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VPT's Outdoor
Journal #310
 Smelt
FishingEvery year, as winter envelops northern New England in its icy grip, shantytowns pop up on our larger lakes, marking the spots where ice fishermen have gathered for generations in pursuit of rainbow smelt. Smelt are the smallest member of the family that includes trout and salmon, but what they lack in size, they make up for in abundance and taste. Smelt are renowned for their delicate flavor, and a successful day fishing for smelt is measured by the pailful. Nowhere is this truer than on Lake Champlain, where ice fishermen annually catch untold millions of the small silvery fish, and jigging for smelt in a cozy shanty is a timeless way to spend a frosty winter day. Host Lawrence Pyne fishes
with Denise Gibeault of Shoreham, VT, and visits the Halfway House Restaurant
in Shoreham for a sample of these tasty fish.
RETURN TO TOP  Brook
Trout BuddiesVermont's Northeast Kingdom abounds with brook trout, in large part because of the helping hand played by a local sportsman's club. Volunteers with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Conservation Group refurbished the former state fish hatchery in Morgan, where they now annually raise thousands of brook trout fry. They oversee an annual program called "The Morgan Hatchery Project" that involves getting members of the community to fan out across the Northeast Kingdom on cross-country skis, snowshoes and snowmobiles to stock local beaver ponds and other remote waters with these colorful, native fish. On a good day volunteers can distribute 60,000 fry to throughout the Northeast Kingdom. Though the stocking benefits the fishing community, the real satisfaction comes from practicing responsible habitat stewardship, and giving back to nature. We follow the brook trout
journey from incubation to release on a wintry spring day in Morgan.
RETURN TO TOP 
BiathlonCombining the sports of cross-country skiing with precision target shooting, the biathlon has evolved from an ancient hunting method to military ski patrols, to an Olympic and World Cup sport. It requires strength, endurance, solid skating skills and a high degree of shooting accuracy. Add cold and changing snow conditions to the mix and you have one of the toughest physical and mental challenges a competitor can face. The Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho is home to one of the premiere biathlon training facilities in North America and is managed by the National Guard. The Guard has produced a number of world-class biathletes. The Ethan Allen facility attracts competitors from all over the world. Host Marianne Eaton joins
Guard member and Olympic biathlon racer Dan Westover on the range in Jericho
for an introductory lesson to the sport of biathlon.
RETURN TO TOP
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