Best brook trout lakes in Vermont
19 Vermont waters list brook trout (official records or labelled estimates), 9 mapped with survey or official-chart depth data. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality, leading with the waters in our reviewed search catalog — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The native char of cold ponds and streams. Needs the coldest, cleanest water in the lake.
- Moore Reservoir — 120 ft · Survey depth data · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites
- Maidstone Lake — 117 ft · Survey depth data · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brook TroutWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Lac Wallace — 60 ft · Survey depth data · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow TroutWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Batten Kill — 5 ft · Approximated contours · Brown Trout, Brook TroutWhy #4: mapped size signal; check the water page for depth coverage · 2 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Beebe Pond — 43 ft · Survey depth data · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout, Brook TroutWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Bald Hill Pond — 42 ft · Survey depth data · real survey depth contours · Bluegill, Rainbow Trout, Brook TroutWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Spring Lake — 84 ft · Survey depth data · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brook TroutWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Jobs Pond — 18 ft · Survey depth data · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout, Brook TroutWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
…plus 11 more Vermont waters holding brook trout.
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How to use this ranking
The order is a map-planning ranking, not a claim about today's fish population. It favors larger mapped waters and gives survey-backed contours a three-times data-quality boost. Agency population surveys, current regulations, access and recent conditions should make the final decision.
Compare maximum depth across 37,233 lake records · See Vermont waters with public access data
When to fish brook trout in Vermont
- Spring 2–15 ft — Ice-out scatters brookies along shorelines and inflow mouths, feeding on the first insect activity.
- Summer 10–30 ft — Brookies hold where the coldest water is — spring holes, deep basin edges and inflow plumes.
- Fall 2–15 ft — Fall is the show: brilliant spawning colors on gravel shoals and inflow gravel.
- Winter 3–20 ft — A classic ice-fishing target — active all winter in shallow to mid-depth water.
Also in Vermont: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best landlocked salmon lakes · best chain pickerel lakes · best burbot lakes · best brown bullhead lakes
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