Vermont forest and parks are denied us ice fishing access!!!

So the state of Vermont will not open a state park for us walleye guys they plow a snow bank and put up jersey blocks in this one park but any other park we can use ride four wheelers in and so forth!! The town of north hero has been fight for us for about 5 years to open it it has a boat ramp and you can use it in the summer but not in the winter kinda bs and not right so just to get to the walleye spot we have to drive 40 mins on the ice down the shore just to get there it’s not right one year a guy broke his wrist jumping a crack and if the park was open then it wouldn’t of happened it’s no fair to us ice fisherman!!!!

Did you try calling the park service and ask for details on the closure? Might be a safety concern or some other reason? Maybe the conservation officers might know details as well on why its closed? Assuming one of those authorities would have to enforce its closure so they probably have the “why” part as well?

Adam Steffes wrote:

Might be a safety concern or some other reason?

That’s what I thought too. Maybe its for their own good. Like thin ice.

gimruis wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Adam Steffes wrote:</div>
Might be a safety concern or some other reason?

That’s what I thought too. Maybe its for their own good. Like thin ice.

It shouldn’t matter. People should be responsible for themselves. I’ve said it before but I hope it never comes to the point where the DNR gets to tell us when a certain lake is “safe” to fish.

Joe Scegura wrote:

People should be responsible for themselves.

I completely agree. Unfortunately there are enough people making poor decisions where it may still need to be done. I don’t know the real reason is that the OP is referring to, I was only speculating.

I’m not referencing you, just to be clear Joe.

North Hero is in the middle of Champlain….there’s tons of access around there, what’s the problem? Did they actually close the park or don’t want to plow the roads due to lack of funds? I’ve been to that area several times as I used to travel to Brandon and Richford often for work, stayed in Burlington for a while too, have driven the loop during winter….I’m sure if you asked nicely enough someone would let you get on via their lake frontage at a cabin/house.

No there’s not I’m the 10th generation of Vermonter and NO there isn’t any access to we’re we go fishing we’ve gotten ahold of state reps governor and speaker for the house of Vermont and still no it’s awful I work for forest and parks for 12 years and they don’t like people hunting or fishing there all prissy and don’t like outdoor activities that and I know the guy who wants it closed and until he leaves it won’t open!! To get to the west side of lake Champlain there NO boat launches in north hero just for the inland sea until you get to grand isle And isLamont or alburg and you can’t drive that far to get to we’re we fish look it up on a map and we have fish and wildlife around here and they don’t want anything to do with forest and parks they but heads a lot!! Considering there’s 10 1/2 inches of ice out there def no concern but it’s old we’ve been fight with this guy who runs region 3 for about 4 years now to open it! I used to be the park ranger there and a maintenance guy for region 3 for 12 years and I left because of how I was treated because I fought to keep that open and when the other two guy that helped fight to keep it opened they retired the next day they locked it because he didn’t want to maintain it anymore but they sit inside for 6 hours play solitaire shop online and talk till 2 then drive around and look like there working it’s sad if one state park is closed they all should be if ones open then they all should be open!!!!!!! Plus I’m not renting a cabin when I live here!!!

Joe Scegura wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>gimruis wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Adam Steffes wrote:</div>
Might be a safety concern or some other reason?

That’s what I thought too. Maybe its for their own good. Like thin ice.

It shouldn’t matter. People should be responsible for themselves. I’ve said it before but I hope it never comes to the point where the DNR gets to tell us when a certain lake is “safe” to fish.

they already do this during open water season on Pool 2 – almost every year it seems.