Humphreys said the most popular year-round TMAs that offer consistently good numbers of large holdover trout include the West Branch Farmington TMA in Barkhamsted and New Hartford and the Housatonic River TMA in Sharon and Cornwall.

He noted, “The Willimantic Fly-Fishing-Only, year-round TMA provides consistently good action for recently stocked trout, some of which are very large.”

Opportunities to catch wild trout may be found in Wild Trout Management Areas including Belding WTMA on the Tankerhoosen River, the Wachocastinook WTMA in Salisbury, the Mill River WTMA in Easton/Fairfield, Merrick Brook WTMA in Scotland, Furnace Brook WTMA in Cornwall Bridge and the Farm River WTMA in North Branford.

For more information about Connecticut’s trout fishing regulations, destinations and stocking schedules, phone 1-860-424-3000. Or go to www.ct.gov and select “State Agencies.” Click on “Environmental Protection,” then “Outdoor Recreation” and select “Fishing.”

MAINE
“We’re still stocking trout and will continue until late December,” said John Boland, Fisheries Division director, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

“By year’s end, we’ll have stocked approximately 1.3 million fish, including approximately 125,000 landlocked salmon, 20,000 rainbow trout, 910,000 brook trout, 175,000 brown trout, 16,000 lake trout and 33,000 splake.” (Splake are hybrids of lake trout and brook trout.)

“Major renovations to Maine’s fish hatcheries have allowed us to expand the number of catchable-sized trout,” Boland noted. “As a result, anglers can expect more 10- to 12-inch brook trout this spring and 14-inch brookies in the fall. Also, Maine is expanding its rainbow trout program, which has proven quite successful.” (Continued)

Boland mentioned that anglers should expect changes to lake trout and salmon regulations in 2008, so be sure to check the law book before heading out. The department is trying to streamline and simplify its fishing regulations, and has restructured trout fishing rules in the process.

Boland said that anglers would find more fall fishing opportunities available in 2008 regulations, as well.

“We continue to reclaim a couple of trout ponds each year,” Boland said. “This year (2007), we reclaimed a small pond in southern Maine and another in northern Maine. Nadeau Lake in northern Maine was rebuilt and restored and should become an excellent wild brook trout water.”

Anglers seeking rainbow trout or browns will want to wet a line in the Androscoggin River in the Bethel region. The Androscoggin is home to both stocked and wild trout.

“This water provides an exciting fishery every spring and fall,” Boland said, “and has proven to be a top fishing destination.”