NEWPORT — Despite the late return of spring, Vermont’s traditional trout fishing season opened today, marking the start of some of the best trout fishing of the year in the Green Mountain State.
Vermont’s spring trout season, which is widely popular among resident and non-resident anglers alike, can often afford an angler the greatest opportunity to catch trout in rivers and streams.
“Many of the biggest brown and rainbow trout caught in Vermont rivers each year are taken during the spring season,” said Eric Palmer, director of fisheries with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. “Though the cold, high water early in the season may force anglers to fish slower in order to tempt sluggish fish, as the spring temperatures rise, the action can really pick up.”
Vermont is known for its excellent fishing opportunities for wild trout, as well as for stocked trout – including large, two-year old trophy trout that will be stocked statewide in the coming weeks.
Over 18,000 trophy trout will be stocked throughout Vermont in 2015 and anglers will be able to fish over 34 miles of rivers and 28 lakes and ponds that are designated as trophy water.
Vermont’s landscape offers quality habitat for brook, brown and rainbow trout, including a mix of smaller, boulder-lined mountain streams and larger, meandering creeks and rivers at lower elevations.
“Whether you prefer to fish smaller, remote streams in the woods, larger rivers in the valleys, or one of our many lakes and ponds, Vermont really has it all,” said Palmer. “We have excellent populations of trout across a range of habitats and that makes Vermont a special place to fish for people of all ages and abilities.”
As an added bonus, Vermont’s catch-and-release bass fishing season in lakes also starts on April 11, and continues through June 12 when the regular bass season starts. Only lures and flies may be used during the catch-and-release season, and bass must be released immediately.
