Missisquoi River Fishing Guides
Northwestern Vermont’s major Lake Champlain tributary, with a spring walleye run, strong smallmouth and pike fishing, and steelhead moving up in the lower river.
Guides on the Missisquoi River
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About the Missisquoi River
The Missisquoi is the principal river of northwestern Vermont, looping north into Quebec and back before running west across the Champlain lowlands to a broad delta on Missisquoi Bay. The reach at Swanton, where the gauge sits, is the lower river: wide, slow and connected directly to Lake Champlain, which is what gives it its character as a fishery. Fish move between lake and river freely here, and the seasonal timing of those movements matters more to anglers than anything about the river itself. The surrounding lowland is farm country, flat and open, and the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge occupies much of the delta.
The spring walleye run is the best-known event on this water and draws anglers from across the region when fish push up out of Champlain to spawn. Smallmouth bass are abundant through the summer and are the most reliable fishing the river offers, northern pike hold in the slow weedy sections and the backwaters near the delta, and channel catfish and yellow perch are both common. Steelhead and lake-run brown and rainbow trout move into the lower river in their seasons, which gives the Missisquoi a run fishery unusual for an inland Vermont river and worth timing a trip around.
The USGS gauge at Swanton reports discharge and stage for the lower river, and the spring signal in it is what most anglers watch, because the walleye run tracks rising water and warming temperatures rather than the calendar. Above Swanton the river is dammed in several places, and the character changes upstream toward Enosburg Falls and Richford, where it becomes a smaller and more conventional trout and smallmouth stream. Access in the lower valley is straightforward through town landings and refuge access points, though the refuge has its own seasonal restrictions that are worth checking before planning a trip into the delta.
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Access
Swanton - the town at the gauge and the main access to the lower river.
Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge - the delta at the river mouth, with its own seasonal access rules.
Highgate - a lower river access upstream of Swanton.
Enosburg Falls - a middle river town where the river is smaller and the character changes.
Richford - the upper valley town near the Quebec border.
Missisquoi Bay - the Lake Champlain bay the river enters, and the source of its run fish.
St. Albans - the nearest town with full services, south of Swanton.
Seasons
Spring: the walleye run out of Lake Champlain and the busiest fishing of the year, timed to rising water and warming temperatures.
Summer: smallmouth and pike through the lower river, with warm slow water and easy paddling in the delta reaches.
Fall: lake-run trout and steelhead move in, and the river fishes well for anglers who know when to be there.
Winter: ice on the lower river and the bay, with ice fishing on Missisquoi Bay taking over from river fishing entirely.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Missisquoi River?
As of Oct 18, 4:45 pm, the USGS gauge MISSISQUOI RIVER AT SWANTON, VT reads 1,070 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Missisquoi River?
Anglers target Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Steelhead, Walleye, Yellow Perch on the Missisquoi River in Vermont.
Where can you access the Missisquoi River?
Swanton - the town at the gauge and the main access to the lower river. Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge - the delta at the river mouth, with its own seasonal access rules. Highgate - a lower river access upstream of Swanton. Enosburg Falls - a middle river town where the river is smaller and the character changes. Richford - the upper valley town near the Quebec border. Missisquoi Bay - the Lake Champlain bay the river enters, and the source of its run fish. St. Albans - the nearest town with full services, south of Swanton.
When is the best time to fish the Missisquoi River?
Spring: the walleye run out of Lake Champlain and the busiest fishing of the year, timed to rising water and warming temperatures. Summer: smallmouth and pike through the lower river, with warm slow water and easy paddling in the delta reaches. Fall: lake-run trout and steelhead move in, and the river fishes well for anglers who know when to be there. Winter: ice on the lower river and the bay, with ice fishing on Missisquoi Bay taking over from river fishing entirely.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Missisquoi River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Vermont agency site: https://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/fish/fishing-regulations