Spectacle Pond, Vermont: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Spectacle Pond sits in Essex County, out in Vermont. It lies 1,181 feet above sea level. The water covers some 104 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The whole outline is near 2.1 miles, and most of it is walkable. The closest town, Stratford, is 18 miles away. Sherbrooke sits 42 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Spectacle Pond

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Essex County, recorded fish include rainbow trout, brook trout and brown trout. The county list is broader than any single water. On Spectacle Pond the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 65°F and January near 12°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Winter locks it down, and mid April brings it back. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to early December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Spectacle Pond fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. You can park half a mile away and walk in from there. There is a campsite half a mile from the water. Picnic facilities are recorded some half a mile out. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Island Pond is 0.9 miles distant. Check the current arrangement for Spectacle Pond.