Pensioner Pond, Vermont: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  This water sits in Orleans County, Vermont. This is mixed forest country. With some 170 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The bank runs about 2.4 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. 8.5 miles away sits Newport, the nearest town. Stanstead is 9.9 miles away, with Ayer's Cliff at 20 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Pensioner Pond

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records held for Orleans County cover white sucker, pumpkinseed, brook trout, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The shape of Pensioner Pond rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 13°F in January to roughly 65°F in July. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The open-water window runs from around mid April to about early December in an average year. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Plan around that when you fish Pensioner Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. A launch point is recorded some half a mile off. Park at Pensioner Pond, half a mile from the water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, Charleston Pond is 1.3 miles distant. The position on Pensioner Pond is worth confirming on the day.