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© The Mountain Times 2006
Gone fishin'.... in Vermont
Few states can truly claim fishing as a tradition but Vermont can. And the Lakes Region in Rutland County offers more different fishing opportunities than anywhere else in Vermont.
There is no quarry more fondly found in our fishing folklore than the wild Eastern brook trout. “Natives” as locals call them, represent the essence of fishing in Vermont. You can check them out for yourself.
Get a fishing license, a pole or a rod, some worms, and head back into the mountains, anywhere north or south of Route 4. Almost all of the streams in the Green Mountains produce wild brook trout. A six-incher most likely will be a good sized brookie in the small streams.
Brook trout fishing is akin to a cat stalking a mouse. First, you search for the home of the prey. In this case, it’s a small transparent brook in the woods. Then sneak up on the watering hole. Better success comes to those who take slow, cautious steps, keeping themselves hidden between the finned critters and any bushes or rocks on the stream bank. If you stand up, you’ll see them scatter like leaves in the wind.
Almost every stream outflow from a culvert under a road holds brook trout. The better fishing, however, comes to those who hike back away from a road.
Brook trout, native to New England and Vermont, thrive in cold streams. Fortunately, much of Vermont’s landscape in this region is heavily forested, creating ideal shady habitat for the brookie. Bordering the Killington Ski Resort, larger wild brook trout can be found in the slowly moving Ottauquechee River in Bridgewater. June is the best month to find the fish here lurking along the undercut banks.
To the western reach of Rutland County, the upper reaches of both the Poultney and Castleton Rivers hold wild brook trout up to a foot long. Both of these streams produce the best fishing in May and early June.
A number of ponds in the region hold brook trout that the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife stocks annually. Most notable is Mendon Beaver Pond, a small, shallow six-acre pond adjacent to U.S. Route 4 in the Town of Mendon. This is an ideal location for families with small children or otherwise inexperienced anglers to gain their first fishing experience. You can cast from your vehicle here with a good chance of hooking into a trout, but we don’t suggest that method.
Other nearby ponds stocked in April and May with brook trout include Colton Pond and Kent Pond in Killington, Leffert’s Pond in Chittenden, Proctor Beaver Pond in Proctor, and Smith Pond in Pittsford.
In general, both fly fishing and spinning will take brook trout, although early in the season worms probably put the most fish in your creel. Most fly anglers use patterns that imitate specific aquatic insects, however, attracting patterns such as the Muddler Minnow, Wooly Worm, and Royal Coachman work best.
As in most of the Northeast, three major orders of insects predominate in Vermont streams: mayfly, caddis, and stonefly. In the adult form, the first two are the most common, yet the most effective for taking stream trout are weighted stonefly nymphs.
Although not a native trout, the colorful, acrobatic rainbow trout has lived in Vermont’s larger streams and lakes since the turn of the century and anglers now consider it as a native fish. Healthy populations of rainbows swim in Otter Creek in Wallingford, Furnace Brook in Pittsford, East Creek in Rutland Town and Chittenden, and Ottauquechee River in Bridgewater.
Anglers can get into some good rainbow trout fishing with a boat in many of Rutland county’s larger ponds and lakes. Boating waters with good numbers of rainbow trout stocked each spring include Sunset Lake in Benson, Glen Lake in Castleton, Lake Ninevah in Mount Holly, Lake St. Catherine in Poultney, and Lake Dunmore in Salisbury. These waters all have free, public Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department boating access launches. Trolling small streamers or spoons such as Mooselooks or Phoebes, or flashing spoons rigged with crawlers or small shiners produce the best results in these lakes.
Rutland is the second largest city in Vermont, but it’s tops as far as bass anglers are concerned. In a state long known for its trout and salmon, largemouth and smallmouth bass have gone virtually unnoticed until recently. Right now these are the good old days for bass fishing in Rutland County.
Largemouth bass are most at home in weed-choked backwaters. Shallow coves of large lakes and small ponds dotted with lily pads, stumps or weeds are preferred places for largemouth. Largemouth generally feed on minnows, frogs, and crayfish. Add night crawlers to your list and you have the four best baits. Because largemouth live in shallow water and catch their food mostly from above, surface lures and plugs work best. To be successful, it’s critical to fish early in the morning or just before dark. Cast a plug in the middle of a sunny day and you’ll swear there’s nothing in the pond besides a sleeping bullfrog.
Cousin to the largemouth, smallmouth bass live in an entirely different habitat. They prefer gravel, rocky shorelines, often hanging out near drop-offs in the larger lakes. They prefer to feed on crayfish, hellgrammites, minnows, and aquatic insects. Minnows and crawlers are the best baits in the ponds.
Lake Bomoseen, encompassing 2,405 acres in Castleton and Hubbardton, is Vermont’s largest inland lake and tops the list for bass. Public boating access is off the West Shore Road in Castleton. The northern end of the lake holds a large, shallow marsh where five pound or larger largemouths are commonly caught. In contrast, smallmouths or bronzebacks can be found along the shorelines in the main part of the lake. As July temperatures warm the water, smallmouths lie just off the weed lines in about 20 feet of water.
Shoreline fishing is also popular at Bomoseen. The Kehoe Boating Access Area and the Bomoseen State Park provide plenty of easy accessibility and fishing action. In fact, there is a wheelchair fishing platform at the Kehoe access. You can expect to catch brown trout, northern pike, yellow perch, crappie, bluegills and pumpkinseeds. In summer and fall, Bomoseen is home to many bass tournaments.
Just south of Bomoseen lies what may be the state’s top smallmouth water - Lake St. Catherine in Poultney and Wells. Some of the state’s largest smallmouth bass are caught from this deep, 852-acre lake. The shoreline is highly developed with camps and residences, but water depths drop off sharply from shore, holding good numbers of smallmouths as well as rainbow and lake trout. There is a good Fish and Wildlife Department boating access area at the southern end of the lake. Lake St. Catherine also holds good numbers of northern pike.
To the north of Bomoseen lies the productive waters of Lake Hortonia in Hubbardton. Largemouths up to eight pounds are caught in this shallow, 449 acre lake.
Hortonia is also home to the forgotten northern pike in Vermont. Northerns are commonly caught in the summer, just off weed lines, in about 20 feet of water. The largest northern pike ever taken in Vermont weighed 30 pounds 8 ounces and was taken in Glen Lake in West Castleton. Big northerns still swim in Glen Lake, but rainbows and largemouth bass are the most commonly caught species.
The state owns most of the shoreline at Glen Lake, making the experience an enjoyable and peaceful one. A public boat access is located at the southeastern shore.
North of Hortonia, several other small ponds holding largemouth bass are suited mainly for car-toppers or canoes. These include Burr, Beebe, Black, and Bresee Ponds. As summer progresses, these shallow, yet fertile ponds become blanketed with mats of aquatic vegetation. Weedless surface lures will bring the largemouths boiling out of the weeds.
At Killington’s doorstep is scenic Kent Pond. This manmade, 71-acre shallow reservoir holds a teeming population of small largemouth bass and sunfish. Beginners and veterans can have a lot of fun during the summer catching and releasing these small fish. Occasionally, a bass up to five pounds is pulled from near one of the old waterlogged stumps. Stocked rainbow and brown trout can also be taken early in the year. Fishing is best here from a small boat or canoe that can be put in at the Fish and Wildlife public launch site, located a short distance north on Route 100 from where it intersects Route 4.
One of the most peaceful and beautiful waters in Rutland County is Chittenden Reservoir, located in the rural town of Chittenden. This 674 acre water is nestled among the forested Green Mountains. Chances of seeing a moose in the backwaters here, or at neighboring Leffert’s Pond, is high during summer’s dim light of early morning or late evening. Public access can be obtained off Chittenden Dam Road. Here, abundant populations of perch school and a growing walleye fishery is trying to take hold. Currently, walleyes are plentiful but few fish have reached the 22-inch size limit that has been established on this lake. Open fishing season for walleyes here runs June 1 through March 15.
When you strike out in Rutland County in search of some of the greatest fishing Vermont offers, take a moment and stop at the local tackle shops and stores. Spending a few dollars for some tackle and bait will pay off in good fishing information that’s priceless. A helpful publication to guide you farther to these and others waters in Vermont is the new “Map and Guide to Fishing in Vermont,” available free of charge.
The Stream and Brook Fly Fishing School at Cortina Inn offers professionally guided fishing outings in the Crossroads Region. If you’re new to fly fishing, you can enroll in their two-day Learn To Fly Fish program, or just take a lesson from a pro. Special programs for young people and women are offered throughout the season. Seminars and special events for groups or businesses are also offered, and can be tailored to your needs. Combine your fly fishing learning experience with the luxurious lodging facilities of the Cortina Inn, and you have a fantastic Vermont Crossroads getaway. For more info on the School, call the Cortina Inn at 800-451-6108 or log-in at www.streamandbrook.com.
All content © The Mountain Times 2006