VERMONT OFFERS GREAT FISHING OPPORTUNITIES

WATERBURY, VT -- Vermont has the greatest variety of high quality freshwater fishing in the Northeast, according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.

"Vermont's lakes and streams are home to a broad array of fish species that you just won't find anywhere else in the region," said Vermont Fish & Wildlife's John Hall. "And, anglers from other states as well as new Vermont residents are discovering for themselves just how good Vermont fishing really is."       

"Vermont is fortunate in being located within the St. Lawrence, Connecticut and Hudson River drainages," said Hall. "We have St. Lawrence drainage fishes in Lake Champlain that are typically found in the Great Lakes region. Champlain also has fantastic coldwater fishing, more typical of northern New England."    

Lake Champlain on the state's western boundary has a surface area of 435 square miles. Landlocked salmon, lake trout and steelhead rainbow trout offer spectacular action. For outstanding shallow water excitement, try the big lake's northern pike, which range up to 25 pounds. High quality bass fishing, for both largemouths and smallmouths, is one of the lake's best-kept secrets now being discovered by bass angling enthusiasts.

Interior Vermont waters offer classic New England lake and stream fishing with 808 lakes and ponds, 284 of which are larger than 20 acres, and over 7,000 miles of rivers and brooks. Vermont's lakes and streams are home to more than 20 popular species of game and panfish offering fishing for anglers of all tastes and experience levels.

Vermont is well-known for its "cold-water" trout and landlocked salmon fishing. Innumerable icey brooks seep down off the Green Mountains into beaver ponds and streams, providing superb angling for native brook trout, as well as larger rainbow and brown trout. Lakes Willoughby, Caspian, and Seymour, among others, are renowned for their lake trout and landlocked salmon fishing.

Yet, Vermont also has excellent "warm-water" fishing. It is home to a vast array of species that tolerate warmer water than trout and salmon. They include such favorites as largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, channel catfish, chain pickerel, Amercan shad, yellow perch, white perch, black crappie, rock bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and bullhead, as well as bowfin, long-nosed gar, freshwater drum, burbot, cisco, whitefish and sauger.
       
To learn more about Vermont's fantastic fishing opportunities and to help plan your Vermont fishing trip, contact the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, 103 South Main Street, Waterbury, VT 05671-0501 and ask for a "Vermont Fishing Kit." You also can reach the Fish & Wildlife Department by phone at (802) 241-3700 or via their Web Site at (www.vtfishandwildlife.com ) .

Here are some other sources of helpful information for planning your Vermont fishing trip:
www.VOGA.org -- Vermont Outdoor Guides Association
http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/fish_stocking.cfm  -- List of waters to be stocked
www.vermont-travel.com  -- Vermont's Travel Planner