"Pulling in fish from Lake Attitash in spring means fishing with a suspending jerkbait," Burgess commented. "In summer, I reach for a buzzbait, particularly in the morning over the weedbeds."

He agreed with New England's other top pros that a fast-retrieved blue-chrome crankbait will fool bass eager to ambush unaware baitfish.

In addition to weed lines and coontail, the lake has an extensively developed shoreline. Burgess advises anglers to brush up on their pitching skills so they can work a pig-and-jig under the lake's many docks.

Lake Nippenicket has little development on its shoreline, which means fishermen should focus on natural cover and structure to find bass.

The lake is less than 6 feet deep in most places, and there are plenty of submerged rocks, which means cartop boaters have a slight advantage over bigger bass rigs.

"The lake is shallow, so watch water levels and temperatures carefully in Nippenicket," Burgess noted, recommending that anglers target thick lily pads and the line of rocks off the western shore.

"Peg a black sinker in front of a floating dark tube lure, cast it out and let it hit the bottom," he said. "Vary the retrieve speed through and over the rocks.

"The sinker gets the tube down, but the float in the bait gives it natural action, like a fleeing crayfish, as you reel it in. It's a real confidence lure for me."

For more information, check the MassWildlife Web site at www.mass.gov/massoutdoors, or call (617) 626-1600 for licensing and current regulations.

"New Hampshire's lakes region has some of the best largemouth and smallmouth fishing anywhere," he asserted. "These are my home waters and there's no place I enjoy more."

Lillegard suggested 6,765-acre Squam Lake as a good place to start.

"The lake is known for being the setting of the movie On Golden Pond, but local bass fishermen know it for its largemouth and smallmouth populations," he noted.

There are miles of developed shoreline, Lillegard said, so target obvious cover such as docks and moored boats for largemouths, but don't miss the numerous backwater coves.

"This is a typical northern coldwater lake, so the bottom has rocks and gravel, prime smallmouth structure," Lillegard said.

A good put-in for boaters is in Holdeness on the Squam River off state Route 113. There is a boat ramp with plenty of parking.

Anglers may obtain a detailed Squam Lake chart by inquiring at local tackle shops or checking the Squam Lake Association's Web site at www.squamlakes.org.

Two other clear, coldwater fisheries known for smallmouths are 4,085- acre Sunapee Lake and 3,092-acre Ossipee Lake. To access Sunapee, there is an all-boat access at Sunapee State Beach in Newbury off the state Route 103 traffic circle. There is also a small, ramped cartop put-in off state Route 103A at Herrick Cove.

Ossipee Lake is often overlooked, but it contains some 3- and 4-pound smallmouths. Access for all boats is at the Pine River Marina in Ossipee on state Route 25 east off state Route 16.

There are some consistent patterns that produce in these lakes, Burgess noted.

"You can't go wrong with a crayfish imitation," he advised.

A stand-up jighead with a small crayfish in green pumpkin or June bug is killer in late spring when natural crayfish are abundant.

Anglers might also try a blade bait.

"Let it sink to the bottom and watch for the strike, then pump the bait, watching for strikes on the fall," Burgess coached. "This lure works best in early spring in water 30 to 40 feet deep and off humps, points or dropoffs in summer."

The standard lures work well, too, such as chrome-blue rattletraps or a clown-colored crankbait.

Contact the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's Web site at www.wildlife.state.nh.us, or call (603) 271-3421 for licensing and current regulations.

"Over the years, I must have won at least eight boats in tournament fishing," he said. LaVictorie has fished all over the country, but comes home to Lake Bomoseen and Lake St. Catherine for his "practice" fishing.

The 2,360-acre Lake Bomoseen is Vermont's largest inland lake. There are two state ramps, one off Creek Road on the western shore north of Point of Pines and another on the northwest shoreline south of Float Bridge Road.

South of Lake Bomoseen is the 852-acre Lake St. Catherine, with access off state Route 30 on West Lake Drive. The street is marked, but the put-in is not. Both lakes have state parks that allow campers to use the boat launches. Contact the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation for access and camping information at (888) 409-7579, or visit the department's Web site at www.vtstateparks.com.

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department's Web site at www.anr.state.vt.us/fw/fwhome is a good source for information, or call (802) 241-3700 for details on licenses and regulations.

"The lakes are similar, so the same angling patterns apply to each," LaVictorie noted. "Both lakes have an abundance of rocks and ledges above and below the surface, and these are attractive to smallmouths. Both lakes also have many set-backs and spawning flats with good grass growth that attracts largemouths."

In spring, smallies respond well to lures retrieved at two speeds: fast and slow.

"I'll rip a jerkbait as fast as I can to bring up pre-spawn smallmouths, but if that doesn't work, I start twitching a soft jerkbait or floating worm," LaVictorie noted.

While anglers could be busy all day with 1- to 2-pound fish in these lakes, it's not unusual to hook smallmouths up to 5 pounds.

By summer, the smallmouth bite goes off. That is more than made up for by the largemouth fishing, which then clicks into full gear.

"Largemouths bunch up on the milfoil beds," LaVictorie noted, "and are easy marks for jigs and tubes. Also, don't be shy about hitting the docks and other structure like drop-offs, downed trees and rocks.

"Always let the fish tell you what to do. Read their mood each day you're on the water," he advised.

"I've had 50-fish days on this water," he remarked, "and would be disappointed if I had less than 20. I'm talking about big fish, too, including several over 5 pounds."

As the water warms in the spring, Desjardin advises fishing the inlet to the north and the outlet on the south.

"The fish will move to the shallows to spawn," he commented, "and that's when the coves become hot."

While just about any bait from worms to spinners to crankbaits will produce on any given day, he joins other New England pros by advising that anglers "let the fish tell you what they want."

The pond can handle a big bass rig with ramp access in South Vassalboro off state Route 3 (Augusta Road).

Nearby 648-acre Togus Pond is another Desjardin favorite. While most of the lakeshore is privately owned, a cartop boat or canoe can be put in off state Route 105 at the southern end of the pond. This is an advantage, Desjardin stated, because the cartopper can choose to fish the pond or head south down Togus Stream. The stream is filled with stumps, wood, trees, beaver houses and grass.

"A majority of the bass here are in the 1- to 3-pound range, but they are there in volume," Desjardin noted. "The best part of fishing the stream is that there is no boat traffic and it is like being in your own little world."

Worms, spinners and buzzbaits usually produce fish in good numbers, but the fish dictate the patterns they want on any given day.

For more information, check the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife's Web site at www.state.me.us/ifw, or call (207) 287-8000 for licenses and current rules and regulations.