Vermont and New Hampshire Brook Trout Fishing

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troutbert

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My brother lives near Windsor VT and I'd like to visit and also do some brook trout fishing. Windsor is close to the New Hampshire border so I'd be happy to buy a temporary license for either state, but probably not both.

I'd prefer to fish within a reasonable drive (1 to 1.5 hours?) of Windsor. Does anyone have any ideas? If not specific streams, would there be a general public land area that would be good to explore?

I've driven through some of the mountainous areas around there, and the streams look infertile. Are the brookies in those places? Or are there some areas where the streams are so infertile that brookies cannot live there? (There are some places like that in PA.)
 
Every time I fished streams in Vermont the brook trout were all under 5 inches.
 
salmo said:
Every time I fished streams in Vermont the brook trout were all under 5 inches.
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Sometimes we forget how good we have it here in Pa, regarding the brook trout fishing. There's a particular NC stream that I fish where I usually catch at least one 10" native each time I fish it.
 
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For several summers in a row, my family spent a solid week in New Hampshire due east of Windsor Vermont in the lakes district. The first two years, I did my research, checked in with tackle shops and irritated my wife and family by disappearing for hours on end in hopes of finding brook trout and maybe a landlocked salmon. Fished the Saco River (a little beyond the 1.5 hours goal) and it was beautiful, filled with plenty of cold water even in summertime.

Also keyed in on a few brook trout ponds, which the state really promoted in those days. Beautiful, remote and cool.

All devoid of fish. I’m not the greatest angler, but if I spend that much time and effort, but don’t even spook a trout (or even a sunny in the ponds), I’m ready to punt.

Fishing the ponds was very telling. It was clear that they a put and take meat holes: campfires everywhere, tangles of monofilament, bobbers in the trees.

I was much happier when I focused on small mouth bass and chain pickerel. They are plentiful and cooperative.

In the lakes district it seems like creek/river fishing for landlockeds (and trout in general), is an ice out until mid May proposition.

I did get friendly with a young local man who was up at dawn every day fishing streamers off downriggers and he was getting two or three slammer rainbows every day, plus the occasional landlocked.

My suggestion is to drive that 1.5 hours due north and hopefully find some landlockeds and brookies.
 
Wild trout map


You can find a bunch of versions of this sort of map online from different organizations. It's general, but maybe a little helpful.

My experience does not really match some comments above. Small brook trout seem to be very plentiful throughout much of Vermont in any stream that stays cold and runs all year. If I was based in Windsor, I would be looking at tribs to Queechee (which itself is, I believe, mostly rainbows) and Mill Brook. Woodstock Inn has a shop and does reports, etc. I've never been, but they could be helpful:

fishingreports.orvis.com

Ottauquechee River | VT Fly Fishing Reports & Conditions

Current fly fishing reports and conditions for Ottauquechee River in VT! Get the latest up to date fly fishing report for Trout, Bass fishing in Ottauquechee River with the top producing flies and recommended equipment to get you into fish. Find out where the action is, what the water...
fishingreports.orvis.com fishingreports.orvis.com

My experience in NH is similar and has involved plentiful small fish, but I've never fished outside the White Mountains.
 
hooker-of-men said:
View attachment 1641233658

You can find a bunch of versions of this sort of map online from different organizations. It's general, but maybe a little helpful.

My experience does not really match some comments above. Small brook trout seem to be very plentiful throughout much of Vermont in any stream that stays cold and runs all year. If I was based in Windsor, I would be looking at tribs to Queechee (which itself is, I believe, mostly rainbows) and Mill Brook. Woodstock Inn has a shop and does reports, etc. I've never been, but they could be helpful:

fishingreports.orvis.com

Ottauquechee River | VT Fly Fishing Reports & Conditions

Current fly fishing reports and conditions for Ottauquechee River in VT! Get the latest up to date fly fishing report for Trout, Bass fishing in Ottauquechee River with the top producing flies and recommended equipment to get you into fish. Find out where the action is, what the water...
fishingreports.orvis.com fishingreports.orvis.com

My experience in NH is similar and has involved plentiful small fish, but I've never fished outside the White Mountains.
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What a beautiful map! Thanks!
 
I used to live I Ludlow Vermont which isn’t far from Windsor . I would fish the upper ottauquechee where rt4 and rt100 meet . Also off route 100 there is bear creek ski resort and there is a brook that runs through it that holds some beautiful brook trout .
 
I used to live in Claremont NH. Very close to Windsor. Lived there for about 10 years, moved back to central PA for one reason, trout fishing. I'll admit that I'm not a brook trout angler by any stretch but, the best brookie fishing I've experienced while living in New Hampshire was in the Whites. It's a drive/hike but, very scenic.

Mostly everything else is a complete bust. Adding insult to injury.... they've (and still are) experiencing the unfortunate effects of historic floods.

Bass fishing in the CT river right from Windsor is superb however!
 
Vtsalmon said:
I used to live I Ludlow Vermont which isn’t far from Windsor . I would fish the upper ottauquechee where rt4 and rt100 meet . Also off route 100 there is bear creek ski resort and there is a brook that runs through it that holds some beautiful brook trout .
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Where is that ski resort located if I may ask? Was just in that area over Thanksgiving.
 
the resort is on route 100 between Ludlow and Killington in Plymouth, Vt
 
great roaring brook@black river plymouth, vt about 50- 60 min from Windsor.
yes that area has been hammered the past few years with flooding.
 
Haven't been in a couple years to Killington, but went yearly before that. The Killington area has some good streams. Can be tough hiking some of the streams due to the elevation change but can be great fun. I've pulled a 12" brookie from one of the streams that is nearly within shouting distance of Killington. Hell, I've caught several 10"-ers from Roaring Brook that follows the access road through Killington. A ski shop and its parking lot were 15' above me streamside. I'd at least consider that area. It is not far from where VTsalmon also recommended- you could make a great day of it in the area. PM me if you would like more specific suggestions in the Killington area.
 
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Facemelted said:
I used to live in Claremont NH. Very close to Windsor. Lived there for about 10 years, moved back to central PA for one reason, trout fishing. I'll admit that I'm not a brook trout angler by any stretch but, the best brookie fishing I've experienced while living in New Hampshire was in the Whites. It's a drive/hike but, very scenic.

Mostly everything else is a complete bust. Adding insult to injury.... they've (and still are) experiencing the unfortunate effects of historic floods.

Bass fishing in the CT river right from Windsor is superb however!
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Dear Facemelted,

I've spent some time fishing around Newport NH. I did manage to find a stream that had a few brookies, but spent most of time on the Sugar River. Looking at the river if it were back in PA,it would probably be a pretty decent wild trout stream based on the habitat and riffle to pool ratio. But in speaking to locals, it's a victim of awful geology that suffered for years from acid rain deposition and that depleted the stream's ability to have successful spawns.

I caught a number of 5- and 6-inch brookies in some of the branches of the Pemiwegasset near the Kancamagus Hwy. If I found a good pool, I always seemed to raise a fish on a Humpy or Trude, but I wasn't fishing hard, just stopping to flip a cast or two in likely spots.

I've driven often from Troy NY to New Hampshire and occasional paused to check out some of the streams and crossings on VT 11. Many years ago, I stopped and watched trout in several spots but I wasn't equipped to fish, so I just watched. I wanted to go back to fish but about 5 or 6 years ago Central VT was absolutely devastated by flash floods and lots of the hillside gravel just fell into the creeks. The week before Christmas this year did no favors to them either.

Regards,

Tim Murphy :)
 
troutbert said:
My brother lives near Windsor VT and I'd like to visit and also do some brook trout fishing. Windsor is close to the New Hampshire border so I'd be happy to buy a temporary license for either state, but probably not both.

I'd prefer to fish within a reasonable drive (1 to 1.5 hours?) of Windsor. Does anyone have any ideas? If not specific streams, would there be a general public land area that would be good to explore?

I've driven through some of the mountainous areas around there, and the streams look infertile. Are the brookies in those places? Or are there some areas where the streams are so infertile that brookies cannot live there? (There are some places like that in PA.)
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Dear troutbert,

If you do go in the Spring or early Summer do yourself a favor and bring 1000% DEET insect repellent! The mosquitoes in the mountains of Central VT and NH would send the biggest and baddest mosquitoes PA has to offer flying away to hide. Just giving you fair warning! ;)

Regards,

Tim Murphy :)
 
TimMurphy said:
Dear troutbert,

If you do go in the Spring or early Summer do yourself a favor and bring 1000% DEET insect repellent! The mosquitoes in the mountains of Central VT and NH would send the biggest and baddest mosquitoes PA has to offer flying away to hide. Just giving you fair warning! ;)

Regards,

Tim Murphy :)
Click to expand...
Good to know!
 
Vtsalmon said:
the resort is on route 100 between Ludlow and Killington in Plymouth, Vt
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I recall passing it but didn,t know its name. Coolidge State Forest area is nice. I was on Shrewsbury road years ago it was closed when we were there during Thanksgiving.
 
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