Lake St. Catherine State Park is located at 3034 VT-30, Poultney, VT
Lake Area:
852 acres
Lake Max. Depth:
68 feet
Fish Species
Rainbow smelt, yellow perch, bluegill, pumpkinseed, common white sucker, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, black crappie, northern pike, brown bullhead and various minnow species including golden shiner and emerald shiner. Lake trout, brown trout and rainbow trout are also stocked regularly for anglers to catch.
Habitat
Lake St. Catherine is a productive waterbody with a diverse habitat suitable to various warm and cold water species. The extreme north and south ends (and many coves in the mid-lake area) have shallow water cover, such as aquatic vegetation, boat docks and rock piles, which provide great habitat for panfish, pike, perch and bass. The main lake area, primarily along the west shore, features hard-bottom points and rocky bluff walls directly adjacent to deep water that create quality habitat for cold water species like smelt and trout.
Park Fishing Tips
To the north and south of the swimming area, the shoreline at the park provides great fishing for bass, panfish and pike. Try fishing around rocky shoreline outcroppings, gravel points, drop-offs and clumps of submerged vegetation with a basic bobber and worm, or with artificial lures such as small spinners and plastic worms. Floating top water lures such as poppers, floating frogs or walking-style baits work well early and late in the day. Mid-April through mid-May is the best time to catch panfish, but they can be caught all year. Bass and pike fishing are best from mid-May through September.
For the lake's trophy-sized trout, you'll need a boat to fish the deeper waters in the middle and western sections of the lake. You can easily access these areas with a short kayak or canoe trip across the narrow part of St. Catherine from the state park. Try jigging metallic spoons or blade baits along the bluff walls of the west shore and vary the depth of your retrieve to search out different parts of the water column until you find the fish.
Nearby Fishing License Dealers
You can purchase a fishing license at Poultney Town Clerk in Poultney, Williams Hardware in Poultney and online.
Nearby Public Boating Access Areas
Lake St. Catherine State Park has a boat launch onsite. The southern part of the lake also has a Vermont Fish & Wildlife boating access area.