Going Out Of State for Brook Trout

If you’re like most fisherman in MA, you probably do most of your fishing in your home state. But there are great opportunities just by making the drive to a neighboring state.

First off, Massachusetts does have some good trout fishing. I think it is very underrated, because nobody really thinks of Massachusetts when someone asks them “Where’s the best trout fishing in New England?”. But that said, a lot of neighboring states have much healthier populations of brook trout.

Let’s start off with New Hampshire. I make the trip up there often, but not as much as I’d like to, purely do to the drive. Now there are some good rivers that are fairly close, like the Lamprey River (with holds up surprisingly well over the winter and was recently stocked with fish), but when I go to NH, the mountains are my destination. The White Mountains, although they are 3 hours away from me, hold what could possibly be the best native brookie fishing around. I don’t even keep a map if the area or keep track of which streams I’ve fished there – I just drive around until I see a stream, or pull over into a pullout and hike until I find a stream. There are tons of brooks, and nearly all of them have brookies in them.

Then we have Vermont. Go to most campgrounds in VT, and you will find a stream stuffed with brookies. The Green Mountains in particular have very good fishing, but they are quite a ways away. If I am looking to catch some native brook trout, I will usually go to the Berkshires over VT, just because it’s closer. But that’s not to take away from Vermont’s great trout fishing.

I haven’t really got into some of our other states, but I plan on doing some exploring next year. Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maine in particular. But for anyone in Northeast Massachusetts, the drive to NH is closer than driving to the Berkshires (probably the best brookie fishing in MA), so it’s worth making the trip up. It’s really beautiful up there too. And remember to always purchase a fishing license for the states you plan to fish.

And one more thing, hitting the Swift in 30 minutes, and will have a report by tomorrow.

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2 thoughts on “Going Out Of State for Brook Trout

  1. I agree on NH being one of the best. It still trails Maine, but the Whites are something special. It is crazy to think that decades ago the fishing was easily double as productive in many of these NH streams, and a day in a current NH stream used to be an average day for streams in Massachusetts. Crazy how things have changed. I have never fished the Berkshires or the Greens due to the drive, but I hope to make it there at some point. Interested to see what new states you explore next year. Look forward to your Swift report!

  2. It is quite crazy how much things have changed! I'm with you on Maine; I've only fished there a few times, but it was great! I definitely will try to make a trip up there next year.

    ~Troy

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