Catch-and-release bass fishing with artificial flies or lures opened with trout season in April. Starting June 8, however, an angler may keep up to five bass in a day with a minimum length of 10 inches in most lakes. Check the 2013 Hunting, Fishing & Trapping LAWS and GUIDE for exceptions.

Prospects are excellent for largemouth and smallmouth bass in many Vermont lakes with Lake Champlain leading the list for both species. But, Champlain’s spectacular bass opportunities tend to overshadow the great bass fishing we have on many other waters. Here are suggestions for additional great bass fishing waters in Vermont.

Largemouth Bass:
Lake Dunmore, Lake Memphremagog (South Bay), Lake Fairlee, Lake Morey, Lake Bomoseen, Lake Hortonia, Lake St. Catherine, Stoughton Pond, and Lake Sadawga.

Smallmouth Bass:
Lake Carmi, Lake Memphremagog, Island Pond, Lake Salem, Lake Seymour, Lake Eden, Harriman Reservoir, Lake Bomoseen, and Lake St. Catherine.

Be sure to check out the Vermont Master Angler entries on Vermont Fish & Wildlife’s website for recently caught largemouth and smallmouth bass. The site is searchable by species and includes when and where fish were caught, and in many cases released.