Vt. Maple Products

Vermont Fishing

Welcome to the Fishing in Vermont page. I’ve tried to put as much as I can about fishing in Vermont here. What I can’t squeeze in, I’ve put links to where you can get it, like lake maps, fishing licenses, fishing equipment and stuff like that. Fishing is very popular in Vermont, with it’s miles of trout streams, lakes, ponds and of course the huge Lake Champlain lake.

Fishing is done year round in Vermont. In the winter hundreds go out onto the ice for ice fishing. They go onto the lakes and ponds, but the most popular body of water for ice fishing is Lake Champlain. There they fish for perch, northern pike and walleyes. They even have big ice fishing tournaments.

So the first thing is knowing when the fishing seasons are. Here is the basic fishing seasons for Vermont for 2008. Any fish not listed means there is no closed season on them.

Vermont fishing seasons

April 12th-Oct. 31
All trout and landlocked salmon (no closed season on Lake Champlain)

April 12th-June 13
Largemouth and smallmouth bass catch and release ponds and lakes

June 14-Nov. 30
Regular largemouth and smallmouth bass season

May 3rd-March 15 2009
Walleye

June 14th
Free fish day. This is the one day a year anyone can go and fish for a day without getting a fishing license.

Vt. fishing rules and license

Now like all rules and regulations, there are a few other things you should try to find out, like certain ponds or streams closed for fishing, rules on the type of tackle you can use and all that. For that go to the Vermont fish & wildlife rules page and find the right pdf file to open for all the fishing regulations.


Now that you know all that, you want to get your Vermont fishing license. So just go here to the Vermont fish and wildlife website where you can buy your fishing license online.

Vermont fish chart

All right, now you may want to know just what all the types of sport fish, sizes, what they look like and where you can find them are. So, I made my own little Vermont sport fish guide that shows a picture of each, name, size and where they live. Just click on my Vermont fish chart page.

Vermont fishing tackle and supplies

As for where to get all that good fishing tackle, bait, boating needs and all that, you don’t have to look far in Vermont. Every little country store, gas station, mini mart and places like that always have one corner filled with your basic fishing needs. There are lots of fishing shops too, filled with hundreds of different fishing lures, live bait, tackle and whatever else you need.

Vermont fishing guides & camps

There’s plenty of Vermont fishing guides and fishing camps you can find. From going out on Lake Champlain in a fully equipped boat with all the tackle supplied to hiking up the mountains to a remote trout stream for some fly fishing, there’s a guide and camp for you.

Waking up in a fishing camp to the smell of coffee brewing and pancakes cooking with that pure Vermont maple syrup on it just can’t be beat! Below are some good sites that have plenty of information on fishing guides and camps in Vermont.

Vermont fishing guide
A website filled with good links to Vermont fishing guides and camps.

Stream & Brook fly fishing
A great place that teaches you how to fly fish and then guides you to some great trout streams.

Vermont fishing charter boats
Website that list great Vermont fishing charter boat captains and outfitters.

That’s just a few places, I’ll list more when I have the time. So book a Vermont fishing trip soon. You’ll have the time of your life, enjoying all the peace and quite here, along with breathtaking scenery. Where ever you stay, be sure to order those pancakes or waffles so you can enjoy that pure Vermont maple syrup poured over it!