Lake Champlain

The rule for this water, with the receipt.

Special regulations for Lake Champlain, as the state words them

Chittenden County · Lake · VT

Has its own special rules

How to read this page:Official text quoted regulationParsed fields from the ruleDerived calculated from rulesContext conditions, not a ruleAdvice our suggestion

Today's rule hereParsed

Season: Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
Gear: Each line may not have more than two baited hooks or three artificial flies or two lures with or without bait.Statewide
Bait: Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
Poles: A person may take fish only by using not more than two lines of which he or she has immediate control.Statewide

Species	Daily limit	Size
American Shad	0	min. NA	Statewide
Anadromous Atlantic Salmon	0	min. NA	Statewide
Lake Sturgeon	0	min. NA	Statewide
trout	2 trout	-	Statewide
Bowfin, Mullet (Redhorse), Gar	No more than 5 of any one species	min. None	This water
Brook Trout and Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout	Total of brook + brown + rainbows = no more than 3	min. 12”	This water
Bullhead	No limit	min. None	This water
Carp, Suckers (Longnose and White), Cull Fish	No limit	min. None	This water
Chain Pickerel	10	min. None	This water
Crappie	25	min. 8”	This water
Lake Trout	3	min. 15”	This water
Landlocked Atlantic Salmon	2	min. 15”	This water
Muskellunge	0	min. NA	This water
Northern Pike	5	min. 20”	This water
Rainbow Smelt	No limit	min. None	This water
Yellow Perch	No limit	min. None	This water
All Other Species	No limit	min. None	This water

The official text, verbatimOfficial text

Straight from VT's official regulations. Rules in force today lead; out-of-season rows are dimmed. Nothing is paraphrased. Not legal advice: verify the posted rules at the water.

Whole water

All fish
See 10 App. Section 122 Section 7.0. Includes setbacks at the same level and tributaries to: Dead Creek to Panton Road bridge in Panton; East Creek to the falls in Orwell (downstream of Mount Independence Road); Lamoille River to the top of the first dam (Peterson Dam) in Milton; LaPlatte River to the falls in Shelburne (under Falls Road bridge); Lewis Creek to falls in North Ferrisburgh (just upstream of Old Hollow Road); Little Otter Creek to falls in Ferrisburgh Center (downstream of Little Chicago Road); Malletts Creek to the first falls upstream of Roosevelt Highway (US 2 and US 7) in Colchester; Mill River in Georgia to the falls in Georgia (just upstream of Georgia Shore Road bridge); Missisquoi River to the top of Swanton Dam in the Village of Swanton; Mud Creek to the dam in Alburg (just upstream of Route 78 bridge); Otter Creek to the top of the dam in the city of Vergennes; Poultney River to Central Vermont Power Dam at Carver Falls in West Haven including Coggman Pond, West Haven; Rock River to the first Canadian border crossing; Winooski River to the Winooski One hydropower dam west of Main Street (US 7) in Winooski and Burlington.
northern pike and pickerel
Gear bow or crossbow
During that period on Lake Champlain a person is required to hold a hunting or combination license to take northern pike and pickerel by bow or crossbow (10 V.S.A. § 4252).
All fish
Poles no more than fifteen lines
All fish
Gear A person may take fish only by using not more than two lines of which he or she has immediate control over all lines. Each line may not have more than two baited hooks or three artificial flies or two lures with or without bait.Poles not more than two lines
Bowfin, Mullet (Redhorse), GarAll year
Daily limit No more than 5 of any one speciesSize NoneGear Open-water and Ice fishing, Spear gun, Bow and crossbow all with line attached
Brook Trout and Brown Trout and Rainbow TroutAll year
Daily limit Total of brook + brown + rainbows = no more than 3Size 12”Gear Open-water and Ice fishing
BullheadAll year
Daily limit No limitSize NoneGear Open-water and Ice fishing
Carp, Suckers (Longnose and White), Cull FishAll year
Daily limit No limitSize NoneGear Open-water and Ice fishing, Spear gun, Bow and crossbow all with line attached
Chain PickerelAll year
Daily limit 10Size NoneGear Open-water and Ice fishing
CrappieAll year
Daily limit 25Size 8”Gear Open-water and Ice fishing
Lake SturgeonNo open season (dates as written)
Daily limit 0Size NAGear No fishing
Lake TroutAll year
Daily limit 3Size 15”Gear Open-water and Ice fishing
Landlocked Atlantic SalmonAll year
Daily limit 2Size 15”Gear Open-water and Ice fishing
Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass2nd Sat. in June to Nov. 30
Daily limit Total of largemouth + smallmouth = no more than 5Size 12”Gear Open-water fishing
MuskellungeAll year
Daily limit 0Size NAGear Catch and release with artificial lures and flies only
Northern PikeAll year
Daily limit 5Size 20”Gear Open-water and Ice fishing
Rainbow SmeltAll year
Daily limit No limitSize NoneGear Open-water and Ice fishing
SaugerNo open season (dates as written)
Daily limit 0Size NAGear None
Walleye1st Sat. in May to March 15
Daily limit 3Size 18”Gear Open-water and Ice fishing
Yellow PerchAll year
Daily limit No limitSize NoneGear Open-water and Ice fishing
All Other SpeciesAll year
Daily limit No limitSize NoneGear Open-water and Ice fishing
All fish
Gear targeted catch and release angling can occur outside of harvest season, using artificial lures and flies except on those waters/areas that are closed to fishing
Catch and Release provision
All fishOctober 1 to November 30
Gear closed to all fishing
A 2,000 ft2 area directly in front of Hatchery Brook; 20ft width centered on Hatchery Brook outlet, extending 100ft from the water's edge into Lake Champlain, forming a designated corridor for fish to return to Hatchery Brook.

Rules for other dates

Bowfin, Mullet (Redhorse), GarMarch 25 to May 25 - does not apply today
Gear Shooting, hand-held spearing
BullheadMarch 25 to May 25 - does not apply today
Gear Shooting, hand-held spearing
Carp, Suckers (Longnose and White), Cull FishMarch 25 to May 25 - does not apply today
Gear Shooting, hand-held spearing
Chain PickerelMarch 25 to May 25 - does not apply today
Gear Shooting, hand-held spearing
Northern PikeMarch 25 to May 25 - does not apply today
Gear Shooting, hand-held spearing

How this answer was assembled

StatewideStatewide lake rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
Emergency orderEmergency orders in effect today override everything else. They sync quietly when the phone has coverage and never lock you out of the app.

Where this rule applies

This water is not yet drawn on the map. Its rules are captured and receipted; the geometry ledger records exactly why it is not drawn (an ambiguous name match or a gap in the source data), and it will never ship as a guess. Each rule above describes in the state's own words where it applies, and those written descriptions are the authoritative boundaries.

Season at a glanceDerived

opensome sectionsclosedunknown

Sampled mid-month from the dated rows; short windows can slip between samples. The rows above are authoritative.

What are you fishing for here?Advice

Pick from the species named in Lake Champlain's rules. Setups are checked against the gear rules in force today, and your picks are remembered on this device only. These are rule-aware suggestions, not a claim about what is biting; advice, not law, and the rules above govern.

You also need (Vermont)

New York / Vermont licence agreement: Anglers with either a New York or Vermont fishing license may fish in the “Main Lake” and “South Lake” portions of Lake Champlain between New York and Vermont. South Bay in New York, and the Inland Sea, Mallett’s Bay, and Missisquoi Bay (including the area between North and South Hero Island commonly referred to as “The Gut”) in Vermont are not included in the agreement. Anglers fishing on these waters must have a fishing license from the state in which the waterway is located. Shore fishing along the lake portions noted above is permitted as part of the agreement. Rivers that flow into Lake Champlain are not included in the reciprocal agreement.

Who needs a license (age 15 floor). Everyone fishing in Vermont must be licensed unless they fall under a listed exception. Children under 15 never need a fishing license.
Free Fishing Days and free mentored weekend. Two license-free days: the second Saturday in June and the last Saturday in January, open to residents and nonresidents, with all normal methods and limits still applying. Separately, over Labor Day weekend up to four unlicensed anglers aged 15 or older may fish alongside one licensed angler for the three-day period.
Must be carried and shown on demand. You must carry your license while fishing or transporting fish, and show it on demand to a game warden, another enforcement officer, or the landowner whose land you are fishing. An electronic or digital copy is acceptable. The department also advises carrying a photo ID.

Checked against Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, 2026 Vermont Fishing Guide & Regulations (official eRegulations digest), License Information and License Fees sections on Aug. 4, 2026.

Receipts

Statewide rules

Statewide

VT official fishing regulations

Checked against this official source on July 12, 2026.

Special rules - Lake Champlain

This water

VT official fishing regulations

Checked against this official source on July 12, 2026.

Local services near Lake Champlain

Tackle shops, guides, and boat launches that serve this water will appear here - a separate lane below the rules, so a local business can reach you without ever getting between you and the regulation.

Run a shop or guide service on Lake Champlain? Get listed.