Outdoors Destination:

North Branch Ottauquechee River
"Swift mountain stream"

By Jeremy Baker

How many times have you driven by a body of water and thought “I think I would like to fish that some day...”  Your eyes return to the asphalt and your attention to the task at hand. Years go by, life’s responsibilities keep you occupied; wife, kids, work, etc…  Finally, the day comes when you make a conscious decision to fish that water!  Well; I have driven by the headwaters of the Ottauquechee River on the Killington/Sherburne flats along Route 4 going on seven years now and on September 6th, between the hours of 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm I FISHED IT (with permission from my wife, of course).

I parked just south of The Pasta Pot Restaurant and walked in to a very slow moving, greenish-silver colored body of water that just didn’t feel fishy.  It looked warm, unlike the traditional Vermont Trout streams that have a magnetic attraction. When the Indians named this river, they weren’t looking at this section of water. Ironically Ottauquechee means “swift mountain stream.”  The Mountains are prevalent, but swift is miles downstream. I decided to throw a silver Mepps to initiate a strike and on my first retrieve I saw three quick silvery flashes. My initial thoughts were “those weren’t trout…”  Before I made the decision to return to my truck and try my luck elsewhere, I quickly tied on a hook  and attached a medium sized crawler to it..  One quick hit resulted in a successful hook set. I brought the fish to the riverbank and was still thinking “this isn’t a trout.”  Boy was I wrong!  It was a beautiful brook trout. The first of sixteen I would land that evening, missing several others.

These fish had the most unique coloring of any trout I have ever caught. Silver sides, an aqua top and an almost black transparent tail, more like a rainbow than a brookie. Like most fish species, brook trout will mimic the color of the body of water in which they live. That is why Beaver Pond brookies have a darker color than fish that inhabit gin clear mountain streams, etc…  This natural phenomenon camouflages these fish and hides them from their natural predators (herons and kingfishers).

I proceeded to fish downstream mixing in worms with that silver Mepps and was continually amazed at the number of fish that I was able to catch. It seemed that the slower I retrieved the spinner the more strikes I would trigger. When you can feel the blade flutter, you know you have it running at the right speed. The worms worked well at the beginning of “holes” located at the base of old abandoned beaver dams. All through the evening I witnessed multiple rises that made me wish I had a fly rod in hand. The strange thing was, I didn’t see a single human track along the banks and doubt that it gets much, if any pressure.

This is a very deceiving section of the Ottauquechee River, possibly a contributing factor to the lack of angling pressure. It is fairly difficult to access/fish due to the chest deep vegetation and you should take caution as you approach the river or you may end up ass over tea kettle with a face full of mud, a broken pole and a bruised ego. There are deep channels as well as shallow stretches that all hold fish. In most cases you can’t see much of anything in the water even with polarized lenses. The river bottom (based on feel) consists of sand with silt filling in sporadically. The banks of the river are slick but manageable.  One attempt at “wading” across this narrow river resulted in a quick retreat as I found myself waist deep with darkness rapidly approaching. If you must cross the river, take my advice and walk along one of the old beaver dams.

After returning home and cleaning my fish I looked up the stocking report on the Fish and Wildlife website: www.vtfishandwildlife.com This body of water did not receive any fish in 2007.  These trout are quite possibly wild and there may be a few native fish in there as well. They do have black spot, a very common fish parasite found in Vermont’s streams, rivers, ponds and lakes. Don’t be alarmed, black spot does not infect humans and thoroughly cooking the fish kills the parasite.

If you get a chance, try this river!  Whether it is with a worm, spinner or fly; it’s definitely worth the trip. I believe there are some nice fish to be caught.  The largest of the 16 I landed was a beautiful 12 inch male and his jaw was just starting to get some character. They fight like crazy and leave the water several times as you retrieve them.  When I go back I plan on trying a small Rapala, retrieving it in a manner that gives predators the impression that the bait is wounded. My grandfather taught me this a long time ago. He pulled countless big trout from the rivers of Southern Vermont and placed them in his family’s frying pan. If you do end up ass over tea kettle with a face full of mud; just smile—your day can only get better!

Jeremy Baker is the Rutland County Representative on Vermont’s Fish & Wildlife Board. His Grandfather took him fishing when he was five and he has been going ever since.