Fishing at Phillips Pond, Orleans County, Vermont

• Overview

  Phillips Pond stands in Orleans County, Vermont. The bank gives way to lake country bush. The nearest place of any size is Montgomery, 11 miles away. Newport follows at 11 miles, then Richford at 13 miles. Water in the same corner: Kidder Pond about 6.8 miles, Smith Pond (7 miles), McAllister Pond about 7.2 miles, Sargent Pond (7.5 miles) and Walker Pond about 8 miles. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Phillips Pond

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Fish documented in Orleans County include white sucker, pumpkinseed and brook trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish Phillips Pond to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 65°F and January near 13°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. On average, mid April opens the water and early December closes it again. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. It holds true on Phillips Pond more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. For a change of water, Kidder Pond is 6.8 miles distant. Signs at Phillips Pond carry more weight than any list.