Rainbow smelt are an important sport fish in the winter as well as the primary source of food for walleye and salmonids. Maintaining the balance between forage fish like smelt and species like walleye, salmon and lake trout is critical to a healthy population of fish. Each summer fisheries biologists trawl portions of the lake to get an estimate of the forage fish populations. The information gathered is just one more piece in the puzzle that determines stocking and daily limit numbers on Lake Champlain.

When the leaves fall from the trees and ice begins to form along the shores of Lake Champlain, most anglers have packed their gear and covered their boat for the season. But there is a small group of anglers that are just getting started. As long as there is open water, no matter how cold, Randy Colomb of Waltham, Vt., launches his boat for a thrilling day of winter fishing for lake trout and salmon.

The Green Mountain Curling Club is a group of curling players and fans looking to bring the sport of curling into the state of Vermont. Curling is a very strategic sport often referred to as "chess on ice." To learn more about the game, host Marianne Eaton joins up with a group of Vermonters from the Green Mountain Curling Club for a lesson at the Border Curling Club, located just north of the border in Stanstead, Quebec.

More than 60 million youngsters have participated in 4-H programs since their inception back in 1902. And today 4-H continues to be the largest youth development program in the United States. Although often thought of as strictly an agricultural organization, 4-H engages youth in hands-on, experiential learning and activities that cover almost any interest. The National 4-H Shooting Sports Program stands out as an example. Young people learn marksmanship, the safe and responsible use of firearms, the principles of hunting and archery, and much more. To learn more about the program, we visited the 4-H Shooting Jamboree at the Northeast Kingdom Skeet Club in Burke Hollow, Vt.

Bobcats range through portions of all 48 contiguous states, yet in recent years they have become a species of concern here in Vermont.

Download the teaching materials created by Len Schmidt (and students), Community High School of Vermont, S. Burlington, VT.

Imagine the freedom to ski “off-piste” in the wild snows of Vermont. Skiers are lured to the back country to escape the crowds and in search of that deep powder. Alpine Touring skis with releasable heel binding equip these skiers to tackle that steep, rougher terrain. But knowledge of inherent risks and survival skills becomes paramount as one ventures into remote areas. Well. We’re going to tell you about those survival techniques as we venture into the backcountry on AT gear.

Vermont’s Moose population was virtually extirpated by the late 1800’s. By 1980 an estimated 200 moose had made their way back into the mountains of the Northeast Kingdom and the numbers have been on the rise ever since. The fact that moose can be found in every Vermont county is great news but as the population increases so does some of the negative impacts. Knowing the number of moose in the state is critical to properly manage the population. To accomplish an accurate count, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is going high tech using infrared technology from the sky.

By the time February roles around most fishermen are chomping at the bit for warm weather to arrive. But a dedicated group of ice fishermen look forward to late winter just as eagerly. They know that the tail end of ice fishing season is one of the best times to catch a huge northern pike. Of the top 20 pike entered in the Vermont record fish program more than half were pulled through the ice in February and March. Many of them came from Glenn Lake in Western Rutland County and a good share were caught by just one man, Joe Bruno of Castleton.