Fishing in Brattleboro and Southeastern Vermont

Follow Main Street north out of downtown about 1½ miles. Where you cross the West River as it meets the Connecticut, you can rent a canoe and go fishing. On the rivers you can catch bass (small and large mouth), pike, pickerel, perch, walleye, yellow perch, white perch, shad, trout (in the spring), bluegill and rock bass. At the Retreat Meadows on Route 30, there is a pull out where you can fish the bank for bass, bluegill, pike, pickerel and perch. For trout, the Whetstone Brook in town and following Route 9 has been known to yield some surprising brookies. The West River along Route 30 provides a picturesque place to wade and fly fish for trout. There are also trout in South Pond off Ames Hill Road (you’ll need to get a license for all fishing). In winter there is ice fishing on the Retreat Meadows, the Connecticut River and on Lake Whitingham. There are also derbies in winter which include tagged fish and some substantial prizes.