Forest Lake Fishing near Hardwick, Vermont

• Overview

  Vermont holds Forest Lake, in Washington County. Elevation runs to 1,073 feet. The water covers some 130 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. A shoreline of some 2.0 miles keeps the choices simple. Few waters listed in Washington County are bigger. Hardwick at 7.6 miles is the nearest place to stop. For a city, Sherbrooke is 73 miles off. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Forest Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Species logged across Washington County include brook trout, rainbow trout and white sucker. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Read Forest Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 66°F and January near 15°F on the long-run figures. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about early December. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Forest Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Launching is at Boat Ramp, about half a mile away. There is a fishing place at Nelson Pond Access Area, some half a mile away. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Should this one be busy, Mirror Lake is 0.8 miles off. Nothing on Forest Lake should be assumed from this page alone.