Battenkill Fly Fishing

A guided day with Battenkill Fly Fishing is spent wading the Battenkill and the nearby rivers Scott Sztorc treats as home water, and the season runs the year round. Start times shift with the time of year, the water level and the weather, and a day is only called off in genuinely bad conditions such as high wind or lightning. The day is taught as much as guided: how to read the water, how to approach a lie, wading safety, enough entomology to pick the right fly, streamside etiquette, the proper handling and release of fish, and work on casting technique where it is wanted. Techniques run right across the range, from nymphs and dry flies to the big streamers. Half days of four hours are $200, or $240 with a meal; full days of seven to eight hours are $385 with the meal included; a third person is $50 extra. Anglers bring waders, nine- to twelve-foot 5x leaders, rods of four to six weight and nine feet or longer, a rain jacket, warm clothes for after sundown, sunglasses, a hat, sunblock and a camera, plus either a New York or a Vermont licence.