New Haven 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
Brook Trout (Wild)
Rainbows (Stocked)
Brown Trout (Stocked)
Size
Small to Medium
Location
Central Vermont
Nearest Towns
Ripton
Lincoln
Bristol
Season
Second Saturday April to last
Sunday in October
Access:
Good in most areas, fair in others
Non-Resident License
State of Vermont
Weather
National Weather Service
Season:
The season for fly fishing the New Haven River runs from middle April to near the end of October.
Spring:
Spring is the best time to fish the New Haven River due to its hatches
Summer:
Summertime is good on all but the hottest days.
Fall:
Fall is a good time to catch the colorful brook trout
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 New Haven River Vermont
The New Haven River is located in West Central Vermont and is a tributary of another popular Vermont trout fishing destination, Otter Creek. The river begins in the Green Mountains on the slopes of Bradloaf Mountain near Ripton. The upper section consist of small, stream, pocket water which is very suitable for its population of brook trout. The headwaters also have several small feeder streams with good populations of brook trout for anglers to fish. The declination is steep, with lots of plunge pools. Fly fishing the New Haven River in its upper headwater section is a angler’s small stream delight.
When the New Haven River reaches Lincoln, more tributaries increase the size of the stream. It flows along the road with many access sites available to anglers. It consist of high gradient pocket water with several steep plunges and waterfalls. During the summer, its waters are also popular for swimming and other recreational activities. Rainbow trout begin to show up in this section of the river, but its population still consist mostly of brook trout.
Near Bristol, the river has both steep and moderate sections of water. It’s still mostly small stream pocket water with a mixture of both rainbows and brook trout. Access is very plentiful.
In the Bristol Flats area, the river levels out and widens some but it’s still mostly ideal pocket water for fly fishing. There are a few long sections of riffles. Sycamore Park is a popular access point in this section of the New Haven River.
Notch Brook, a larger tributary increases the flow in the next lower section, but the river’s decline lessens in most areas. There are long runs, riffles and pools and some pocket water sections, but the stream consist mostly of moderate to slow water
Further downstream, Muddy Branch, another tributary increases the size of the river. Deeper, longer sections of pools and runs exist in the lower section. The fishing opportunities continue in this area due to heavy stocking. This section is popular with many anglers because of the stocked trout. Even though the lower section is mostly moderate water, there are some areas of steep declines in this section of the New Haven River. The thirty mile long river ends at its confluence with Otter Creek.