Vermont is also blessed with lakes and ponds that offer browns and rainbows, while others feature lake trout. In the Northeast Kingdom, places like Big Averill and Little Averill lakes as well as Caspian, Echo, Harvey’s, Crystal, Maidstone, Seymour and Willoughby lakes are well known for their lake trout fishing.

When talking about Vermont, it is impossible not to mention Lake Champlain. The large lake is home to a smorgasbord of trout species as well as landlocked salmon and steelhead. Nearly 300,000 fish were stocked in the lake last year and the same is scheduled for 2005. Lake trout are averaging 3 to 5 pounds these days, with 8- to 12-pound specimens quite possible. The same is true of landlocked salmon, with browns running a few pounds less on average.

The Winooski River and Lewis Creek both support steelhead runs from late October through November and from February through much of April.

More information may be obtained by contacting the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce at (802) 863-5253 or (877) 686-3489, or visit the Web site at www.vermont.org. Ask for the Lake Champlain Fishing Guide.

For more Vermont trout-fishing information, contact the VFWD at (802) 241-3700, or visit the Web site, www.anr.state.vt.us/fw/fwhome. Ask for the Vermont Guide to Fishing.

MASSACHUSETTS

Massachusetts stocks over 500,000 pounds of brown, brook and rainbow trout annually, a large percentage of which are at least 12 inches long, some of the largest trout stocked in any New England state.

Scattered across the state are a dozen catch-and-release sections. Each area is stocked annually and offers a fair number of holdover trout. Included on the list are sections of the Nissitissit River in Pepperell; sections on the Millers River in Royalston, Athol, Orange and Erving; the Swift River in Belchertown; sections of the Upper and Lower Deerfield in Florida, Rowe and Charlemont; two sections on the Housatonic in Lee and the Glendale area of Stockbridge; and a section on the East Branch Westfield in Chesterfield and Huntington, also in the Berkshire Region.

The sections on the Housatonic were established as recently as 2004, as was the catch-and-release area on Red Brook in Plymouth and Wareham, in the southeastern region of the state. There is also a catch-and-release section on the Quashnet River in Falmouth and Mashpee. Some of these areas are also restricted to fly- fishing only. Anglers should keep in mind that there are definite upstream and downstream boundaries that designate each section, so check the regulations summary carefully.

Massachusetts also offers some excellent big-water angling, especially in the Quabbin and Wachusett reservoirs. Quabbin is some 18 miles long and has more than 180 miles of shoreline. Lake trout and landlocked salmon, brook trout, browns and rainbows are available. Special bag and length limits are in effect. For more information on access, contact the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) at (413) 323-7221.

The Wachusett Reservoir in West Boylston covers 4,135 acres, and it offers excellent angling for lake trout, rainbows and landlocked salmon. The reservoir is closed to ice-fishing, but about 80 percent of the reservoir’s 37-mile shoreline is open to fishing from April 1 through Nov. 30.

For more information on fishing the reservoir, contact the MDC ranger station at (978) 365-3272.

For information on trout fishing in Massachusetts, contact the Mass- Wildlife offices at (508) 792-7270 or visit the agency’s Web site at www.state.ma.us/dfwele/dfw.

CONNECTICUT

Since completing its 13-year sport-fishing project in 1999, Connecticut’s Department of Environmental Conservation has done a great deal to improve the quality and quantity of its trout resources. The state has also increased the numbers of waters or areas where trout are available by establishing trout management areas (TMA), trophy trout areas (TTA), wild trout management areas (WTMA) and trout parks (TP). The state also designated a number of waters as sea trout streams (STS), where anadromous brown trout fisheries are known to exist.

For anglers looking to get away from the crowds, the WTMAs are a good bet. Keep in mind these areas are classified under three classes. Some are open year ’round to catch- and-release fishing with barbless hooks. These areas usually contain pure wild trout and no stocking takes place. Eightmile River in Southington, the Mill River in Easton and the Quinnipiac River in Southington and Cheshire are prime examples. The Tankerhoosen River in Vernon, Deep Brook in Newtown and Hawley’s Brook in Easton and Weston are others.