Echo Lake (Charleston)
Echo Lake in Charleston is a deep, cold, oligotrophic lake in the Clyde River system, holding wild lake trout, landlocked Atlantic salmon, and rainbow trout in water that drops to 121 feet.
Overview
Echo Lake is one of only two deep, cold, oligotrophic lakes in the Clyde River drainage, a 550-acre gem ringed by hardwood forest and wetlands in Charleston. The lake supports wild lake trout alongside landlocked Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout, all sustained by a strong rainbow smelt forage base. Depths fall away quickly to a 121-foot basin, keeping the lower water column cold all summer.
Fly fishing opportunity peaks in the weeks after ice-out, when salmon and lake trout follow smelt into the upper 15 feet of water and traditional streamers like the Grey Ghost earn their keep on fast-sinking or intermediate lines. Rainbows stay reachable longer, cruising the shoal edges for midges and Callibaetis into early summer, then reappearing in the fall turnover. Most anglers troll or cast from boats; the public launch makes access straightforward.
Depth & Character
- Surface Area
- 550acres
- Max Depth
- 121ft
- Elevation
- 1250ft
Bathymetric depth chart — click to open the full PDF. Source: Vermont DEC.
Source: Vermont DEC
Water Characteristics
Cold, clear, oligotrophic water with steep drop-offs to a 121-foot maximum depth. Rainbow smelt drive the food chain, and the lake stays stratified with abundant cold water all summer.
Access & Boats
A public boat launch off Echo Lake Road (from Route 105 in Charleston) provides trailer access. The shoreline is a mix of camps and forest; boat fishing is the standard approach.
Ice Fishing
A well-known ice fishery for lake trout and salmon from the third Saturday in January through March 15; smelt-tipped jigs over 40 to 80 feet of water are standard.
Fishing Pressure & Local Tips
Moderate in the ice-out window and through the ice; light for fly anglers, who have the smelt-chaser bite largely to themselves.
Local Knowledge
Watch the outlet and inlet areas at ice-out: salmon concentrate where smelt stage, and a slowly stripped Grey Ghost just under the surface can move multiple fish in a morning.
Species Present
Lake Trout
The lake trout is the largest member of the char family and the signature deep-water gamefish of northern New England's coldest, cleanest glacial lakes. A native coldwater char of the northern tier of North America, the lake trout reaches the southern edge of its natural range in the deep, oligotrophic lakes carved by Pleistocene glaciers across northern New England, including Vermont's Lake Champlain and the remote glacial lakes of the Northeast Kingdom. Unlike the stream-dwelling brook trout to which it is related, the lake trout is a true creature of the depths, spending most of the year in the cold, dark, well-oxygenated water far below the surface. Lake trout are long-lived, slow-growing fish that can survive for decades in the frigid depths of their home lakes. Average fish run 18 to 24 inches, but trophy specimens exceeding 30 inches and 15 pounds are taken each season from the best Vermont waters, and the state record approaches 35 pounds. Their size and strength, combined with the challenge of reaching them in deep water, make lake trout a prized quarry for anglers willing to adapt their tactics to the fish's coldwater lifestyle. For fly anglers, the lake trout presents a unique seasonal opportunity. Through most of the year these fish hold too deep for practical fly fishing, but during the narrow windows of ice-out in spring and the fall turnover, lake trout move into the shallows to feed and spawn, bringing them within reach of a well-presented streamer. Casting large baitfish patterns near rocky shorelines and drop-offs during these periods can produce the fish of a lifetime, connecting the angler to the deep glacial history of Vermont's finest coldwater lakes.
Landlocked Atlantic Salmon
The landlocked Atlantic salmon is one of New England's most prized gamefish, a freshwater-resident form of the Atlantic salmon that spends its entire life in lakes and rivers rather than migrating to the ocean. Found primarily in the lakes and rivers of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York, landlocked salmon are genetically identical to their sea-run counterparts but have adapted to a completely freshwater life cycle, using large, cold lakes as their ocean substitute and tributary rivers as spawning habitat. Landlocked salmon are the signature gamefish of Maine's sporting camp tradition, where generations of anglers have gathered at remote wilderness lodges to fish for salmon in the Rangeley Lakes, Moosehead Lake, Sebago Lake, and the rivers that connect them. The fish combine the acrobatic fighting ability of their anadromous relatives with the accessibility of a freshwater species, leaping repeatedly when hooked and running with the kind of power and endurance that makes them one of the most exciting fish available on a fly rod in the northeastern United States. In rivers, landlocked salmon behave much like large resident trout, holding in classic lies and feeding on aquatic insects during hatches. They are particularly responsive to caddis and mayfly emergers, and the sight of a 3-pound landlocked salmon rising to a dry fly in a New England river is one of the defining experiences of northeastern fly fishing. In lakes, salmon are targeted with streamers that imitate smelt, their primary forage fish, trolled or cast from boats during the spring and fall when salmon cruise near the surface in cold-water conditions.
Rainbow Trout
The rainbow trout is Montana's most widespread and popular gamefish, celebrated for its explosive surface strikes, aerial acrobatics, and willingness to take a well-presented dry fly. Native to Pacific Coast drainages from Alaska to Mexico, rainbows were first introduced to Montana's waters in the late 1800s and have since established thriving populations in nearly every major river system in the state. On legendary waters like the Madison, Missouri, and Bighorn, wild rainbow trout grow fat on prolific insect hatches and provide some of the finest dry-fly fishing in North America. Rainbow trout in Montana display remarkable variation depending on their home water. Fish in nutrient-rich tailwaters like the Missouri River below Holter Dam can exceed 20 inches with regularity, their deep bodies and broad tails reflecting the abundant food supply. Freestone river rainbows, such as those in the upper Madison and Gallatin, tend to be leaner and more athletic, shaped by faster currents and colder water temperatures. In many Montana rivers, rainbows spawn in the spring from March through June, and anglers should be mindful of spawning redds during this period to protect future generations of fish. Rainbows are arguably the most versatile trout species for fly anglers. They respond well to dry flies during hatches, aggressively chase streamers, and feed heavily on nymphs subsurface throughout the year. Their fighting ability is legendary: a hooked rainbow will often launch itself completely out of the water multiple times during a battle. Montana's catch-and-release regulations on many blue-ribbon streams have produced exceptional rainbow trout fisheries with high densities of large, healthy fish that continue to draw anglers from around the world.
Food Sources & Hatches
| Insect | Suggested Fly | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rainbow Smelt (post ice-out) morning | Grey Ghost | ||||||||||||
Chironomids (midges) morning | Chironomid (Bomber) | ||||||||||||
Callibaetis Mayflies afternoon | Parachute Adams |
Rainbow Smelt (post ice-out): Salmon and lakers push smelt against the shorelines at ice-out; the season's best fly window.
Chironomids (midges): Rainbows take pupae over the shoal edges before summer stratification.
Callibaetis Mayflies: Sparse but reliable speckled-wing duns over the shallower flats; size 14-16.
Recommended Flies
Grey Ghost
Top PickGrey Ghost at ice-out for salmon and lake trout chasing smelt. The signature fly here.
Best in spring
Woolly Bugger
Top PickBuggers along the drop-offs pick up rainbows when the smelt bite slows.
Best in spring
Also Effective
Access Points & Boat Launches
Echo Lake Boat Launch (Charleston)
Boat LaunchEasyPublic boat launch off Echo Lake Road from Route 105 in Charleston, serving trailered boats. The launch puts anglers minutes from the drop-offs where salmon and lake trout chase smelt at ice-out.
Regulations
Regulations
General fishing season runs from the second Saturday in April through October 31; ice fishing season for the lake runs from the third Saturday in January through March 15. Lake trout and salmon limits differ from general trout rules — verify at vtfishandwildlife.com. Vermont fishing license required.
Always verify current regulations with Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department before fishing.
Quick Facts
- Surface Area
- 550 acres
- Max Depth
- 121 ft
- Elevation
- 1250 ft
- Lake Type
- Natural Lake
- Region
- Northeast Kingdom / Orleans County
- Best Seasons
- spring, fall
- Species
- Lake Trout, Landlocked Atlantic Salmon, Rainbow Trout
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Depth Chart
- Download PDF
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