Where to Fish in Vermont

Finding new places to catch fish has always been a challenge. At times it is a fun challenge. It can also be frustrating. Whether fun or frustrating, the discovery process is an important part of fishing for the experienced angler as well as the neophyte.

There are three proven ways to find new fishing spots. The first and best is to develop a good friendship with an excellent angler who can personally lead you to a few of their hot spots. I've mentioned this approach in my column several times in the past. If you can find a such a good friend (whether they fish or not) you're fortunate. If, however, your close friends don't happen to fish, and the anglers you know aren't close enough to reveal to you their secrets, you're out of luck.

A second approach is to hire a professional guide. Think of a guide as a mercenary friend. You pay them for a day, and in return they take you to a wonderful spot (or spots) for fishing. They might even provide you with some flies or lures, make you a lunch, and give you tips on your casting. Three times in my life I've been fortunate enough to have a professional guide. The first of those still stands out as one of the most memorable fishing trips of my life.

The third approach for the adventurous anglers--or for those who lack the money to hire a guide and lack whatever it takes to have a close friend--is to explore. For the explorers out there I recommend four invaluable resources.

The Vermont Atlas and Gazeteer (9th Edition): The first is "The Vermont Atlas and Gazetteer" from the DeLorme Mapping Company. This 11x17 paperback book is widely available, and provides 36 maps which cover the entire state at the scale of 1"=1.6 miles (2.5 km). Some of my favorite places to fish in Vermont were discovered using this book. (I look for streams that have long sections inaccessible by road, and then I hike there. See comment below.)

The maps include just about everything the serious or casual outdoorsperson might want: roads, streams, lakes and ponds, mountains, parks, bike routes, covered bridges, museums, etc. To the right is a small sample from thenext map south of my house.

In addition to the information on the maps themselves, the front of the book contains several pages of additional information such as:

• suggested canoe tours,
• suggested hikes,
• unique natural features,
• scenic drives,
• list of state lands,
• suggested hunting and fishing areas,
• interesting historic sites,
• and cross country-ski areas.

1. CONTOURS: The biggest and most useful change was the addition of contour lines!
2. COLORS: Another obvious change is the move to several colors. The 7th edition was essentially just black (for roads and boundary lines), blue (for water) and red (for various labels and highlights). The 9th edition uses color to identify forests, wet-lands, urban areas, etc.
3. COMMUNITIES: Several pages of city maps have been added to the 9th edition, so in addition to Burlington, St. Albans, Newport, Bennington, Brattleboro, Montpelier, St. Johnsbury, Rutland, and Barre, the 9th edition now has street maps of about 40 additional towns including such booming metropolises as Stowe, Bristol, Poultney, and Vergennes. Given that the whole state of Vermont has fewer than a million residents, that means the Gazetteer is offering street maps of just about every town with more people than cows.
4. sCALE: Unfortunately, the newer editions has maps of a smaller scale (1:100,000 or 1"=1.6 miles as opposed to the 7th edition which was 1"=1 mile.) So the state is covered in 36 maps rather than the 59 maps of the 7th edition. However the detail is still so nice that you barely miss the larger scale.
5. CATCHING FISH: Of particular interest to anglers, most of the lakes and streams are labelled for the major species of game fish found there. In the 7th edition, the streams and lakes themselves had labels: BN for brown trout; R for rainbow trout; P for pike; B for bass; etc. In the new edition, the good fishing waters carry just a generic fish symbol and the reader is directed to a section in the front of the book that lists the states important waters and the fish found in each. In this regard, I happen to prefer the format of the 7th edition, but overall the gains outweighed the losses.

Vermont Trout Ponds and Streams: Two resources published by Northern Cartographic specifically for anglers are "The Atlas of Vermont Trout Ponds" and "Vermont Trout Streams". These books cover excactly what their titles suggest. The Pond book lists over 150 ponds. It shows each on a map and descibes access (by road or footpath). Additionally, it lists the various cold water species found in each pond. For 50 of these ponds, the book also includes detailed depth charts. It's companion volume on Streams offers detailed maps of the states most important watersheds, along with a written description of several major rivers and streams--how and where to fish them, major insect hatches, etc. I've found this book helpful even for rivers I've fished several times.

Stream Map of New England: A final resources of interest is the newly released "Stream Map of New England" from Vivid Publishing (1-570-368-2000). Based on the famous "Professor Higbee's Lost Map" (of Pennsylvania), it is a wall-sized map of incredible detail covering every stream, river, and creek in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Though it might not have the practical value to fisherman of the Gazeteer (it is not the sort of map one takes in a car) it is worthwhile for its artistic beauty alone. It is certainly a map that an angler could spend hours studying and enjoying.