How Vermont Stocks its Trout Streams

Each year, Vermont’s six fish hatcheries help place more than 650,000 fish in the state’s streams and lakes. For the state, which earns revenue from attracting anglers to Vermont and selling fishing licenses (required every day except June 10, 2024–the designated annual Free Fishing Day), it’s a good return on investment. 

Among the most popular stocked fish are the 20,000-plus two-year-old “trophy” trout placed in nine rivers and streams and more than 30 ponds and lakes.  The “trophies”  include some 2,400 brown trout, 6,100 brook trout, 13,000 rainbow and 2,400 brown trout. The hatcheries also release 3,400 two-year trophy landlocked Atlantic salmon and 10,000 two-year steelhead. 

Vermont’s fisheries biologists carefully monitor the stocking to protect both the wild fish and ensure the success of the newly stocked species. “Our hatchery staff is doing leading-edge work with many species, including being some of the leading experts in the world on walleye rearing (for stocking in Lake Champlain),” says state fisheries biologist Lee Simard.

“Every few years our hatchery staff puts on a week-long fish culture school that draws fishery biologists from across the Northeast and further to learn from our staff. So, we do have a pretty great program.”

For more on fly-fishing in Vermont, see Vermont: Where’s There’s A Fish For Everyone. ]