Vermont’s Best Fishing Spots

If you’ve never gone fishing in Vermont, you’ve got a pleasant surprise in store: 46 of Vermont’s 52 State Parks offer fishing directly on site or within a short walking distance. If you love to fish in mountain streams and rivers, you’ll find plentiful trout—brook, lake, rainbow, and brown. If you prefer warmer lowland lakes and ponds, perch, pickerel, walleye, as well as smallmouth, largemouth, and bullhead bass will keep you busy for hours. There is no shortage of summertime fishing opportunities in the Green Mountains. 

We’ve pulled together some of the most loved fishing spots in the state and sprinkled in a few harder-to-access, big-payoff options, too. Time to dig your fishing gear out of the garage, tie your flies and stock up on bait; the season is in full swing and the fish are abundant. 

Be sure you obtain a valid Vermont fishing license. Short-term (1-, 3- or 7-day) and youth licenses are also available.

Echo Lake

Echo Lake in East Charleston, Vermont provides diverse aquatic habitat for a wide range of fish species. The cove on the north side of Camp Plymouth State Park (the fishing dock side) and the mouth of Buffalo Brook are shallow areas that offer good cover for warm water species like bass, pickerel, and sunfish. The lake is deepest just beyond the swimming area, so that’s where you’ll find the coldwater dwelling trout and smelt.

Vermont Fish & Wildlife recommends trying your luck for bass in the cove by the fishing dock with a spinner, popper, or soft artificial bait. For trout fishing, start about halfway between the island and the eastern side of the lake and use a three-way swivel with natural bait and spinner or spoon to troll the deeper waters. 

If you need a fishing license, you can apply online or visit the Tyson Village Store or the Ludlow Town Clerk.

Harriman Reservoir

Harriman Reservoir, also called Lake Whitingham, is the largest body of water entirely within state borders. Extending from Wilmington to Whitingham, the reservoir is about 10 miles long, featuring 28 miles of unbroken, undeveloped shoreline. The seasonal drawdown drops the waterline enough to expose its shores, but to ensure the ecological integrity of the local fisheries, this drawdown is now regulated. 

The Reservoir is home to a variety of fish species, including small- and largemouth bass, brook, rainbow, brown, and lake trout, and yellow perch. You can also fish for landlocked salmon, chain pickerel, and the occasional panfish.

Originally made by the New England Power Company in the 1920s, the reservoir flooded the former pulpwood and lumber village of Mountain Mills, adjacent to current day Wilmington. When water levels are low, you may spot submerged tree stumps and mill foundations.

Island Pond

Island Pond is a CDP (census-dedicated place) located in the town of Brighton. Just over 600 acres and only about 63 feet deep, Island Pond is home to rainbow trout, brown trout, rainbow smelt, yellow perch, walleye, bullhead, large- and smallmouth bass, burbot, and panfish.

In May of 2024, the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR) with support from the Vermont Land Trust (VLT) purchased the 15-acre island that gives the pond its name. The land is now considered part of Brighton State Park, adjacent to the southern and eastern shores of Island Pond, and is protected by a conservation easement that protects public access and natural resources—including fish. 

This is good news for anglers who cherish Island Pond as a year-round fishing destination, including the ice variety between the third Saturday in January to mid-March.

Connecticut River

“On the Upper Connecticut River, the only thing more spectacular than the scenery is the fishing,” according to a local fishing guide. The mild spring and summer temperatures make it a prime time for reeling in freshwater species along the Connecticut, including brown and rainbow trout, panfish, yellow perch, chain pickerel, walleye, as well as bountiful populations of large- and smallmouth bass. (Find bass bait recommendations here.)

Whether you’re an experienced angler or a novice unfamiliar with these waters, the Connecticut River, with its ample boat launches and convenient picnic areas, offers a rewarding experience for everyone.

Clyde River and Clyde Pond

Clyde River and Clyde Pond are both excellent fishing destinations. Clyde River is known for its spring and fall runs of landlocked salmon. The fall spawning run comes from Lake Memphremagog, which spans the Canadian border to the northwest. 

The River is also home to healthy populations of rainbow, brown, and brook trout. Anglers will appreciate Clyde River’s varying flow and bottom conditions, creating both slow-moving and fast-water fishing. The middle section from East Charleston to Clyde Pond is a favorite for anglers in search of rainbow trout and salmon.

Landlocked salmon also live in Clyde Pond as well, along with the typical bass species found in Vermont—large- and smallmouth bass and bullhead bass. Populations of yellow perch, walleye, and pickerel are less numerous but consistent catches if you enjoy the calm of trolling along the smooth surface of the Pond.

Forest Lake

Forest Lake, also called Nelson Pond, is located in Averill, Vermont. Renowned for its rainbow, brown, and lake trout populations, it’s also known as a favorite fishing spot for former Vermont Governors George Aiken and Franklin Billings, writer Frank Van Wyck Mason, and actor Henry Fonda. 

Rainbow smelt, chain pickerel, bullhead and smallmouth bass, and yellow perch can also be found in Forest Lake. Great Averill Pond—also called Big Averill Lake—is a short hike to the west. Formed by glaciers, depths exceed 100 feet, making it a prime spot for lake char, brook trout, and rainbow smelt. Daily catch regulations limit anglers to no more than two for ecosystem sustainability.

To the south of Great Averill Pond, Little Averill Pond (also called Little Averill Lake) has been designated as a “trophy lake” by the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife, meaning it’s known for producing trophy-sized fish. Well worth the hike up to the Northeast Kingdom! 

Explore Vermont’s mountain streams and lowland lakes for fishing adventures galore. We love our state and all it has to offer. Read more articles about Vermont life from our perspective.