Book Your Fishing Charter in Westmore, VT

You can find the town of Westmore in the beautifully picturesque Northeast Kingdom of Vermont in Orleans County. The least populated city in that county is clustered around Lake Willoughby, a popular recreational, tourism, and fishing destination, and is flanked by numerous mountains that provide stunning vistas everywhere you look.

With its ideal location surrounding a glacial lake, Westmore can be considered a prime angling destination for those looking for a place that provides great views and wants to be enveloped in nature. Several ponds, brooks, and streams also abound through the town, where tons of fish can be caught. In 2010, Lake Willoughby was named the third-best lake in New England, proving worth visiting Westmore. Angling isn’t the only thing popular in the town. Mountains and forests deliver a variety of other fun, thrilling, and even relaxing activities to do. You can’t go wrong when you plan your next fishing trip in Westmore with the deepest lake in all of the states within reach, along with exceptional scenery. 

Westmore Fishing: Stunning Glacial Lake Fishing 

Westmore offers one of the best scenic fishing experiences all year round in New England due to its proper placement amongst rugged, rocky mountains and being clustered around the deepest lake in the state.

You can’t leave Westmore as an angler without fishing in Lake Willoughby. The 12,000-year-old, 300-feet deep, glacial lake, also listed as a National Natural Landmark, is located in the northeast part of Westmore is considered a healthy fishery for landlocked Atlantic salmon and lake trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, brown trout, and yellow perch. Other species found in its waters include Atlantic bonito, chain pickerel, mackerel, rock bass, rainbow smelt, white sucker, burbot, lake chub, common shiner, golden shiner, round whitefish, and longnose sucker. If you want to go bank fishing, the lake makes it possible with over 10 miles of shoreline. If you’re going to set out into its chilly waters, boat access, as well as docks, are available around almost half of the coastline.

Moving up north of the lake, you’ll come upon the southern end of the Willoughby River. Here, you can catch brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, lake trout, landlocked salmon, rainbow smelt, yellow perch, American shad, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, muskellunge, and crappie. You may also see fish like anadromous Atlantic salmon, lake sturgeon, and sauger but bear in mind that you cannot catch them.

Small brooks and streams like Mill Brook and Lord Brook that can be found around the lake are great spots to target trout. If you want to take a break from the lake for a while but stay close, head west, and you’ll come upon Long Pond. In its waters, surrounded by a rich hardwood forest, is where you can hook brook trout, lake trout, pumpkinseed, perch, sunfish, and rock bass. 

There is a Wildlife Management Area in the town’s southeast where you can locate Bald Hill Pond and the connecting Bean Brook that houses fish like catfish, panfish, rainbow trout, smelt, sunfish, bullhead, and brook trout in its still waters. Nearby are wetlands and the smaller Sawdust Pond and Brown Pond that support a healthy population of wildlife and similar fish species. When you head about a mile south of Bald Hill Pond, you learn about local fishing regulations at the Fish Culture Station.

Way across the east is Jobs Pond, where you might hook the largest brook trout that can be found in Westmore. You can also fish from Mud Pond further up that pond that houses similar fish species prevalent in the town.

Bask in the Beauty of Nature in Westmore

1. Visit Willoughby State Forest

Another National Natural Landmark, Willoughby State Forest, will have you feel exhausted yet fulfilled with the number of things you’ll be able to do there amongst the fertile forests and scenic mountains. You can go hiking, biking, camping, rock climbing, wildlife watching as well as snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing during the winter. The area is also known amongst bird watchers as you might spot peregrine falcons nesting and flying around.

2. More Fun in Lake Willoughby

If you want to take a break from hooking those fish, try many other fun things you can do in and around the lake like swimming, sailing, wakeboarding, jet skiing, canoeing, kayaking, tubing, and pontooning. When the top waters are frozen, you can even go ice skating.