Best brown trout lakes in Vermont
21 Vermont waters hold brown trout, 1 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Wary, nocturnal-leaning predator. Shorelines and inflows in cold months; the thermocline in summer.
- Lake Bomoseen — 65 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #1: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Otter Creek — 8 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Common CarpWhy #2: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 4 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Lac Wallace — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow TroutWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Waterbury Reservoir — 100 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Rainbow TroutWhy #4: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Green River Reservoir — 93 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Bluegill, Yellow PerchWhy #5: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Seymour Lake — 167 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #6: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Batten Kill — 5 ft max · Brown Trout, Brook TroutWhy #7: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Holland Pond — 39 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Chain Pickerel, Brown BullheadWhy #8: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Lake Rescue — 95 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #9: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Greenwood Lake — 41 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout, Yellow PerchWhy #10: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Woodward Reservoir — 48 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, BluegillWhy #11: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Forest Lake — 97 ft max · Brown Trout, Brown BullheadWhy #12: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- South Pond — 66 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown TroutWhy #13: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Silver Lake — 70 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Bluegill, Rainbow TroutWhy #14: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Beebe Pond — 43 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout, Brook TroutWhy #15: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Silver Lake — 32 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Bluegill, Rainbow TroutWhy #16: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Turtlehead Pond — 16 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout, Brook TroutWhy #17: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- South Pond — 35 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown TroutWhy #18: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Forest Lake — 13 ft max · Brown Trout, Brown BullheadWhy #19: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Jobs Pond — 17 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout, Brook TroutWhy #20: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Newark Pond — 31 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown TroutWhy #21: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
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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 brown trout in Vermont
- Spring 3–25 ft — Cold-water browns hug shorelines, river mouths and mud lines — often in a few feet of water early and late.
- Summer 25–60 ft — Browns sit at the thermocline by day and slide shallow after dark — the night troll takes the giants.
- Fall 5–30 ft — Spawn-run browns stage off tributaries and gravel shorelines, aggressive and territorial.
- Winter 5–35 ft — Browns feed all winter — nearshore when bait is in, deeper breaks otherwise.
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 brook trout lakes · best landlocked salmon lakes · best chain pickerel lakes · best burbot lakes · best brown bullhead lakes
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