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Home › Waters › Vermont › Ompompanoosuc River
River · East-central Vermont, the Ompompanoosuc valley through Thetford and Union Village to the Connecticut · Vermont

Ompompanoosuc River Fishing Guides

A Thetford-area trout stream running through the Union Village flood control reach to the Connecticut River.

A New England river running past a sandbar below low mountains in autumn
Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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About the Ompompanoosuc River

The Ompompanoosuc River drains the hills of Thetford, Vershire and Strafford in east-central Vermont and runs south to the Connecticut River below Norwich. The gauge at Union Village sits just below the Union Village Dam, a flood control structure built by the Corps of Engineers that stays empty in normal conditions and fills only during high water events. Because the gate is open most of the year, the river below runs as a free-flowing stream rather than as a managed tailwater.

The fishing is typical of the better east-central Vermont streams. Wild brook trout hold in the West Branch and the smaller feeder brooks, brown trout occupy the main stem through the middle reaches, and rainbow trout are present where the state has stocked them. The lowest mile or so warms in summer and picks up smallmouth bass running out of the Connecticut. It is wadeable water throughout, with a mix of riffles, ledge pools and gravel runs.

Union Village Dam Recreation Area is the main public access and it is well developed, with parking, trails and a swimming area that also serves anglers reaching the river. Upstream, the roads through Thetford Center and Post Mills cross the river repeatedly and provide informal access. The valley is quiet farm and woodland country and the river is rarely crowded outside of summer weekends.

The flood control structure means that after a large storm the reach below the dam can run oddly for a day or two while the reservoir draws down, and anglers learn to read the gauge rather than assume the river has cleared with the weather. Outside of those events the Ompompanoosuc fishes on a normal Vermont schedule, best from the middle of May through June and again through September.

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Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

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5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

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The name shown under the photo. Leave blank to stay anonymous.

Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Access

Union Village - the gauge reach immediately below the flood control dam.
Union Village Dam Recreation Area - parking, trails and river access managed by the Corps.
Thetford Center - bridge and roadside access on the middle river.
Post Mills - upper valley access near the West Branch confluence.
West Branch - the cold tributary holding the best wild brook trout water.
Norwich - the lower river approaching the Connecticut confluence.
Route 132 crossings - repeated road access through the Thetford valley.

Seasons

Spring: strong runoff, with the river fishable from the middle of May in most years.
Summer: low and clear, best early and late, with the lower river warming considerably.
Fall: reliable flows and cooling water bring the best trout fishing after Labor Day.
Winter: closed through the cold months with the valley under snow.

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Questions

What is the current flow on the Ompompanoosuc River?

As of Sep 17, 5:30 am, the USGS gauge OMPOMPANOOSUC RIVER AT UNION VILLAGE, VT reads 22 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the Ompompanoosuc River?

Anglers target Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass on the Ompompanoosuc River in Vermont.

Where can you access the Ompompanoosuc River?

Union Village - the gauge reach immediately below the flood control dam. Union Village Dam Recreation Area - parking, trails and river access managed by the Corps. Thetford Center - bridge and roadside access on the middle river. Post Mills - upper valley access near the West Branch confluence. West Branch - the cold tributary holding the best wild brook trout water. Norwich - the lower river approaching the Connecticut confluence. Route 132 crossings - repeated road access through the Thetford valley.

When is the best time to fish the Ompompanoosuc River?

Spring: strong runoff, with the river fishable from the middle of May in most years. Summer: low and clear, best early and late, with the lower river warming considerably. Fall: reliable flows and cooling water bring the best trout fishing after Labor Day. Winter: closed through the cold months with the valley under snow.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Ompompanoosuc River?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Vermont agency site: https://vtfishandwildlife.com/fish/fishing-regulations