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Rating depth structure for smallmouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
170-acre lake in Orleans County, Vermont. The lake tops out around 39 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. The season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.
The outline encloses 170 acres, worked by 2.3 miles of shoreline. Nearly circular (index 1.3), so the story is the bottom, not the bank. Roughly 58% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. The basin spans about 0.8 mi end to end and 0.4 mi across at its widest. Orleans County claims this one. Echo Lake sits 3 mi east — the closest neighbouring chart.
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 10 to 25 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 5 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Break off the point (18 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
When the water first warms, brown bullhead slide up into 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 3 to 12 ft game here, winter a 10 to 25 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 5 ft of water and rates prime come spring. 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 (5 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (33 ft) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: chain pickerel in 2 to 10 ft. As the season builds they drop to 3 to 15 ft, wintering in 5 to 18 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 5 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a weedless spoon + trailer or a buzzbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Weedless spoon + trailer, Buzzbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Jerkbait along weed edges, Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Jigging spoon (through ice) |
Come spring, look for smallmouth bass tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 12 to 39 ft. Start at Main-lake point. It's a point holding about 10 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (18 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 12 to 39 ft | midday | Break off the point (18 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Break off the point (18 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (33 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (33 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Pensioner Pond carries 6 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 33 ft down.
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 Pensioner Pond specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Vermont fishing regulations →
Pensioner Pond is about 39 ft (12 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 bluegill, brown bullhead, chain pickerel, smallmouth bass, yellow perch on Pensioner Pond.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For bluegill, the summer bite is best in early morning 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 Pensioner Pond 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.
Echo Lake 3 mi · Seymour Lake 4 mi · Brownington Pond 5 mi · Lake Salem 5 mi · Lake Derby 6 mi · Clyde Pond 7 mi · Lake Willoughby 9 mi · Jobs Pond 9 mi · May Pond 10 mi · Bald Hill Pond 10 mi · Holland Pond 10 mi · Norton Pond 10 mi
See how Pensioner Pond stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Vermont · best bluegill lakes in Vermont · best yellow perch lakes in Vermont · best chain pickerel lakes in Vermont
More water nearby: Orleans County fishing maps (19 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.