APRIL
Brown Trout
Olney Pond, R.I.
Olney Pond in Lincoln Woods State Park is stocked in spring and fall. Look for quiet water with plenty of cover. Logs, undercut banks, rocky shelves, overhanging trees and brush are favorite hiding places. Browns feed on worms, minnows, insects and crustaceans.

Dry-fly fishing for pan-sized browns is a favorite technique. Larger browns prefer crustaceans, worms or small baitfish. When fly-fishing for large brown trout, use wet flies that mimic natural baitfish.

To get there, take Route 95 north to Route 146, and then travel 3.5 miles to the state park.

Rainbow Trout
Jamaica Pond, Mass.
Jamaica Pond is a 68-acre natural Great Pond that contains self-sustaining populations of largemouth bass, chain pickerel, yellow perch, pumpkinseeds and bluegills. Rainbows, brookies and Atlantic salmon are stocked each spring.

To get there, follow the Riverway in Boston until it changes into the Jamaicaway, and then go past Leverett Pond on the right.

Landlocked Salmon
Lake Winnipesaukee, N.H.
Some of the state's largest landlocked salmon have been pulled from this 44,586-acre lake. Ice-out is in late April. Try trolling with streamer flies, lures and smelt to hook hungry salmon, lake trout and rainbows. There are more than 23 boat launch sites around the lake from Alton to Wolfeboro accommodating all sizes of watercraft.

MAY
Stripers
Lamprey River, N.H.
Stripers follow the herring runs up the Lamprey River each spring. Fish just below the first dam in downtown Newmarket. Try casting alewife patterns from shore. White is always a safe color choice.

Access is available at the Newmarket Town Landing behind the old mills in town. The ramp is suitable for small boats and cartoppers, and is usable at most tides.

Rainbow Trout
Amherst Lake, Vt.
This 76-acre lake in Plymouth is stocked each spring with rainbows and lake trout. No motorized boats are allowed.

Access may be had off Route 100 south. The Hawk Marina is on the northern tip of the lake on Scout Camp Road off Route 100.

Largemouth Bass
Square Pond, Maine
This small pond in Shapleigh produces big fish. Fishing is best around the big island or near smaller islands on the north end, about 100 yards off shore. Follow Route 11 from the south end of Mousam Lake to Town Farm Road to gain access to the north end of Square Pond.

JUNE
Channel Catfish
Mashapaug Lake, Conn.
This lake yielded the state's largest catfish in June. The fish, unique for its award-winning 29.39 pounds and its albino coloring, was released after verification, so it should be bigger next time!

Fish under shady tree overhangs. Channel catfish are not just bottom feeders. They will feed on the surface, hitting lures with great enthusiasm. A more popular approach is to use weighted bait. Target dropoffs, weed edges or the upstream side of a deep hole.

Live minnows or fish chunks are preferred baits. Attach the weight to a dropper about 18 inches up from the hook and use enough weight to hold the bait to the bottom.

Tiger Trout
Peter's Pond, Mass.
Tiger trout are a cross between female brown trout and male brook trout. Peter's Pond produced the new state-record tiger last June (taken with a fly rod on a brook trout streamer). The former state champ was also pulled from Peter's Pond, in 2002.