New England's anglers are some of the luckiest in the country. While other fishing enthusiasts are waiting for spring, anglers throughout the Northeast know that some of the region's biggest fish are taken through the ice. Whether the target is trophy trout, bass, toothy pike or family-friendly panfish, this region has it in spades.

Here's a roundup of some of the best places to set your tip-ups this winter:

CONNECTICUT
The Nutmeg State stocks surplus broodstock brown trout each winter with hardwater anglers in mind. These fish range from 1 to 19 pounds, with an average weight of 5 pounds. Connecticut waters that receive broodstock browns include Bashan Lake, Black Pond, Coventry Lake, Beach Pond, Black Pond, Tyler Lake, Mount Tom Pond and Westside Pond.

Bashan Lake spans 273 acres in East Haddam. In addition to browns and rainbow trout, Bashan Lake has above-average numbers of largemouth bass over 12 inches long. The lake also has high numbers of smallmouth bass. Bashan Lake is also home to chain pickerel, yellow perch and some big bluegills.

Access to the southern end of the lake is on Lakeside Drive off Bashan Road.

Tyler Lake in Goshen covers 187 acres and provides good opportunities for stocked rainbow and brown trout. The lake has been stocked with walleyes since 2001. There's also fast fishing here for yellow perch and other panfish, which makes it a great destination for young anglers eager to see results.

Access to the western shore of the lake is via Tyler Heights Road off Route 4. A public access area is on the right at the bottom of the hill.

Candlewood Lake, at 5,064 acres, is the Nutmeg State's largest lake. Managed as a Trophy Trout Lake, Candlewood is also one of the region's best bets for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, white perch, walleyes and panfish.

Early in the season, the big lake may not have enough ice for safe fishing, so anglers should concentrate on the shoreline coves where great bass, perch and bluegill fishing await.

Access is from the Squantz Cove boat launch on Route 39 at the northwestern end of the lake.

Walleyes have been moving into Candlewood Lake from Squantz Pond since the late 1990s. Walleyes here average 3 to 5 pounds, and state fisheries biologists report that maximum weights for the species increase every year.

Squantz Pond has given up many big walleyes in recent years. The pond is technically part of Candlewood Lake, but is separated from the main lake by state Route 39 about eight miles north of Danbury.

Squantz Pond is stocked periodically with rainbow and brown trout and is also home to largemouth bass, yellow perch, white perch and chain pickerel.

For more Connecticut fishing information, call (860) 424-3474 or visit www.ct.gov/dep.

MAINE
Ice-fishing season in the Pine Tree State opens Jan. 1, though some Class A waters are open as soon as safe ice forms. Don't throw out your copy of the 2009/2010 Maine Ice-Fishing Regulations because the same laws remain in effect through March 31, 2010. Also, Maine has many water-specific regulations, so be sure to know the rules at your particular destination before cutting any holes in the ice.

Anglers in search of fast action early in the season should focus on waters stocked under the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife's Catchable Trout Program. According to Francis Brautigam, MDIFW fisheries biologist for the Sebago Lakes Region, waters under that program include Otter ponds No. 2 and 4 in Standish, Barker Pond in Lyman, Worthley Pond in Poland, Crystal Lake in Gray, Sabbathday Lake in New Gloucester, Keoka Lake in Waterford, Bear Pond in Waterford and Keewaydin Lake in Stoneham.