Lake Willoughby is a lake in Vermont, near Orleans County.
Stocking records show that the following fish or strains were stocked here. A historical stocking does not by itself prove that a self-sustaining population remains today.
Lake Willoughby covers 1,863.9 acres in Orleans County, Vermont. The recorded maximum depth at the lake is 308 feet. The documented storage volume is about 260,946 acre-feet.
The lake supports a varied fishing plan built around atlantic salmon, lake trout, and yellow perch. At this Willoughby fishery, its size, depth and exact basin shape matter because those fish do not use the same water in the same season.
The lake is a steep glacial trough framed by Mount Pisgah and Mount Hor. The narrow shelves at the north and south ends contrast with cliff-side water that drops very quickly.
Willoughby reaches 308 feet, making it Vermont’s deepest lake after Lake Champlain. Rainbow smelt support lake trout and salmon, and the cold clear basin has produced exceptionally large lake trout.
Fish reported from the lake include atlantic salmon, burbot, lake trout, rainbow smelt, rainbow trout, and yellow perch. On this 1,863.9-acre Willoughby basin, stocking also supports atlantic salmon already reported from the lake. For Willoughby in Orleans County, stocking describes management activity at the lake; it does not guarantee those fish at every spot or on every trip.
For the lake yellow perch at this Willoughby fishery, work a light jig slowly along the first firm-bottom break.
For rainbow trout in the lake at this 1,863.9-acre Willoughby basin, use a small spoon, inline spinner, trout magnet or natural bait on light line. For Willoughby in Orleans County, trout often move from shallow spring water toward cooler or deeper water in the lake as temperatures rise.
At this Willoughby fishery, the lake has enough depth for fish to separate by temperature and forage. On this 1,863.9-acre Willoughby basin, identify the working band instead of treating the deepest basin as the automatic target. For Willoughby in Orleans County, change lure depth before abandoning a promising point or break.
At this Willoughby fishery, a sunny spring afternoon can pull the lake fish toward dark bottom, wood and new vegetation. On this 1,863.9-acre Willoughby basin, summer fish in the lake may feed shallow at dawn before settling beside cover or deeper structure. For Willoughby in Orleans County, cooling water can bring the lake fish back to points and banks where bait gathers.
Fish the shallow ends with small jigs for perch, then move to steep breaks with smelt-shaped spoons for salmonids. Lure depth matters more than the bottom number because lake trout and salmon follow suspended forage.
At this Willoughby fishery, a medium spinning rod with 8- to 10-pound line handles jigs, small crankbaits and live-bait rigs on the lake. On this 1,863.9-acre Willoughby basin, a second outfit suited to controlled-depth trolling or vertical jigging covers the coldwater fish at the lake.
For Willoughby in Orleans County, make one shoreline pass and one basin pass instead of mixing them. At this Willoughby fishery, the deepest number describes capacity, not the automatic fishing depth. On this 1,863.9-acre Willoughby basin, trout, salmon, smelt or perch may hold far above bottom where temperature and forage line up.
Glaciers carved a long, steep-sided trough between Mount Pisgah and Mount Hor.
Most usable shallow habitat lies near the extreme north and south ends.
Lake trout and salmon commonly suspend with rainbow smelt well above the deepest bottom.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.