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Best yellow perch lakes in Vermont

18 Vermont waters hold yellow perch, 18 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. The premier eating panfish. Roams soft-bottom flats and weed edges in schools — a daytime biter.

1. Lake Champlain — 392 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
2. Lake Champlain — Inland Sea and Malletts Bay — 143 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
3. Lake Champlain — South Lake — 29 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie
4. Lake Champlain — Missisquoi Bay — 14 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
5. Lake Carmi — 33 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
6. Lake Dunmore — 106 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie
7. Crystal Lake — 106 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout
8. Lake Hortonia — 58 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
9. Lake Fairlee — 48 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout
10. Maidstone Lake — 117 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brook Trout
11. Lake Groton — 36 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch
12. Chittenden Reservoir — 37 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Rainbow Trout
13. Joe's Pond — 90 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
14. Lake Morey — 42 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Bluegill
15. Lake Salem — 67 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Rainbow Trout
16. Island Pond — 59 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Rainbow Trout
17. Peacham Pond — 59 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
18. Lake Iroquois — 37 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch

When to fish yellow perch in Vermont

• Spring 3–12 ft — Spawning runs to shallow weeds and gravel — find the school, stay on it.
• Summer 10–30 ft — Schools slide deeper to soft-bottom flats and deep weedlines.
• Fall 12–35 ft — Jumbo perch pod up on deep basin flats feeding on invertebrates.
• Winter 15–35 ft — A premier ice-fishing target — deep mud flats, small jigs.

Also in Vermont: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best lake trout lakes

Yellow Perch elsewhere: Ontario · Minnesota · Québec · Michigan · New Hampshire · Montana · Wyoming · Massachusetts · Washington · North Dakota · Iowa · Indiana · Connecticut · Ohio · Utah · Colorado · South Dakota · New York · Wisconsin · Delaware · Manitoba · Alberta · Rhode Island · New Jersey