All you need to know about the Killington, Rutland, Woodstock, Brandon, Poultney and Lakes Region of Vermont All content © The Mountain Times   2010

The Lakes Region Vermont’s Crossroads’ lakes have been a popular destination for vacationers and celebrities for well over a century. The Marx Brothers once paid regular visits to an island at Lake Bomoseen owned by Alexander Wolcott, and more recent area visitors include actor Tom Selleck and members of the rock band Phish, as well as movie film crews. The appeal of the Lakes Region lies in the quiet enjoyment of dozens of small to mid-size lakes set in pristine mountain settings. It’s not crowded in Vermont in the summer, and you can often find a lake or pond almost to yourself. If you prefer a more active spot, you can take a trip to Lake Dunmore’s popular Branbury Beach State Park and lounge around the sandy beach. There’s a large playground and picnic area, snack bar, boat rentals, bath houses with showers, plus a great state campground. There are similar facilities at Camp Plymouth State Park, visible from across Echo Lake on Route 100 in Plymouth. Other such facilities can be enjoyed at Lake St. Catherine and Lake Bomoseen, plus numerous other beaches, campgrounds, boat and fishing access areas. A variety of small boat, canoe, kayak and other water toy rentals, are available in our Lakes Region. Enjoy a paddle on Kent Pond near Mountain Meadows on Thundering Brook Road in Killington, or take a mountain bike ride around the picturesque Chittenden Reservoir in Chittenden. Few states can truly claim fishing as a tradition, but Vermont can. The Lakes Region in Rutland County offers more different fishing opportunities than anywhere else in Vermont. A number of ponds in the region hold brook trout that the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife stocks annually. Most notable is Mendon Beaver Pond, a small, shallow six-acre pond adjacent to U.S. Route 4 in the Town of Mendon. This is an ideal location for families with small children or otherwise inexperienced anglers to gain their first fishing experience. Other nearby ponds stocked in April and May with brook trout include Colton Pond and Kent Pond in Killington, Leffert’s Pond in Chittenden, Proctor Beaver Pond in Proctor, and Smith Pond in Pittsford. Healthy populations of rainbows swim in Otter Creek in Wallingford, Furnace Brook in Pittsford, East Creek in Rutland Town and Chittenden, and Ottauquechee River in Bridgewater. Anglers can get into some good rainbow trout fishing with a boat in many of Rutland county’s larger ponds and lakes. Boating waters with good numbers of rainbow trout stocked each spring include Sunset Lake in Benson, Glen Lake in Castleton, Lake Ninevah in Mount Holly, Lake St. Catherine in Poultney, and Lake Dunmore in Salisbury. These waters all have free, public Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department boating access launches. Lake Bomoseen, encompassing 2,405 acres in Castleton and Hubbardton, is Vermont’s largest inland lake and tops the list for bass. Public boating access is off the West Shore Road in Castleton. Shoreline fishing is also popular at Bomoseen. The Kehoe Boating Access Area and the Bomoseen State Park provide plenty of easy accessibility and fishing action. Just south of Bomoseen lies what may be the state’s top smallmouth water - Lake St. Catherine in Poultney and Wells. Some of the state’s largest smallmouth bass are caught from this deep, 852-acre lake. The shoreline is highly developed with camps and residences, but water depths drop off sharply from shore, holding good numbers of smallmouths as well as rainbow and lake trout. There is a good Fish and Wildlife Department boating access area at the southern end of the lake. Lake St. Catherine also holds good numbers of northern pike. To the north of Bomoseen lies the productive waters of Lake Hortonia in Hubbardton. Largemouths up to eight pounds are caught in this shallow, 449-acre lake. The state owns most of the shoreline at Glen Lake, making the experience an enjoyable and peaceful one. A public boat access is located at the southeastern shore. North of Hortonia, several other small ponds holding largemouth bass are suited mainly for car-toppers or canoes. These include Burr, Black, and Bresee Ponds, and Lake Beebe. At Killington’s doorstep is scenic Kent Pond. This manmade, 71-acre shallow reservoir holds a teaming population of small largemouth bass and sunfish. Fishing is best here from a small boat or canoe that can be put in at the Fish and Wildlife public launch site, located a short distance north on Route 100 from where it intersects Route 4. Bring your own canoe for a trip up Otter Creek to Cornwall and Middlebury. Pass views of farms and covered bridges. Flatwater and quickwater. Fishing is great on Lake Dunmore stocked with warm water species, lake trout and landlocked salmon. Silver Lake and Sugar Hill Reservoir, stocked with rainbow trout, browns, and brookies, are both in the Green Mountain National Forest. Neshobe River offers cool water trout fishing. Brown trout dominate lower down, rainbow and brook trout in the sections up towards Brandon Gap. One of the most peaceful and beautiful waters in Rutland County is Chittenden Reservoir, located in the rural town of Chittenden. This 674-acre water is nestled among the forested Green Mountains. Chances of seeing a moose in the backwaters here, or at neighboring Leffert’s Pond, is high during summer’s dim light of early morning or late evening. Public access can be obtained off Chittenden Dam Road. Here, abundant populations of perch school and a growing walleye fishery is trying to take hold. Water sports equipment & services are available at: • Base Camp Outfitters, Rte 4, Killington, (802) 775-0166. • Freedom’s Edge Marine Sales, Gorman Bridge Rd., Proctor, (802) 459-2070. • Great Outdoors Trading Co., 219 Woodstock Ave., Rutland, (802) 775-9989. • Lake Bomoseen Marina, 145 Creek Road, Bomoseen, (802) 265-4611. • Mountain Travelers, Woodstock Ave., Rutland, (802) 775-0814. • Duda Water Sports, West Shore, Lake Bomoseen, (802) 265-3432. • Sailing Winds Marina, Lake St. Catherine, Poultney, (802) 287-9411. • Silver Lake State Park, Barnard, (802) 235-9451. Canoe & kayak rental. • Waterhouse’s Campground and Marina, West Shore Rd., Lake Dunmore, (802) 352-4433. • Woodard Marine Inc., Creek Road, Hydeville, Lake Bomoseen, (802) 265-3690. • Engine Joe’s Marine Repair, 209 Creek Rd., Hydeville, (802) 265-8155. • Lake Dunmore boat launch and canoe rentals, Route 53, Salisbury, (802) 247-5925. You might consider renting a house for a week or more and really get to enjoy the fun of the region. There are numerous rental agents who offer a wide variety of lake side cottages with sizes and locations to meet every need and desire. Lie back and relax if you want, or rent a ski boat or personal watercraft and have some fun on the water. Whatever your needs, you’ll never have a more satisfying vacation experience than you’ll find in your favorite getaway state... Vermont! All content © The Mountain Times  2010