Fishing Chittenden Reservoir in Rutland County, Vermont

• Overview

  This water sits in Rutland County, Vermont. Everything around it is rolling bush. Roughly 748 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. You are looking at roughly 6.0 miles of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. Few waters listed in Rutland County are bigger. Chittenden at 2.5 miles is the nearest place to stop. The nearest city of size is Albany, 86 miles away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Chittenden Reservoir

  There is a figure for this one: 46 ft. Built water gives depth close in, which suits a bank angler. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Rutland County records list bluegill, brook trout, brown trout, white sucker and largemouth bass among the fish reported. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Chittenden Reservoir repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 65°F at the top of summer and 15°F at the bottom of winter. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. The season between ice runs from about mid April to early December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. That shapes the year on Chittenden Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  It sits on public ground, so no permission beyond a licence is normally needed. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Failing this one, try Lefferts Pond, 1.2 miles away. Where Chittenden Reservoir is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.