Small mountain streams
7′6″–8′6″ rod, 3–4 weight, floating line · Brook, cutthroat, rainbow and brown trout
Open checklist
Manchester & the Battenkill
Manchester sits in the valley of the Battenkill in southern Vermont, with the Mettawee and Walloomsac rivers and Otter Creek nearby and the West River over the mountains to the east.
- Vermont · East
- 5 waters
- 13 guides nearby
- 5 shops nearby
- RUT airport · 26 mi
Photo credit
The Arlington Green covered bridge over the Battenkill, near Manchester, Vermont. Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Waters around Manchester
About this
Tap a water for its live flow, access map, regulations and hatches.
Catch and releasePhoto credit
The Battenkill in Arlington, Vermont. Photo: Gplefka, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Catch and releasePhoto credit
The Mettawee River near Whitehall, New York, from a canoe. Photo: MJPlante1, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Trophy / quality trout waterPhoto credit
The falls on Otter Creek at Vergennes, Vermont. Photo: Ahale (English Wikipedia), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Otter Creek
Vermont · 15 mi from Manchester
Trophy / quality trout waterPhoto credit
The Walloomsac River at the Silk Road Covered Bridge, Bennington, Vermont. Photo: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Walloomsac River
Vermont · 20 mi from Manchester
Freestone riverPhoto credit
The West River at the West Dummerston covered bridge, Vermont. Photo: chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Distances and official pages
The rivers, lakes or flats this hub is organised around, each with its straight-line distance from Manchester. Within 40 miles a water's own page names this hub as near; a farther one shows its distance instead. Where a nearby guide names a water on its own website, we say how many do. Access, seasons and special regulations differ by reach: check the agency pages under license and rules.
- Battenkill4 mi from Manchester in a straight line · named on 2 guide websites nearby
- Mettawee River10 mi from Manchester in a straight line · named on 1 guide website nearby
- Otter Creek15 mi from Manchester in a straight line
- Walloomsac River20 mi from Manchester in a straight line · named on 2 guide websites nearby
- West River15 mi from Manchester in a straight line
All gauge readings
The first USGS gauge on each water: the latest reading, how it compares with that gauge's record for today's date, the 24-hour trend and the NWS flood stage. Open a water for what the level means.
Reading the gauges around Manchester…
Meet local guides
About this
13 guide listings within 60 miles (4 fly-focused), fly-focused first. Unclaimed listings say so on their page: confirm licensing, rates and dates with the outfitter.
Battenkill Outfitters
Arlington, VT · 9 mi
Wade trips · Euro nymphing · Battenkill & Walloomsac
- Unclaimed
Jeffs Lake George Fishing Charters
Bolton Landing, NY · 40 mi
Map listing: trips not confirmed
- Unclaimed
Fly shops nearby
About this
5 shop listings in the towns around Manchester, fly shops first. Confirm hours with the shop before you go.
Fish around Manchester
About this
Species the state agency lists on the waters here. A species listed for one water is not a promise for every water.
Brown trout
Listed on 1 water here
Photo credit
Brown trout (Salmo trutta), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service illustration. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Brook trout
Listed on 1 water here
Photo credit
Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), illustration by Duane Raver for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo: Duane Raver, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Rainbow trout
Listed on 1 water here
Photo credit
Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), illustration by Duane Raver for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo: Duane Raver, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Smallmouth bass
Listed on 1 water here
Photo credit
Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), illustration by Duane Raver for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo: Duane Raver, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Agency species and seasons (26 waters)
Taken from the state agency pages of 26 waters around Manchester, each on its own water page with the agency link. Seasons are quoted word for word and apply to the water named.
- Brook trout1 water
- Brown trout1 water
- Rainbow trout1 water
- Small mouth bass1 water
- Trout1 water
“South of the Route 11/30 bridge, trout are catch-and-release only, and they are seasonally catch-and-release further upstream.”
Battenkill · Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, read 2026-10-14
“Season: 2nd Saturday in April through October 31 (same as statewide regulations)”
Walloomsac River · Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, read 2026-10-14
Species guides mention (10)
Counted from the species each guide lists on its own site. This is what guides advertise, not an agency species list or a promise of what you will catch.
- Northern pike4
- Brown trout3
- Rainbow trout3
- Brook trout2
- Crappie2
- Lake trout2
- Striped bass2
- Walleye2
Things to know
Fishing license: Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department
Fees on the agency page.
The lower Battenkill crosses into New York, where a New York licence applies.
Getting there
RUT Rutland - Southern Vermont Regional Airport · 26 mi
Regulations and access
Seasons, limits and access: agency pages.
Official license and rules pages
Buy the license from the agency and read its current regulations before you go. These links are the authoritative pages; nothing on this page grants or implies access to any water, and fees are only shown when read from the agency page on a stated date.
Nothing here grants or implies access to any water.
Veteran-owned and veteran programs
About this
Near Manchester & the Battenkill. Each fact comes from the business's own website, an official register or an approved claim; the listing page links the source.
- Romanos guide serviceGuide · Mayfield · 58 miMilitary discount · from their website
- Hungry Trout Fly ShopFly shop · WilmingtonAccessible or adaptive · from their website
The Manchester & the Battenkill area
About this
The circle is the 60-mile area this page covers, around Manchester. Tap a water for its page. Shops and guides appear where they publish a street address on their own website; all of them are listed above.
Map of the Manchester & the Battenkill area: its waters, shops and guides
Map of Manchester & the Battenkill: the 60-mile area this page covers, its waters, and shops and guides with an exact address.
Restrooms near Manchester & the Battenkill
Restrooms near Manchester & the Battenkill
Restrooms within 5 miles of the centre of Manchester & the Battenkill in a straight line, nearest first, with what anglers found when they went. The map says a restroom is there, not whether it is clean or open today.
Map of 2 restrooms near Manchester & the Battenkill
Skip the map; every place is in the list belowMap of 2 restrooms near Manchester & the Battenkill, numbered as in the list, with the town centre marked.
Restroom
1.3 mi away in a straight lineNot rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
- Open to everyone?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom
4.0 mi away in a straight line- Vault or pit toilet (mapped)
Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Free?
- Open to everyone?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom locations and map details: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License, read Oct 24, 2026. Ratings, answers and photos are members' own; who shared them is never shown, and every photo is reviewed before it appears. Visits older than 18 months no longer count. Distances are straight-line miles, not driving. Nothing here grants access to private land. Community guidelines.
Base yourself nearby
About this
Manchester and Manchester Center have most of the inns; Arlington is the small village further down the Battenkill. We do not list or price properties. The search opens an outside site.
Nearest airports
About this
Distances are straight-line from the town centre, computed from OurAirports open data; distances by road are longer. Fares are never estimated here.
- RUT Rutland - Southern Vermont Regional AirportRutland, VT · 26 mi · regionalSearch flights
- ALB Albany International AirportAlbany, NY · 47 mi · major hubSearch flights
- LEB Lebanon Municipal AirportLebanon, NH · 50 mi · regionalSearch flights
Rough out the trip
About this
Set nights, anglers and guided days. Each line says where its figure comes from, and anything we cannot source honestly (guide rates, fares, license fees not read from the agency page) stays a link rather than a number.
Estimates, not quotes
- Fishing licenseSee sourceAgency page
Source
One per angler (2 anglers). Fees are set by Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department; see the agency page.
Source: Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department - Guided days5 rates pagesHandmade AnglerCedar Mountain FishingHooker ChartersRod Bender Charters
Source
1 guided day for 2 anglers. We do not copy guide rates: 5 guides near here publish a rates page on their own website.
Source: Guide websites (rates pages linked, never copied) - Find lodgingSee sourceSearch lodging
Source
Search places to stay near the destination. We do not list or price properties.
Source: Lodging search link - FlightsSee sourceSearch flights
Source
Fares are not estimated here. Search flights to RUT (Rutland - Southern Vermont Regional Airport).
Source: Flight search link (no fares quoted)
No priced itemsUse the links for real figures.
How we estimate
Estimates, not quotes. Nothing here is a price from a guide, a property or an airline; confirm every cost with the provider before you book. No placeholder lodging range is configured for this region, and licenses, guided days and flights are never priced here.
Parks, forests and visitor offices
About this
For the non-fishing days, or the people traveling with you. Official sources only; what to do there is for their pages to say.
Gear checklist
About this
A practical checklist for fly fishing small mountain trout streams: a short 3–4 weight rod, light line, a few buoyant dries and simple wet-wading gear, with estimated prices and where to buy.
Watch: fishing small mountain streams
About this
Short rods, short casts and brushy water.
Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.
Fly Fishing Small StreamsEmbedded from YouTube · Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube How To Fly Fish In An Overgrown River - S5 E10Embedded from YouTube · RIO Products · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube Small Creek Fly Fishing | HOW TOEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
Not sponsored All videos on small streams
Stories from Vermont
About this
Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly, tagged with a water in Vermont.
No Vermont stories yet.
Sources for this page
All 8 sources
Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories (open map records checked against each business’s own website). Everything else links to the publisher below; this page copies none of their text. A destination hub organises discovery; it does not assert public access, current fish presence, guide availability or fishing conditions.
- Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department: fishing licensesVermont Fish & Wildlife Department
- Vermont fishing regulationsVermont Fish & Wildlife Department
- Vermont Fish & Wildlife: fishingVermont Fish & Wildlife Department
- Green Mountain National ForestUSDA Forest Service
- Emerald Lake State ParkVermont State Parks
- Vermont VacationVermont Department of Tourism and Marketing
- OurAirports open data (airport locations)OurAirports, public domain
- Overture Maps places (guide and shop map records)Overture Maps Foundation, CDLA-Permissive 2.0
Links checked 13 Oct 2026. Not a claim of access or conditions.