Mettawee River Vermont Fishing Report & Options for Selecting Flies: Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Freestone
Species
Brown Trout (wild and stocked with
holdovers)
Brook Trout (native)
Rainbow (wild and stocked with
holdovers)
Size
Small to Medium
Location
Southern Vermont
Nearest Towns
Dorset
Season
Mid April – October
Access:
Good
Non-Resident License
State of Vermont
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Seasons:
The season follows the standard Vermont trout season of Mid April through October.
Spring:
There are many hatches that occur in the Spring but high water can be a problem until about mid May.
Summer:
The upper area of the Mettawee River stays cooler in the Summer but fishing can be tough during hot weather.
Fall:
Early Fall is a great time as well as a beautiful time to fish the Mettawee River.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Copyright 2016 James Marsh
Fly Fishing The Mettawee River Vermont
The Mettawee River begins in the Green Mountains of Vermont near Dorset, Vermont. It flows for sixteen miles in the state of Vermont into the state of New York. After leaving the hills as a small freestone stream, the river flows through a picture, perfect setting of New England dairy farms.
Lower Hollow Road out of Dorset will access the upper part of the stream. It is very small in its headwaters and the trout are native brook trout and some rainbows. Most of the main stretch of the river can be accessed from state highway #30. Access is provided at bridges and one official state access. If there’s a problem with fishing the Mettawee River, access is it. All the locals tell us that all you have to do is ask a farmer to fish and
permission will be granted. The time we fished this stream we were by ourselves and had all the access we needed without asking anyone for permission.
Below the sections of dairy farms, the river flows through some forest sections. This section has to be accessed off on roads leading off of highway #30. You will find
both rainbow and trout in the lower section of the river. The state stocks brown trout in the lower section of the stream. State highway #149W provides some access near the New York state line.
Most of the middle and lower sections of the river consist of long riffles and pools. There is very little pocket water and most currents are moderate. Fly fishing the Mettawee River is usually best in late May and June. July and August can be tough, especially in the middle sections of the river where there is little to no trees along the stream. You should fish where some of its small tributaries provide cooler water, if at all. The fishing will pick back up again in mid September as soon as the weather cools.
This stream has all of the Southern New England hatches of mayflies and caddisflies. It also has a good population of Little Yellow and Little Green stoneflies.