10 Rivers ยท 34 Lakes

Vermont

Fly fishing guide to Vermont's best rivers

Vermont's pastoral landscape of covered bridges, dairy farms, and forested mountains frames some of New England's finest trout water. The Battenkill, America's most storied eastern trout stream, flows through the southwestern corner, while the White River system offers outstanding wild rainbow and brown trout fishing through classic New England scenery. Vermont's cold, clean freestone rivers support healthy populations of wild trout, and landlocked Atlantic salmon add an exciting dimension to the state's angling heritage.

Vermont Rivers

10 rivers with detailed fishing guides, live conditions, and hatch charts

Battenkill River, fly fishing in Southern Vermont / Bennington County
Live

Battenkill River

Southern Vermont / Bennington County

Intermediate-AdvancedFreestone

The Battenkill River is Vermont's most famous trout stream, a world-renowned destination for fly fishing that has drawn anglers for over a century. With its wild brown trout, technical dry fly fishing, and catch-and-release regulations on the Vermont side, the Battenkill offers a classic Eastern freestone experience in a pastoral setting of covered bridges and dairy farms.

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Deerfield River (Upper), fly fishing in Southern Vermont / Windham County
Live

Deerfield River (Upper)

Southern Vermont / Windham County

Intermediate-AdvancedTailwater

The upper Deerfield River in Vermont offers excellent tailwater fly fishing below Searsburg Dam, with reliable hatches, technical dry fly fishing, and healthy populations of brown and rainbow trout. This section provides a challenging and rewarding alternative to the more famous Massachusetts sections downstream.

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Dog River, fly fishing in Central Vermont / Washington County
Live

Dog River

Central Vermont / Washington County

Intermediate-AdvancedFreestone

The Dog River is a small to medium freestone stream flowing through central Vermont, offering quality wild brown trout and brook trout fishing in a scenic, accessible setting. Known for technical dry fly fishing and healthy wild trout populations, the Dog River rewards skilled anglers with selective fish.

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Lamoille River, fly fishing in Northern Vermont / Lamoille County
Live

Lamoille River

Northern Vermont / Lamoille County

Beginner-IntermediateFreestone

The Lamoille River courses through Northern Vermont for 85 miles, offering diverse fishing opportunities for rainbow trout, brook trout, and landlocked Atlantic salmon. With good access, scenic mountain views, and fall salmon runs, the Lamoille is a premier northern Vermont fly fishing destination.

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Mettawee River, fly fishing in Western Vermont / Rutland County
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Mettawee River

Western Vermont / Rutland County

BeginnerFreestone

The Mettawee River flows through western Vermont's agricultural valleys, offering accessible fly fishing for wild brown, rainbow, and native brook trout. Best fished where tributaries create pools and cooling water, the Mettawee provides a beginner-friendly introduction to Vermont fly fishing.

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New Haven River, fly fishing in Central Vermont / Addison County
Live

New Haven River

Central Vermont / Addison County

IntermediateFreestone

The New Haven River is a pristine, cold mountain stream flowing through the towns of Ripton, Lincoln, and Bristol, offering excellent fly fishing for wild brook trout and stocked rainbow and brown trout. Known for crystal-clear water, diverse pocket water, and spring hatches, the New Haven is a gem of central Vermont.

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Otter Creek, fly fishing in Western Vermont / Addison County
Live

Otter Creek

Western Vermont / Addison County

Beginner-IntermediateFreestone

Otter Creek is Vermont's longest river at 112 miles, offering diverse fishing from cold-water brook trout in headwaters to mixed trout and warmwater species in lower sections. Cold tributaries like the New Haven and Middlebury Rivers provide excellent trout habitat where they meet the main stem.

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Walloomsac River, fly fishing in Southern Vermont / Bennington County
Live

Walloomsac River

Southern Vermont / Bennington County

Beginner-IntermediateFreestone

The Walloomsac River near Bennington offers accessible fly fishing for wild brown and rainbow trout in a pastoral Vermont setting. With a two-mile trophy section featuring fish ranging 16 to 20 inches, the Walloomsac provides quality fishing close to town.

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White River, fly fishing in Central Vermont / White River Valley
Live

White River

Central Vermont / White River Valley

Beginner-IntermediateFreestone

The White River is a 60-mile free-flowing tributary of the Connecticut River that offers exceptional wild rainbow trout fishing alongside populations of wild brown and native brook trout. Known for productive fall fishing when other rivers are off-limits due to spawning closures, the White River provides accessible fly fishing through some of Vermont's most scenic mountain terrain.

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Winooski River, fly fishing in Northern Vermont / Chittenden County
Live

Winooski River

Northern Vermont / Chittenden County

Beginner-IntermediateFreestone

The Winooski River is northern Vermont's premier fly fishing destination, flowing 90 miles from Cabot to Lake Champlain through diverse terrain. With wild brown trout, stocked rainbows, native brook trout in tributaries, and landlocked Atlantic salmon, the Winooski offers varied fishing opportunities accessible to anglers of all skill levels.

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Vermont Lakes & Ponds

34 lakes & ponds with depth charts, stocking data, and stillwater fishing guides

Amherst Lake

Southern Vermont / Windsor County

83 acres

Amherst Lake is the uppermost of the Black River chain of lakes along Route 100 in Plymouth, a deep, narrow lake stocked with trophy rainbow trout and holding brown trout in cold, clear water.

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Caspian Lake

Northeast Kingdom / Orleans County

789 acres

Caspian Lake in Greensboro is one of Vermont's most pristine lakes, a 789-acre spring-fed basin with self-sustaining populations of lake trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, and rainbow smelt. Clear water, a classic village setting, and wild fish make Caspian a Northeast Kingdom gem.

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Chittenden Reservoir

Central Vermont / Rutland County

750 acres

Chittenden Reservoir spreads 750 acres beneath the Green Mountain ridgelines east of Rutland, a scenic mountain impoundment holding brook trout, brown trout, and strong smallmouth bass. Mountain views, a quiet launch, and dawn mist make it central Vermont's prettiest stillwater commute.

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Colton Pond

Central Vermont / Rutland County

27 acres

Colton Pond is a 27-acre roadside pond just north of Kent Pond in Killington, stocked with trophy two-year-old brook trout and fishable from shore, canoe, or float tube.

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Crystal Lake

Northeast Kingdom / Orleans County

763 acres

Crystal Lake at Barton lives up to its name: 763 acres of deep, transparent coldwater framed by granite ledges, holding wild lake trout, rainbows, and landlocked salmon. Crystal Lake State Park and easy village access make it the most approachable of the Kingdom's deep lakes.

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Echo Lake (Charleston)

Northeast Kingdom / Orleans County

550 acres

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.

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Echo Lake (Plymouth)

Southern Vermont / Windsor County

104 acres

Echo Lake in Plymouth is the middle lake of the Black River chain, bordered by Camp Plymouth State Park on the site of an 1800s gold rush settlement and stocked with trophy rainbow trout.

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Great Averill Lake

Northeast Kingdom / Essex County

828 acres

Great Averill Lake lies in Vermont's far northeastern corner, an 828-acre wilderness lake a few miles from the Canadian border. Lake trout, rainbows, and landlocked salmon cruise its cold, clear water beneath an undeveloped shoreline patrolled by loons and peregrines โ€” the Kingdom at its wildest.

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Green River Reservoir

Northern Vermont / Lamoille County

653 acres

Green River Reservoir in Hyde Park is Vermont's flagship quiet-water experience: a 653-acre paddle-in state park where electric motors are the legal maximum and loons outnumber anglers. Smallmouth bass along its rocky, island-studded shorelines make it the state's finest wilderness bass paddle.

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Harriman Reservoir

Southern Vermont / Windham County

2,040 acres

Harriman Reservoir (Lake Whitingham) is the largest lake entirely within Vermont, a 2,040-acre impoundment of the Deerfield River in the southern Green Mountains. Trophy-stocked brook trout, brown trout, and outstanding smallmouth bass make it southern Vermont's premier stillwater.

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Harvey's Lake

Northeast Kingdom / Caledonia County

351 acres

Harvey's Lake in Barnet is a deep, spring-fed lake famous as the boyhood diving water of Jacques Cousteau, stocked with trophy rainbow trout and holding lake trout over a 140-foot basin.

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Holland Pond

Northeast Kingdom / Orleans County

334 acres

Holland Pond is a 334-acre trophy trout water tucked against the Canadian border in Holland, stocked with two-year-old rainbow trout and holding wild brook trout around its boulder-strewn shorelines.

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Island Pond

Northeast Kingdom / Essex County

614 acres

Island Pond is a 600-acre lake with a namesake 22-acre island in the historic railroad town of Brighton, offering rainbow trout, brook trout, and strong smallmouth bass fishing.

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Joe's Pond

Northeast Kingdom / Caledonia County

396 acres

Joe's Pond in Danville is a three-basin, 396-acre pond famous for its Ice-Out Contest, stocked with trophy rainbow trout and holding brook and brown trout over water up to 90 feet deep.

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Kent Pond

Central Vermont / Rutland County

99 acres

Kent Pond in Killington is a 99-acre trophy trout reservoir at the headwaters of the Ottauquechee River, bordered by Gifford Woods State Park with the Appalachian Trail passing along its shore.

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Kettle Pond

Central Vermont / Groton State Forest

103 acres

Kettle Pond is a carry-in-only trophy trout pond in Groton State Forest, its undeveloped 103-acre basin ringed by remote lean-to campsites and stocked with two-year-old rainbow trout.

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Lake Dunmore

Western Vermont / Addison County

985 acres

Lake Dunmore is a 985-acre two-story fishery beneath the Moosalamoo highlands in Addison County, pairing lake trout and landlocked salmon in its depths with rainbow trout and smallmouth bass along its shores. Branbury State Park makes it one of Vermont's most accessible quality lakes.

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Lake Groton

Central Vermont / Groton State Forest

422 acres

Lake Groton is the 422-acre recreational hub of Groton State Forest, flanked by Stillwater and Boulder Beach state parks and offering brook trout, rainbow trout, and reliable smallmouth bass fishing.

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Lake Memphremagog

Northeast Kingdom / Orleans County

6,317 acres

Lake Memphremagog is a 31-mile international lake whose southern end anchors Newport, Vermont. Landlocked salmon, brown trout, rainbows, and smallmouth bass thrive on its smelt-rich waters, and the mouths of the Clyde, Barton, and Black rivers give fly anglers world-class seasonal opportunities.

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Lake Rescue

Southern Vermont / Windsor County

184 acres

Lake Rescue in Ludlow is the lowest and largest lake of the Black River chain, one of Vermont's ten deepest lakes at about 93 feet, stocked with trophy rainbow trout alongside wild brown trout.

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Lake Willoughby

Northeast Kingdom / Orleans County

1,687 acres

Lake Willoughby is Vermont's deepest lake and its most dramatic, a glacial fjord pinched between the sheer cliffs of Mount Pisgah and Mount Hor. Its cold, smelt-rich depths have produced state-record lake trout and support salmon, rainbows, and browns, making Willoughby the flagship stillwater of the Northeast Kingdom.

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Little Averill Lake

Northeast Kingdom / Essex County

470 acres

Little Averill Lake is a deep, cold, undeveloped lake in Vermont's far Northeast Kingdom, holding wild lake trout and rainbow trout in remarkably clear water just below the Canadian border.

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Long Pond (Westmore)

Northeast Kingdom / Orleans County

76 acres

Long Pond in Westmore is a small but startlingly deep trophy brook trout pond near Lake Willoughby, dropping to 74 feet beneath Bald Mountain with a backcountry feel and a simple gravel access.

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Maidstone Lake

Northeast Kingdom / Essex County

745 acres

Maidstone Lake is the remote jewel of Essex County, a 745-acre glacial lake ringed by forest and centered on Maidstone State Park. Loons call across water that holds lake trout, wild landlocked salmon, and brook trout, making it one of Vermont's wildest coldwater lake fisheries.

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May Pond

Northeast Kingdom / Orleans County

82 acres

May Pond is a quiet 82-acre brook trout pond near Barton managed under the trophy trout program, with gas motors prohibited and a wild, wetland-ringed shoreline alive with loons and otters.

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Miller Pond

Central Vermont / Orange County

64 acres

Miller Pond is a quiet 64-acre pond near Strafford with an undeveloped, forested shoreline, stocked with trophy two-year-old rainbow and brook trout under Vermont's trophy trout program.

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Newark Pond

Northeast Kingdom / Caledonia County

156 acres

Newark Pond is a high, clear 156-acre pond in Newark stocked with trophy two-year-old rainbow trout, with wild brook trout and a classic Northeast Kingdom pond setting at over 1,800 feet.

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Norton Pond

Northeast Kingdom / Essex County

583 acres

Norton Pond is a large, shallow Northeast Kingdom pond on the Canadian border offering brook trout around cold tributary mouths and excellent smallmouth bass fishing over rocky structure.

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Noyes Pond (Seyon Pond)

Central Vermont / Groton State Forest, Caledonia County

39 acres

Noyes Pond at Seyon Lodge State Park is Vermont's only public fly-fishing-only water: 39 acres of wild brook trout pond fished exclusively from rented rowboats. It is a living museum of traditional New England pond fishing โ€” no motors, no wading, no spin gear, just brook trout and oars.

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Osmore Pond

Central Vermont / Groton State Forest

51 acres

Osmore Pond is a 51-acre hike-in brook trout pond in Groton State Forest near the New Discovery campground, stocked with trophy two-year-old brookies and ringed by a shoreline hiking loop.

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Ricker Pond

Central Vermont / Groton State Forest

85 acres

Ricker Pond is an 85-acre brook trout pond at the south end of Groton State Forest, paired with the forest's oldest state campground and offering clear water over a hard sand-and-boulder bottom.

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Seymour Lake

Northeast Kingdom / Orleans County

1,732 acres

Seymour Lake in Morgan is one of the Northeast Kingdom's premier coldwater lakes, 1,732 acres of clear, deep water famous for its ice-out landlocked salmon and lake trout fishing. Smelt streamers stripped along its shorelines in late April are a Vermont rite of spring.

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Silver Lake (Barnard)

Central Vermont / Windsor County

84 acres

Silver Lake is an 84-acre village lake in Barnard fronted by Silver Lake State Park, offering stocked rainbow and brook trout in spring and fall alongside a lively warmwater fishery.

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Woodward Reservoir

Southern Vermont / Windsor County

106 acres

Woodward Reservoir is a scenic, largely undeveloped 106-acre reservoir on Route 100 in Plymouth, stocked with rainbow and brook trout over a basin that drops to about 50 feet.

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