Fishing Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom

Whether you are a novice, or adept fisherman/fisherwoman, Jackson’s Lodge is your fishing destination – fish abound in the pristine waters of “the Kingdom”.

Want to go fishing, but lack experience? – Jackson’s Lodge will show you where to go, give you fishing strategies, and enable you to ‘catch’ quality-time and lifelong memories for you and your loved ones! We provide rowboats free-of-charge to get you out on the water. We also have electric trolling motors for rent if you wish to troll for fish, or, just to cruise around the lake.

Got your own boat and trailer? – Jackson’s Lodge has two docks to moor your boat, and too, a launching site on our beach.

Are you a fishing guide?

Vermont Fishing License Fees*

*No license required for youth under age 15.

Fishing at Jackson’s Lodge on International Lake Wallace

Jackson’s Lodge is located on the eastern shore of Lake Wallace (also known as Wallace Pond / Wallis Pond). Wallace is actually an international body of water with the majority in Quebec, Canada. (Vermont has three international lakes – Wallace, Memphremagog, and Champlain).

The good news is that anyone with a Vermont fishing license can fish the entire lake. Important notice – don’t land & step on Canadian shores … that would be considered an illegal entry into Canada which the Royal Canadian Mounted Police definitely frown upon.

Lake Wallace is a pristine sparkling lake with depths up to sixty feet. Fish stocks of trophy brown trout, lake trout, rainbow smelt, trophy small mouth bass, trophy chain pickerel, yellow perch, bullhead, and panfish abound!

Fishing Local Lakes

About five miles west of Jackson’s Lodge lie Great Averill Lake (“Big Averill”) and Little Averill Lake (“Little Averill”). Both lakes are crystal-clear glacial lakes with depths over 100 feet. Big Averill holds big lake trout, brook trout, and rainbow smelt. Vermont Fish & Wildlife has designated Little Averill the distinction as a ‘Trophy Lake’. Lake trout there must be a minimum of 20 inches long to be “a keeper”. Little Averill also harbors brook trout and rainbow smelt.

About seven miles west lies Norton Pond, with depths up to 35 feet. We consider Norton a “wilderness pond” due to its undeveloped shorelines, bays, & coves. Norton is a warm-water species fishing destination. It is renowned for producing trophy northern pike, some weighing in the upper twenties! The pond also offers trophy largemouth bass, yellow perch, and panfish.

Approximately twenty miles east, the Connecticut Lakes in New Hampshire are pristine “wilderness lakes” that bear land-locked salmon, lake trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, brown trout, and rainbow smelt.

Fishing the Connecticut River

About five miles east of Jackson’s Lodge you’ll find the Connecticut River, which forms the border between Vermont and New Hampshire. Holders of Vermont fishing licenses may legally fish the entire Connecticut. From spring right thru fall, its cold waters produce consistent fishing action for trophy brown trout, brook trout and rainbow trout. The Connecticut River is a favorite destination of fly-fishing enthusiasts, and it’s also a beautiful river to cast lures and live bait from multiple shoreline spots. Jackson’s Lodge can fix you up with a professional guide for a Connecticut “float” drift-boat fishing adventure!

Check-out the ‘Local Trails & Back Roads’ map (above) to see how a fishing cabin rental at Jackson’s Lodge and Log Cabins puts you right in the middle of some of the best fishing spots in Vermont’s ‘Northeast Kingdom’ !

Spring Fishing

As you may know, fishing success has a lot to do with water temperature. Dependent on what fish you’re interested in catching, the best conditions tend to be when water temperatures are around 52-62 degrees. Some of the best fishing occurs starting mid-May thru June (tourist have not yet arrived … mostly fishermen at Jackson’s Lodge).

Impressive trophy trout (lakers, rainbows, browns, and brookies), northern pike, and bass (smallmouth & largemouth) fishing are in close proximity to Jackson’s Lodge on multiple lakes, rivers, and streams (see map above).

Traditionally, most fishermen in this region are fishing for trout. Trolling with spoons and flies just under the water surface is very productive. Shoreline fishing with worms, minnows, and crayfish also brings “fish-on!”

One best-kept-secret of our region is the awesome bass fishery. There is very little fishing pressure on bass. Vermont’s ‘Catch & Release’ bass season usually runs the second weekend in April thru second weekend in June. Bass fishing action is usually strong right through the end of June. At Jackson’s Lodge, the prevailing winds come from the northwest, blowing warm surface water unto our shallow sandy-bottom shoreline. The bait fish are staging in this warmer water, and so follow-in the big bass. These bass are also building spawning nests on the sandy bottoms and aggressively protecting their nests. The bass protective disposition generates powerful strikes with acrobatic jumps-out-of-the-water action! Four, five, and six pound bass are being caught right in front of Jackson’s Lodge. A remarkable truth and habit of most bass fishermen – they take pictures of their trophies; then release them to be caught again another day!

Summer Fishing

As summer temperatures get hotter, so is the surface water temperature getting too warm for trout. July and August requires equipment that gets lures down deep to find fish staged 30+ feet down. However, there are still lots of bass, northern pike, chain pickerel, and perch to be had just 5 – 10 feet down. Worms, minnows, and crayfish are always good bait. So too are plastic baits, spoons, and surface plugs.

Local streams stay cold through June. Fishing with flies, spoons & artificial lures, as well as good’ol worms & minnows is standard wares for catching brookies, browns, and rainbow trout. Some of the watersheds close by still produce wild native brook and rainbow trout.

What makes the Connecticut River a legendary trout fishery is the fact that the great river stays cold throughout the entire summer due to dams upstream releasing deep-cold Connecticut Lakes water. The river abounds with trophy-class trout. There are multiple shoreline spots to fish from. Consider treating yourself to a “float” drift-boat fishing experience where knowledgeable guides will put you unto fish inaccessible from shoreline. Jackson’s Lodge will be more than willing to refer you to ‘trusted’ reputable guides.

Fall Fishing

The spectacle of fishing on the water during fall foliage can be breathtaking. The days are getting cool and the nights colder. As the waters chill down, the fish again rise close to the surface off points, shoals, and shorelines. The fish are feeding aggressively in preparation for winter. Brown trout and land-lock salmon are running up rivers on their drive to spawn. Rainbows are following them feeding on drifting spawn. Our local guides report the best trout fishing occurs just before the leaves start falling unto the water.

We invite you to browse TripAdvisor ‘5-Star’ peer reviews & kind words
shared by our guests and catered parties.



It would be a privilege for Jackson’s Lodge to accommodate 

you on your next fishing adventure…

Contact us today to plan your fishing adventures.