As we bid farewell to 2025, New England anglers will turn their focus to notching that first fish of the new year. And, with the weather we’re experiencing, most of those fish are likely to be caught through a hole in the ice. Interior portions of all three southern New England states and all of the ‘north country’ are loaded with lakes and ponds covered with a sheet of safe ice. For the diehard rod-and-reelers, there are dwindling freshwater options on the Cape, many trout streams in Connecticut and a select few saltwater estuaries with enough open water to hunt down a holdover striper. Here’s to a Happy and Fishy New Year in 2026!
