There are countless lakes, brooks, streams, rivers and ponds for trout anglers to choose from. Better yet, over 4 million trout are stocked into New England’s public-access waters each year.

“We anticipate an excellent fishing season in 2008,” she concluded.

“We have a new initiative on the Pawcatuck. Sea-run brown trout have been stocked for the last two years and are beginning to return from the estuary. This should also prove to be an exciting fishery.” For more information about Rhode Island’s fishing regulations, destinations or stocking schedules, you can visit www.dem.ri.gov

VERMONT
Each year, fisheries in the Green Mountain State pour more than 840,000 trout of varying sizes and species into Vermont’s waters.

Though many of these are tiny fry, the state also stocks yearling and 2-year-old trout.

According to Rich Kirn, a Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department fisheries biologist, while 164,723 steelhead fry were released last year that will take a while to grow to catchable size, 2008 anglers can also look forward to catching some of the 63,716 yearling steelies released.

A total of 267,860 brook trout were released. Of those, 85,091 were yearlings and more than 6,500 were good-sized 2-year-olds. Brown trout yearlings totaled nearly 127,000, and about 3,000 2-year-olds were stocked.

A total of 125,740 or so yearling rainbow trout were poured into Vermont waters, along with 12,340 2-year-olds. Lake trout yearlings released in 2007 totaled 75,755.

The department is in the early stages of a six-year management plan targeted toward restoring habitat and managing wild trout on the Batten Kill without stocking.

In southwestern Vermont, the Batten Kill is a popular destination for brookies and brown trout. Due to strong public opposition to stocking, there are no plans to stock trout in the Batten Kill during the life of the 2007 to 2012 management plan.

As always, Lake Champlain is the crown jewel of Vermont’s fishing destination lineup. However, anglers won’t want to miss out on the state’s many other fine fishing waters.

“Vermont is fortunate to support a wealth of wild trout fisheries,” Kirn noted. “Abundant wild brook trout waters are available throughout the state in our smaller coldwater streams. Wild brook, brown and rainbow trout are found in mid-sized to larger streams, with portions of seven large rivers managed with special wild trout regulations.” Those rivers include the Dog, White, Lamoille, Winooski, New Haven and Mettawee rivers, and the Batten Kill.

“In addition to these wild trout waters,” Kirn concluded, “Vermont provides many larger lakes that produce quality brown trout, rainbow trout and lake trout fishing, including Lake Willoughby, Lake Seymour, Caspian Lake, Harveys Lake, the Waterbury Reservoir and Lake St. Catherine. Numerous small ponds support excellent brook trout fishing, as well.”

For a copy of the Batten Kill Trout Management Plan, as well as current fishing regulations, stocking schedules and destination information, visit www.vtfishandwildlife.com

Find more about New England fishing and hunting at NewEnglandGameandFish.com