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Rating depth structure for brown trout.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
135-acre lake in Washington County, Vermont. The lake tops out around 97 ft. Bathymetry on this water is estimated from its real outline and maximum depth. Use it to shortlist water, then verify with your electronics — and never navigate by it. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
The outline encloses 131 acres, worked by 2.3 miles of shoreline. A shoreline index of 1.4 says round and simple: fish relate to depth changes here, not shoreline features. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 12% of this chart, as modeled. The basin spans about 0.8 mi end to end and 0.5 mi across at its widest. Washington County claims this one. Curtis Pond sits 3 mi southwest — the closest neighbouring chart.
Spring brown bullhead on Forest Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 3 to 12 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 25 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a feeding flat near 6 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & night | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (82 ft) |
Start shallow in spring: brown trout sit in 3 to 25 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 25 to 60 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 44 ft of water that rates prime for brown trout in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and early morning. Throw a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (24 ft) | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | night & dawn | Break off the point (44 ft) | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (24 ft) | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Break off the point (44 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Structure-wise the chart holds 6 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 82 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Vermont waters are set by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Forest Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Vermont fishing regulations →
Forest Lake is about 97 ft (30 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target brown bullhead, brown trout on Forest Lake.
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 44 ft of water that rates prime for brown trout in summer. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For brown bullhead, the summer bite is best in after dark and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Forest Lake is regulated by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife. Check the official Vermont regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Curtis Pond 3 mi · Greenwood Lake 4 mi · East Long Pond 5 mi · Nichols Pond 6 mi · Turtlehead Pond 8 mi · Wrightsville Reservoir 9 mi · Lake Elmore 10 mi · Kettle Pond 10 mi · Peacham Pond 10 mi · Wolcott Pond 11 mi · Joe's Pond 11 mi · Fosters Pond 13 mi
See how Forest Lake stacks up: best brown trout lakes in Vermont · best brown bullhead lakes in Vermont
More water nearby: Washington County fishing maps (9 charts). Browse all Vermont fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.