Mad River

Fishing, stocking, and current conditions

Rainbow trout water; 3 stockings on the 2026 record, all in May. One of 11 stocked waters on the Washington County record. A USGS gauge reports from this water, so the conditions card on this page is live.

Washington County · Vermont · see it on the national map

last stocked May 6 170 days ago

flow 42% of seasonal normal

best window 9:50-11:50 pm solunar major today

Water right now 2.57 ft gage height flow 53 cfs, 42% of the Oct 23 median NWS forecast: steady through Monday USGS gauge 04288000 (MAD RIVER NEAR MORETOWN, VT) · read 9:00 pm this evening

3 stockings 2026

3,800 fish reported

The year here

stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details

What swims here

Rainbow trout 3 stockings

Stocking record 2026

Agency feed checked today.

Date	Species	Fish	Status
May 6	Rainbow trout	1,000	completed
May 6	Rainbow trout	800	completed
May 6	Rainbow trout	2,000	completed

When to fish Mad River

	Major periods (~2 h)	Minor periods (~1 h)
Today	9:27-11:27 am and 9:50-11:50 pm	3:43-4:43 am and 3:59-4:59 pm
Tomorrow	10:13 am-12:13 pm and 10:37 pm-12:37 am	4:55-5:55 am and 4:19-5:19 pm

Moon: waxing gibbous, 92% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Eastern Time (EDT).

What the record actually says

Last stocked May 6
Flow 42% of the seasonal median

Computed this evening, Oct 23 · Vermont fishing forecast

Gear for this water

It has been a while since the trucks came. The holdovers have spread out and wised up; downsize and fish natural.

For the trout (rainbow trout stocked 3 times here in 2026, moving water)

Small jerkbaits	floating minnows in the 2 to 3 inch class for the deeper bends
Waders or wet-wading boots	stocked stream fish stack in the obvious pools; getting to the next one is the edge
Light spinning rod	5 to 6.5 ft light or ultralight; short rods cast under branches

Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.

Nearby stocked waters

The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.

Water	Distance	Most recent
Waterbury Reservoir	6.9 mi	Oct 15
Ridley Brook	7.6 mi	May 4
Nelson Pond	8.6 mi	May 11
Joiner Brook	10 mi	May 4
Huntington River	13 mi	May 5

Follow Washington County stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule

Records from Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (official page). Placement from USGS GNIS. Schedules change without notice. Seasons, limits, and licenses: Vermont fishing regulations.