Congratulations to Montana Fly Fishing Guides Pat Joyce for winning the pro division of the 5th Annual Otter Creek Classic this past weekend. Yesterday was opening day for trout season in Vermont and the local fly shop, Middlebury Mountaineer and their guide Company Green Mountain Outfitters hosts the Otter Creek Classic. This year there were 80+ competitors split into Industry Pros and Amateurs.
Anglers participating in the Otter Creek Classic could choose to fish 5 different rivers in the Middlebury area: Middlebury River, Otter Creek, New Haven River, Furnace Brook, and The Neshobe river. These are all rivers Pat Joyce grew up fishing and are known for being pretty tough as they hold some of the states largest trout.
The tournament goes from 5am-4pm on opening day and the winner is chosen by total trout inches caught throughout the day. All angler were required to have a tape measure and camera with date and time on it to keep people honest.
Pat won his division by catching 6 Brown trout for a total of 94 inches including, one a 20.5-inch brown and a 17.5-inch Brown trout which came within 10-15 minutes of each other, on back to back casts in the same run early in the morning. While those were impressive trout by any standard they were not the largest caught. One angler stripping streamers nailed a 23.5-inch Brown trout for the biggest fish of the day.
All proceeds from the event go to the New Haven River Anglers Association for stream remediation projects and access. The organizers at the fly shop and their guides are all great individuals, doing hard work and promoting fly fishing in the state of Vermont. They also hosted the Fly Fishing Film Tour the night before opening day and sell it out every year. It’s a great way to fish on opening day in Vermont and meet local people with similar interests.
Congratulations Pat – we are looking forward to seeing you back here in Montana this June and relaying your angling skills to our guide clients.
