Tom wrote a good article FFF last month that I thought was worth sharing...
What I wanted to talk about obviously as we go though May and get into June, everything is going to be at its best,
so no fishing reports. What is really on our minds is thinking about is how to get the best fishing for our gas dollar.
We are so lucky to be in The NEC area for this is a great part of the country for a variety of fishing
opportunities. The State of Maine remains a bit of a mystery to me. I wish I had made more than a few trips there
for I feel this state may have the best fishing of any state in the council area. Apologies to my friends in Canada. The Belgrade,
Rangely Lakes area have provides much excitement in catching Landlocked Salmon . Just think of fishing for Salmon,
Smallmouth bass, and Trout in Sebago Lake and then heading to the coast to fish for Stripers. Maine offers some of
the best wilderness fishing in our part of the country. The smallmouth fishing in the Kennebago river is legendary. My apologies to
our "Down East" friends for no doing justice to their marvelous fisheries. I do remember during my seven
years on Cape Cod that everyone who wanted to go trout fishing went to Moosehead Lake!
In Massachusetts we have the fishing paradise on Cape Cod. Sure, the Striped Bass and Bluefish action will be hot. But did you know there are over 360 ponds on the Cape. With Herring runs into many of the lakes, you have the best opportunity
to find Largemouth bass 10 pounds and over as well as 5 pond plus Smallmouth bass. Did you know the Cape is probably the best state in
our council area for 4-5 pound Pickerel? Calm down Jersey folks. There are ponds with Brood-stock Salmon, Tiger Trout, Kentucky Bass,
White Bass, and huge pan fish. What equipment do you need? Well the great news is your Saltwater 7-9 weight outfits are great for the big
nasties and Trout 4-6 weight outfits will do for the Pan fish. Mass also has one of the best reservoirs in the country. Quabbin,
located in the western part of Mass has all the warm water species and Landlocked Salmon, Lake Trout, and other chars and
trout.
Go a little south from Western Mass and your in my home state of Connecticut. You will easily find the Housatonic and Farmington Rivers holding Trout of a life-time as well as chunky Smallmouth Bass. There are also many fine lakes in the area,
perhaps the most famous being Twin Lakes holding Kokanee Salmon. In southern CT the lower Connecticut, Thames, and Housatonic Rivers have
some of the best Bluefish and Striped Bass fishing. Did you know you can catch Striped Bass and Northern Pike in sight of the Hartford
sky-line. Off to the east is Rhode Island, in my opinion one of the most underrated Salt Water fisheries on the East Coast - Striped
Bass, Bluefish, Bonito, False Albacore, Bluefin Tuna, Spanish Mackeral, Sharks, etc. To the north, Vermont has the
very productive Lake Champlain on the border of New York and on the other side of the state "The Northeast Kingdom". The White
and Connecticut Rivers have float trips available for trophy Smallmouth. Did you know the Stowe area of Vermont has a thriving Northern
Pike fishery? I used to have a ball fishing small streams running through the farm lands for native brookies; not to mention the Farm
Pond bass and pan fishing. Lake Fairlee on the NH/VT border has the best Rock Bass fishing I've ever found. Next door is New
Hampshire with "The Lakes Area" -Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam and Squam being the most wonderful place IMHO to be
during the first week in June for the incredible Smallmouth Bass fishing. But have you heard of the Great Bay Region near NH's small
coastline, one of the most productive Striped Bass fisheries in the northeast. The state is scattered with small native trout streams and
the larger more know streams - Saco, Pemigewassett, Merrimac, Swift, Sugar, Connecticut, Androscoggin, etc. and lakes loaded with Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass. New Hampshire also provides "Re-claimed Ponds" which are Trout - fly fishing
only and some hike in ponds in The White Mountain area. New York opportunities abound for every fish in the Northeast. Their
half of Lake Champlain, the Salmon and Trout Runs from the Great Lakes, the Smallmouth fishing in Lake Erie as well as
Walleye for those who pursue them. The Adirondacks, The Catskills, one of the most famous trout streams in the
country - The Beaverkill, the town of Roscoe, the historic Catskill Museum of Fy Fishing. The Hudson River is the
second most important Striped Bass Nursery with opportunities right in New York City to the Long Island Sound. New Jersey my native state is a great example. The trout streams get a lot of attention, but I remember wading Thev Rockaway River
catching Rock Bass, Bluegills, Smallbass one cast after another. Lake Hopatcong this time of year has great Rock Bass
fishing. Jersy gets the first and last migrations of stripers. Lake Parsippany, once thought to be too polluted to
fish or swim in has returned as on of the best Callico Bass (Black Crappie) lakes. You can now catch Pike in the
Passiac River. My apologies to our Canadian members, but this article is aimed at us gas guzzling Americans - written by
a guy who resides in the highest gas price state in the continental USA. Believe me my next big trip is going to be in
your part of the world for some Fly caught Northern Pike - a trip of a life time. You get where I'm going - not real far.
This year instead of blowing by your local fishing opportunities, stick around home. The surface strike of a large mouth bass will get
the strongest of hearts skipping, those pesky pan fish can be a blast on your light trout tackle. Almost everyone of us is near some
Striper or Bluefish opportunities and once you have hooked on of these guys you may have your trout tackle on Ebay.
I've cancelled my annual trips to Cape Cod this year and I'm doing all my saltwater and freshwater fishing in CT & RI. I
might even catch a Weakfish this year. Those of us who fish for Trout, Stripers, and Bluefish have flies that will do fine in warm water.
Saltwater flies are not that complex. The internet is full of information so each of us can locate hot spots anywhere. So save the gas
and have a great time near home. For the record I have personally had the best year of fishing so far than I have had in years and
never left the state. Give it a try - it will work.
Tom Wingardner
is member of the NEC Board of Directors and NEC's warm water specialist.
