Battenkill River Fishing Report

The Fly Box

Dry Flies

Blue-Winged Olive duns and spinners, size 16 to 20
Blue-Winged Olives are one of the main fall mayflies to have ready, especially on cooler, cloudy, damp, or rainy days. Carry both dun and spinner patterns, and be ready for selective fish when they start sipping in softer seams, tailouts, riffles, and slower edges.

Vermont caddis dries, size 14 to 16
Vermont caddis are very much part of the fall program on the Battenkill. Elk Hair Caddis and other buggy caddis dry fly patterns are good choices when you see adults fluttering around or fish feeding near the surface. If you see trout breaching or chasing insects just above the water, do not be afraid to give the fly a little twitch during the presentation.

Cream and sulphur-colored mayfly dries, size 16 to 18
We have been seeing cream and sulphur-colored mayfly variations in the size 16 to 18 range. I would keep a few lighter mayfly dries and emergers in the box for when fish are working near the surface and not committing to caddis or BWOs.

Flying ants and terrestrials, size 14 to 22
Ants, beetles, and other terrestrials are still worth carrying, especially on warmer or humid fall days. When ants hit the water, fish can get locked in quickly, and the takes can be aggressive.

General buggy dries, size 12 to 16
With a mix of Vermont caddis, small mayflies, stoneflies, and terrestrials around, it is worth having a few buggy, suggestive dry flies in the box. Sometimes the exact match matters. Sometimes the buggiest thing you have gets the look.

Wet Flies and Emergers

General mayfly wet flies, size 14 to 18
When there are mixed mayflies on the water, a simple wet fly can be a great way to cover fish feeding below the surface.

Fulling Mill option I like:
GRHE Wet, size 14

Blue-Winged Olive emergers, size 16 to 20
BWO emergers are worth having ready in the fall, especially when fish are feeding just under the surface or sipping in softer water. On cool, gray days, this can be one of the more important patterns in the box.

Soft hackles and emergers, size 12 to 18
Soft hackles, mayfly emergers, and caddis emergers are all good choices right now, especially when fish are flashing, splashing, or feeding just under the surface. Swinging these through riffles and broken water can be a great way to cover fish.

Nymphs

Stonefly nymphs, size 8 to 12
Stoneflies are always worth having in the box. They are especially useful in faster water, deeper seams, and riffles, and they also make a good anchor fly when running a smaller dropper underneath.

Pheasant Tails, size 14 to 18
A Pheasant Tail is still one of my favorite all-around mayfly nymphs. It is a great option under a dry dropper, drifted through riffles, or fished through deeper runs.

Fulling Mill option I like:
American Pheasant Tail BH, size 14 to 16

Small nymphs, size 16 to 20
Small nymphs are always worth having in low, clear water. One of my favorite approaches is dropping a smaller nymph under a heavier stonefly or other anchor fly in deeper pools and seams.

Fulling Mill option I like:
Small nymph, size 16 to 18

Caddis nymphs and larva, size 14 to 16
Caddis larva and pupa patterns are still good choices below the surface, especially in riffles, seams, and broken water.

Hare’s Ears, size 14 to 18
A great all-around nymph that can imitate a variety of mayfly and buggy subsurface life.

Isonychia nymphs and Zug Bugs, size 10 to 14
Isonychia are starting to fade from the main story, but Iso-style nymphs and Zug Bugs can still be worth having in the rotation, especially in riffles, seams, and broken water. I would keep a few handy, but they are not the centerpiece of the box right now.

Fulling Mill option I like:
Zug Bug BH, size 14

Streamers

Woolly Buggers, size 4 to 8, in olive, black, and white
Always good to have in the box, especially when flows bump up, the water has a little color, or you want to cover banks and deeper seams.

Small sculpin or baitfish patterns, size 4 to 8
A good option when trout are holding tight to structure, banks, or deeper water.