Help on Echo Lake in Plymouth

[Kapt]

Hey gang, I took a ride up to Echo this past weekend from Ct to check out the access and look for a bait shop. My parents built a small house on Okemo back in 1979 and I've been spending many weekends up there this fall doing repairs.

Anyhow, seing as I have a free place to stay, and it's only a 2 hour hop from home, I plan on hitting Echo and Amherst on Rt 100 this ice season. I know the new bait rules are in affect so I need a shop close to Ludlow. The other info I'm looking for and having a hard time coming by is a depth chart for both. I remember years ago seeing the local guys jigging smelt right off of the ramp on Echo and know it holds Trout (all kinds) and Salmon but the local guys only seemed interested in the smelt.

Can anyone help me out on a local bait shop and maybe some tips on those bodies of water? I plan on hitting Echo first, jigging some smely and then running them on tip up,s for trout/salmon (CPR, catch, photo, release). Also, are quads allowed on these bodies of water? I would love to hook up with some of you VT guys if you fish these areas.

Thanks for the help, if you ever want to fish CT, fresh or saltwater, catch me on www.ctfisherman.com and I can help you out.

See ya on the ice! 

[purple]

1st buy a depth finder,learn how to jig(no bait shops opened in vt.any longer)and leave the quad on your trailer and walk.enjoy fishing in vt

[andy VT]

there is toms bait in castleton VERMONT about 35 min from there

[Kapt]

  1st buy a depth finder,learn how to jig(no bait shops opened in vt.any longer)and leave the quad on your trailer and walk.enjoy fishing in vt 

Thanks purple! Your not purple from a lack of oxygen are you? 

Thanks Andy, still a hike but an option. I'm hoping that I can find someone local but understand the new reg's are making it tough on you guy's, dealers and anglers. Hope it all works out. I spent 4 years in the USAF on Plattsburgh AFB NY and saw the problems with Lamprey Eel, still a problem. Lets hope this problem can be kept in check for everyones sake.

FWIW, got all the toys, know how to fish, just wanted some basic info to enjoy the sport in a new area. My offer stands for anyone from the north country wanted tips or help from my side in CT. We have a very good fishery "down here".

Flag Up! 

[Trooper Bri]

You are itching to fish up there. Excellent !! 

[Kapt]

Hey Bri, just doing my homework first. I can "figure it out" easy enough with a trip or two but thought I could get a jump start from some of the VT gang. Well see if anyone comes through with some help, otherwise, road trip with a bunch of CTF guy's!  Maybe Bob D in upstate VT can help, I'll send him PM.

[jibbs]

why don't you take purple with you......he sounds like a stand up guy

[habaneromoon]

you can also buy bait at cones point store on st catherine

[Scuff]

We always go to Wrights in Derby, Don't know if they are selling bait with the new regs though.

[Kapt]

Thanks for the help gang. On our local site in CT we have a thread that lists all the CT baitshops, addresses, phone, location and hours. I looked around here but cant seem to find a similar thread or topic, does one exist?

The new bait rule for VT is really going to make getting bait more difficult and more than likely more expensive as the competition is eliminated/reduced and shops will have to pay for a permit to sell bait and provide reciepts. From what I read the receipts must have the shops name, type of bait (species), date purchased, amount of bait etc etc. I would think this would eliminate a lot of the smaller guys. Unless I read it wrong, if you buy bait and hit one pond, you cant go to a second pond with that same bait and you cant take it home and save it for another day! Going to be a tough year for VT regarding bait!

Sounds like I need to jig up the smelt if I want bait! Then again, thats what the Trout/Salmon are feeding on anyhow so it makes sense. 

[Little Brown Dog]

Here is a list of all of the bait dealers in the state.

http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/Fish_baitdealers.cfm

I too have only heard of people smelt fishing there with any luck, but who knows.

[Kapt]

Thanks LBD, I do know the state of VT stocks Trout, laker and Salmon and if smelt are present, which I know they are...look out! The years past when I would go check on the guys out there, it was always a small cluster of one man shacks right off the ramp and all they were interested in was Smelt. Sounds like the Trout should be a good thing to target!

[grasspikerel]

Echo Lake in Plymouth is not stocked with salmon. It does get browns and some lakers.  Probably rainbows.  You can still find the stocking report on the state website.  Echo Lake in Northern Vermont may have some salmon that drop out of Lake Seymour.  Remember that Amherst Lake is closed for trout.

Down near where I live there is no bait anywhere within an hour and 15 minutes.  But we have Harriman Reservoir which has great perch fishing for 8" to 12" perch.  Not many real big ones, but an odd 1 lber.  It has all the coldwater fish as well.  Decent fishing for smaller trout and salmon.  Some big ones, but you'll probably burn through few years trying to get one. 

My immediate thought is to fish the NH side of the CT River, because they have some bait shops and you can fish there with the VT license, which seems the only real option here by So Vt.

[shrub]

1st buy a depth finder,learn how to jig(no bait shops opened in vt.any longer)and leave the quad on your trailer and walk.enjoy fishing in vt

actully there are bait shops, im not faimlier enough area to recomned one but go to www.vtfishandwildlife. com and click on "find a bait shop" under the fishing section for a list of liscnsed bait dealers.

[Kapt]

Sorry I misread the stocking report regarding salmon. It should still be awesome Trout fishing based on the stocking reports from the last few years and the presense of smelt!

[/q2007 stocking Echo Lake, Plymouth Vt 104 acres

Ice fishing season 3rd Saturday in January - March 15th

Species Number Age Length Date Stocked

Rainbow Trout 1,160 Yearling 10.5 04/18/2007

Rainbow Trout 350 2 Year 13.5" 04/18/2007

Lake Trout 100 Yearling 8.3" 04/20/2007

Brook, Brown, Rainbow and Lake Trout, Landlocked Salmon, LMB, SMB

uote]

[grasspikerel]

Maybe Fish Farmer can help with this. I'm thinking they stock browns in Echo, but maybe they haven't printed it yet.  They usually do a final stocking list around now, so that should come out soon.

[Kapt]

Here's the 2007 stocking I found:

q2007 stocking Echo Lake, Plymouth Vt 104 acres

Ice fishing season 3rd Saturday in January - March 15th

Species Number Age Length Date Stocked

Rainbow Trout 1,160 Yearling 10.5 04/18/2007

Rainbow Trout 350 2 Year 13.5" 04/18/2007

Lake Trout 100 Yearling 8.3" 04/20/2007

[grasspikerel]

Yea, but they haven't marked it final yet. 

[Kapt]

My mistake then, I interpreted this as actual stocking, not projected stocking. Either way, I'd be willing to bet that theres some monsters in there with smelt for forage! I dont eat trout/salmon, to fishy for me so I'm just looking to CPR, catch-photo-release! The leftover smelt I'll save for fishing the ocean back here in the summer, they make AWESOME Fluke bait!

[Fish Farmer]

That would be the stocking from this past spring. I'm not sure if the final stocking report for this year is out, but whatever is on the website is probably it. Not much getting stocked this fall except for small salmon in a few lakes and 1,000 Brookies into Harriman Res which get done every year by the Roxbury Hatchery.

I haven't heard much about those lakes over there, Echo, Rescue, Woodard has some nice pike in it somewhere. I would assume that if the rainbows don't get caught out during the spring, that there should be some nice fish in there.

[Kapt]

Thanks FF, you know, I forgot about Rescue, any info on it? I'm really looking foward to trying some new water especially Echo as I can stay for free 8 miles away! It's always fun to try new bodies of water, I have no problem traveling to do it. I fish Champlain every year summer and winter and love it! I would live in the "North Country" but they dont have an Ocean! LOL

[Fish Farmer]

I'll try to see if I can find a depth map of those lakes. I've been interested in trying some of the lakes over there. I know the warden in the areas so he maybe able to give me some inside info on where people fish.

[grasspikerel]

Those lakes, Rescue, Amherst and Echo have some decent sized lakers.  I used to work with a guy who would troll Echo once or twice in the Spring and remember an 18" brown and 21" laker. 

[Spike]

My cousins and I schedule a trip to Rescue every year in late January.  All the rainbows you need.  We have caught them by mistake via jigging and targeted them with tip-ups.  Lakers as well.  Deep lake.

[Kapt]

Thanks again guys, lets keep in touch here if your planning a trip to those waters, quick hop from CT for me to be there. On Echo the gang always seemed to be very close together in a small cluster maybe 150-200 off the ramp. Must drop quick is my guess. I never saw anyone anywhere else on the ice there, weird.

Assuming they allow quads, registered of course, I could cover a lot of ground with the quad and portable shanty very easily. I've caught lots of lakers to 12# downrigging Champlain but never targeted one through the ice, that would be cool!