Vemont is full of lakes, ponds and streams teeming with fish, and fishing is a great form of social distancing. Now that spring is here, the opportunities are abundant and varied, and conditions will only improve in the coming weeks. Fish species that are open to year-round angling include pike, pickerel, bullhead, catfish, and panfish species like perch, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and crappie.
Bullhead is a favorite springtime species of many anglers, and can be readily caught with a simple hook, worm and bobber around culverts and the mouths of streams where they flow into lakes. With the same setup, you can catch catfish, perch, crappie and sunfish while casting from the bank to areas near vegetation like bulrushes and cattails.
There’s nothing better than a fresh meal of perch, crappie, bullhead or catfish caught in our local waters. They make for an excellent, healthy, locally-sourced meal for your family. You can even make a biology home-school lesson out of your adventure.
Vermont also offers year-round trout fishing. You don’t have to wait for the open season for trout (April 11 – Oct. 31), there are several stream sections open year-round for catch and release trout fishing.
Lake Champlain is consistently recognized as a top bass destination in the country and while bass fishing is great during the whole season, truly exceptional Champlain bass fishing occurs in the early spring. Bass Catch & Release in other lakes and ponds around the state open on April 11, 2020. For more information and to purchase your fishing license ($28 per year) visit vtfishandwildlife.com.
