What's New — Regulations Simplification
In Vermont, fishing regulations were updated as of January 1, 2022. These regulations are unchanged for 2023. What does this mean for Vermont’s Anglers?
Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department fisheries staff worked extensively to review Vermont’s current fishing regulations with a focus on simplifying regulations and providing high-quality fishing opportunities while still maintaining the biological protections needed to conserve healthy fish populations. In line with these simplifications, this Vermont Fishing Guide & Regulations publication, the primary source of Vermont’s fishing regulations for anglers, has also undergone a major revision with an eye towards simplification and ease-of-use (see sidebar).
How will these updates affect your angling adventures?
A significant and exciting update resulting from the recent simplification process is the opportunity to fish most Vermont waters at any time of the year with artificial lures and flies, if the angler practices catch and release (except for a few seasonally closed waters or areas with special regulations). This change increases year-round angling opportunities while maintaining biological protections important to healthy fish populations in the state.
Although there have been some considerable changes, many regulations remain the same. Some regulations have been made more consistent across waterbodies, and some special regulations have been removed. You’ll see some regulations are less restrictive and a few others are more restrictive. While it is always best to reference this Fishing Guide & Regulations magazine for your specific season and waterbody before going fishing, we wanted to highlight the very few regulations that have changed to be more restrictive:
Rivers and Streams:
- Brook trout, brown trout and rainbow trout
- Daily Limit: Total of brook + brown + rainbow = no more than 8
- Landlocked Atlantic salmon
- Length Rule: Minimum length = 17 inches
- Brownington Branch of the Willoughby River - From its confluence at the Willoughby River extending upstream to the second road crossing on Brownington Chilafoux Road (TH #15).
- Daily Limit: Total of brown trout + rainbow trout/steelhead = no more than 2
- Length Rule: Minimum length = 10 inches
Lakes and Ponds:
- Seasonally Closed Waters – Only open to fishing 2nd Sat in April to Oct. 31.
- Cary Pond, Walden
- Lake Pleiad, Hancock
- Landlocked Atlantic salmon
- Length Rule: Minimum length = 17 inches
- Lake Morey, Fairlee
- Largemouth and smallmouth bass
- Length Rule: Minimum length = 14 inches
- Largemouth and smallmouth bass
Lake Champlain:
- Largemouth and smallmouth bass
- Length Rule: Minimum length = 12 inches.
How to Use This Guide
Step 1- Where are you going to fish?
- Lake Champlain – Go to Table 2 in Lake Champlain Regulations.
- Connecticut River – Go to Table 3 in Connecticut River Regulations.
- Other Vermont waters - Go to Step 2
Step 2 – Check for special regulations on the specific water you want to fish.
- Review the Index of Rivers and Streams or the Index of Lakes and Ponds.
- For waters listed in either index, the special regulations override the general regulations listed in Table 1: General Fishing Regulations and must be followed.
- Follow general regulations in Table 1: General Fishing Regulations for all other areas not mentioned in the special regulations.
Step 3 – For all waters not listed in either index follow Table 1: General Fishing Regulations.
Note that some regulations vary by water type such as rivers/streams vs lakes/ponds. Daily limits are not additive across water types.
Step 4 – GO FISHING
Trophy Trout Streams
Vermont offers some of the best trout fishing in the Northeast with wild brookies, rainbows and browns found in many streams having good habitat. But our Trophy Trout Program kicks it up a notch. Anglers looking to hook into a big lunker should give one of our trophy trout streams a try. Thousands of two-year-old brookies, rainbows and browns, some more than 18 inches long, are stocked each spring and are just waiting for your cast.
Here’s where you can find them:
- Black River along Rt. 131 in Weathersfield and Cavendish — From Downers covered bridge upstream approximately 4 miles to the next bridge (the Howard Hill Bridge) across the river.
- Deerfield River in Searsburg — From the downstream edge of the East Branch Trailhead Bridge in Searsburg upstream 4 miles to the downstream edge of the bridge on Somerset Road near the junction with Forest Road 71 in Searsburg.
- East Creek in Rutland City — From the confluence with Otter Creek upstream approximately 2.7 miles to the top of the Patch Dam in Rutland City.
- Lamoille River in Fairfax — From the downstream edge of the bridge on Route 104 in the Village of Fairfax upstream approximately 1.6 miles to the top of the Fairfax Falls Dam in Fairfax.
- Little River in Waterbury — From the confluence with Winooski River in Waterbury upstream to the top of the Waterbury Reservoir Dam in Waterbury.
- Missisquoi River in Enosburg and Sheldon — From the downstream edge of Kane Road (TH-3) bridge upstream approximately 5.7 miles to the top of the Enosburg Falls Dam in Enosburg Falls.
- Otter Creek in Danby and Mt. Tabor — From the Vermont Railway Bridge north of the fishing access upstream approximately 2 miles to the Danby-Mt. Tabor Forest Rd. Bridge (Forest Road # 10).
- Passumpsic River in the Village of St. Johnsbury — From the top of the Gage Dam in St. Johnsbury upstream approximately 2.4 miles to the top of the Arnold Falls Dam.
- Moose River in St. Johnsbury — From the confluence with the Passumpsic River upstream approximately 350 feet to the downstream edge of the Concord Avenue bridge in the Village of St. Johnsbury.
- Walloomsac River in Shaftsbury and Bennington — From the Vermont/New York border in Shaftsbury upstream to the top of the former Vermont Tissue Plant Dam (downstream of Murphy Road) in Bennington.
- Winooski River in Duxbury and Waterbury — From the top of the Bolton Dam in Duxbury and Waterbury upstream to the Route 2 Bridge (east side of Waterbury Village).
These stream sections are open to trout harvest from the second Saturday in April through October 31 with a daily limit of 2 trout. Catch and release angling using artificial flies and lures is allowed year-round.
Seasonally Closed Waters
The following lakes and ponds are hereby designated seasonally closed waters and shall be closed to all fishing except between Second Saturday in April through October 31.
Bald Hill Pond, Westmore
Beaver Pond, Holland
Beck Pond, Newark
Beebe Pond, Sunderland
Big Mud Pond, Mt. Tabor
Bourn Pond, Sunderland
Branch Pond, Sunderland
Cary Pond, Walden
Cow Mountain Pond, Granby
Duck Pond, Sutton
Forest Lake, Averill
Griffith Lake, Mt. Tabor
Holland Pond, Holland
Jobs Pond, Westmore
Lake Pleiad, Hancock
Levi Pond, Groton
Lewis Pond, Lewis
Little Rock Pond, Wallingford
Long Pond, Westmore
Marl Pond, Sutton
Martins Pond, Peacham
North Pond, Chittenden
Notch Pond, Ferdinand
Perch Pond (Zack Woods Pond), Hyde Park
Pigeon Pond, Groton
Red Mill Pond, Woodford
Silver Lake, Leicester
South America Pond, Ferdinand
South Pond, Marlboro
Spring Lake, Shrewsbury
Stannard Pond, Stannard
Sterling Pond, Cambridge
Stoughton Pond, Weathersfield
Stratton Pond, Stratton
Unknown Pond, Averys Gore
Unknown Pond, Ferdinand
Vail Pond, Sutton
Vernon Hatchery Pond, Vernon
West Mountain Pond, Maidstone
Wheeler Pond, Barton and Sutton
Zack Woods (Perch Pond), Hyde Park
Rivers and Streams - All rivers and streams are hereby designated seasonally closed waters. For species with defined harvest seasons, targeted catch and release angling with immediate release can occur outside of harvest season, using artificial lures and flies.
Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact
The Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact (IWVC) ensures that, in participating states, nonresident violators will receive the same treatment as resident violators. IWVC member states reciprocate in the suspension or revocation of licenses and permits resulting from violation of hunting, fishing, or trapping laws.
If an individual’s license or permit privileges are revoked in one compact member state, they are subject to suspension or revocation in all other member states. For example, if a Vermont resident has their hunting privileges suspended in Minnesota, their privileges may also be suspended in Vermont and in all other compact states. This helps prevent habitual violators from relocating their illegal activities to other member states.
The IWVC also has established procedures that cause a nonresident violator who fails to comply with the terms of a citation issued in a participating state to face the possibility of the suspension of their wildlife license privileges in their home state until the terms of the citation are met. The goal of the IWVC is to facilitate improved enforcement of hunting, fishing, and trapping laws through the cooperation of law enforcement units in member states.

Before You Back Down the Ramp:
- “Load before you launch” — put all gear into your boat while in the parking lot, not on the ramp;
- Loosen any tie-downs, insert plug;
- Help STOP aquatic hitchhikers: CHECK, DRAIN, DRY. Make it a habit BEFORE launching and BEFORE leaving to carefully inspect and clean your vessel;
- Back down ramp, launch and secure your boat to dock or on shore;
- Immediately move and park your vehicle in the appropriate location.