / Low70 / 53 F
WindN 3-9 mph
Pressure1013.8 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain56% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset06:27 / 19:10
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 11 · Overcast, 70/53 F, wind 10 mph, rain 1%

Fair or better. A 10 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Otter Creek: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Best: Sep-Nov

The fish of ten thousand casts. Weed edges, rock bars and big-water structure. Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

When to come: the Otter Creek calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
Muskellunge
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Otter Creek today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 10

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 80 F, wind to 14 mph.

Wed, Sep 9

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 70 F, wind to 13 mph.

Tue, Sep 8

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Vermont requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Vermont license. Trout, bass and northern pike seasons and limits vary by reach: check current Vermont Fish and Wildlife regulations.

Access

Public landings at Vergennes and Middlebury, bridge crossings and town roads through the corridor.

About this water

A 112-mile river from the Green Mountains to Lake Champlain, Vermont’s longest.

Fishing Otter Creek: the full guide

A river of two halves

Otter Creek runs about 112 miles from the Green Mountain National Forest north through the Champlain Valley to Lake Champlain at Ferrisburgh, making it Vermont’s longest river. The upper reaches hold wild and stocked trout in cool, tumbling water; the lower river slows into a wide, meandering warm-water fishery through the farmland.

Trout upstream

The upper river and its tributaries in the Rutland and Danby areas hold brown, brook and rainbow trout in classic freestone water, fished with nymphs, dries and small streamers. Cool tributary mouths hold fish through summer heat. Access is via town roads and public reaches through the corridor.

Pike, bass and panfish downstream

Below Rutland the river widens and slows, and northern pike, largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, bowfin and panfish take over. The lowest reaches near Vergennes and the Champlain backwaters hold big pike in the weeds and wood. Falls at Vergennes and Middlebury break the river into distinct sections.

Addison and Rutland county logistics

Access is via public landings at Vergennes and Middlebury, bridge crossings and town roads through the corridor, with paddling common on the slower lower river. Middlebury and Rutland are the base towns. Spring high water and summer weed growth both shape what is fishable and when.

Common questions

Trout or pike?

Both, by reach: trout in the cooler upper river, pike and bass in the slow lowland water toward Champlain.

Where are the big pike?

The lowest reaches near Vergennes and the Champlain backwaters, in the weeds and wood.

Can I paddle it?

Yes: the slower lower river is popular paddling water, with landings at Vergennes and Middlebury.

Is fishing good at Otter Creek right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor.

Nearby waters

Lake Bomoseen26 miWinooski River32 miWaterbury Reservoir33 miLake George35 miAusable River38 miLake Champlain41 mi
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