# Battenkill River NY



## bigduck10 (Feb 15, 2009)

Spent Wed evening and Thursday am fishing the Battenkill River in New York. Great weather and some good fishing. Wed evening caught three nice Browns on small Caddis then this am caught 2 nice browns and lost the big boy. Fish was at least 25 plus inches. I spotted him in the shallows just at first light at the end of a tree in the water. Two cast with a #14 Caddis and he pounded the thing. There is a reason that fish is so big. First move was to send my line right into the downed tree. Snap.
Made the trip over to Orvis in Manchester Vermont this afternoon. What a place. Huge shop and they have the fly fishing school there as well as the shooting school. Picked up a nice 3wgt Battenkill reel for $79.00. Some shirts and all the summer stuff was on sale. They had some nice shotguns in the gun room. Man talking about a place that good drain your cash!!
Worth the trip if you get out that way.


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## CoolWater (Apr 11, 2004)

Sounds like a fun trip.

So is the Battenkill like a famed river that the one line of Orvis reels were named after? Just curious...


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## bigduck10 (Feb 15, 2009)

That be the one. The Battenkill starts in Vermont and runs 50 miles through New York to the Hudson River. Vermont does not stock the river. It is very hard to fish with the trout being wild. In New York after the first 10 miles from Vermont they stock the river. I guess stream would be a better description.
Wild Browns as well as wild Brook Trout can be caught in both States wild sections of the stream. In the stocked section it is mostly Browns.
I fished the New York side and didn't see another fisherman.
Driving up to Orvis I didn't see anybody fishing the Vermont part of the stream either. It was noon and the stream in Vermont is shallow so that might explain the fisherman not being around.
Great trip. Starting the first of Oct the leaf show would be something to see.


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## deaner1971 (Dec 31, 2008)

Glad to hear you had a blast. My yearly trip is coming up soon.

If you head up again and are on the NY side, there is also an Orvis outlet store in Lake George where you can get some really good but you probably had a chance to hit the Orvis outlet next door to the Orvis store in Manchester.

The size fish you were hitting in NY are way bigger than anything I have ever seen in Vermont. Granted, I am a creature of habit and stick to the same stretch so I am hardly informed on every section but those sizes would certainly be trophies in VT.

My goal for my trip this year is to catch a fish on each of the Battenkill, West, Walloomsac and the Mettawee for my own little Southern VT slam.


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## bigduck10 (Feb 15, 2009)

Difference between one state that stocks and one that doesn't. I love wild fish. I catch quite a few in Spring Brook in Western NY. They are always full of fight and color of the fish is awesome.


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## CoolWater (Apr 11, 2004)

Thanks for the info on the Battenkill, I'd love to fish one of the rich history trout waters... just need to get better with the fly rod though, right now I'm still a liability to anyone fishing withen 25 yards of me!


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## shawnyb26 (Mar 17, 2009)

I was just in the area and I fished 2 of the four streams that were mentioned......actually in the same day. Drove past the Waloomsac but ran out of time. I have family just across the border in NY. I'll be moving to the Arlington/Bennington area in June so I was scouting house.


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## bigduck10 (Feb 15, 2009)

How was the water level? After a very wet spring and summer it had been dry for a few weeks when I was up a 3 weeks ago.
Heading back up in mid Oct.


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## deaner1971 (Dec 31, 2008)

shawnyb26 said:


> I was just in the area and I fished 2 of the four streams that were mentioned......actually in the same day. Drove past the Waloomsac but ran out of time. I have family just across the border in NY. I'll be moving to the Arlington/Bennington area in June so I was scouting house.


Congrats on the move. If the wife and I could do what we do for a living up there, I'd love to move.

I am going to try to hit Otter Creek (I believe that is the name. It is the stream that runs north from Emerald State Park.) as I have heard some good things about it. Also going to try and hit the Mettawee. The Walloomsac is probably done for the year so I'll skip that one.

Also going to try and get in the West River below the two dams.

I'll hit the Battenkill so I can actually catch a few and to show some friends how to do it. I seem to be the only person who has an easier time on the Battenkill than on any other river. For some reason that river seems to be good luck for me.

Which two did you hit?


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## deaner1971 (Dec 31, 2008)

bigduck10 said:


> How was the water level? After a very wet spring and summer it had been dry for a few weeks when I was up a 3 weeks ago.
> Heading back up in mid Oct.


You heading to the VT or NY side or both? I'll be up there between the 15th and 19th of October and hoping to create a VT slam of some kind.


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## shawnyb26 (Mar 17, 2009)

I have some pictures of the West.......Beautiful place. These are some pictures that my wife and kids took while there. Just scenery but its awesome. Season ends on Oct. 31....plus might want to check the park and see when they cut the dam loose. I think they do it twice a year. The kayackers love it........here's the pics enjoy.


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## deaner1971 (Dec 31, 2008)

Wow, I heard the West was gorgeous. Very nice. I can't wait to see it with the colors in a few weeks.

The damn release is typically earlier but I don't know if they had it this year. People are raising issues with it.

I hear the West is only a good trout fishery really close to the dams so I need to load up on more streamers/buggers for the West.


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