The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department today announced that trout stocking will resume this spring at Sugar Hill Reservoir, also known as Goshen Dam, in Goshen, following the completion of safety enhancements made to the dam over the last two years.

“Goshen Dam has always been a popular place for anglers,” said state fisheries biologist Shawn Good.  “It’s in a beautiful setting in the Green Mountain National Forest, and the fishing platform and access facilities Green Mountain Power and the National Forest provide and maintain make it a great fishing destination.”

“The yearling and trophy-sized brook trout we stock there attract anglers from all over the area.  We’re really happy to be able to once again provide this fishing opportunity.”

The reservoir will be re-stocked in early May with 1,350 yearling brook trout averaging nine inches and 450 two-year old “Trophy Brook Trout” averaging thirteen inches in length, according to Good.

For the past two years, the 58-acre waterbody was almost completely drained of water to allow for important dam safety improvements.  Work was completed this past winter and the reservoir has now refilled to its normal minimum summer levels, allowing for trout stocking to resume. 

Good says the Goshen Dam Road is still closed to the public due to soft road conditions, but public access will return to normal this spring once conditions allow.

VTF&W to Hold Deer Hearings May 9 and 17 – The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board will hold two more public hearings on May 9 and 17 to solicit input on deer and the department’s 2023 Antlerless Harvest and Youth/Novice Season Recommendation.

The hearings are scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. at the following locations:

Tuesday, May 9 – Middlebury Union Middle School, 48 Deerfield Ln, Middlebury, VT 05753

Wednesday, May 17 – Montpelier High School, 5 High School Dr, Montpelier, VT 05602

“Recent management efforts have successfully balanced deer numbers with what the habitat can support in many parts of Vermont,” said Nick Fortin, deer and moose project leader for the Fish and Wildlife Department.  “As a result, the 2023 recommendation aims to maintain current deer numbers in most of the state.”

Deer populations in eight wildlife management units, primarily in the Champlain Valley, remain above their respective population objectives, and increased antlerless harvests are recommended in those areas to reduce deer numbers.

The department’s 2023 Antlerless Harvest and Youth/Novice Season Recommendation is available on Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s website.

In addition to the public hearings, anyone can leave a comment on the proposals by emailing ANR.FWPublicComment@vermont.gov.   Comments must be received by May 19.

Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities are available upon request.  Please include a description of the accommodation you will need.  Individuals making such requests must include their contact information.  Please send an e-mail to Nick.Fortin@vermont.gov or call 802-793-8777 (voice), 1-800-253-0191 (TTY).