New Hampshire Fishing Report

Fishing report for item #54.

Fishing Report:   This last day of February, with a big Northeaster heading up the coast, doesn’t bring a lot of enthusiasm for the ice fishermen, but some of the wiser, old time fishermen know that March can provide some of the best conditions with a surge in the bite after the fish’s normal slowdown mid-season.
Dave Ganter, at Kittery Trading Post’s fishing department, is one of those that looks forward to March for providing good sport. “You really can’t beat a day out on the ice as the sun’s angle provides a lot of warming and the fish can really start to cooperate. This is the time of year for panfish to start to hit the best—fish like bluegills, crappie, perch, and pickerel. And, it is actually the supreme time for catching northern pike and bass through the ice as this is when the pike go into the shallows to spawn and the bass seem to awakened by the strength of the sun.”
“Maine is blessed with too many panfish places to mention, but there’s a few standouts that we’ll list. For northern pike, Sabattus Lake and any of the Belgrade Lakes that have these fish will be great. The Belgrades also support a big population of bass. Crappie fishermen don’t have far to go to find some good action. Arrowhead Lake, also called the flowage is full of nice crappie, and has a big population of bass and pickerel. The lakes in the Shapleigh area provide choices for both trout and panfish. Square Pond is noted for nice bass and big brown trout. Mousam Lake has brookies, browns, togue (lake trout) bass and crappie,” Dave suggested.
Ganter also said that those people that like to fish for native brook trout in small streams and rivers can have a great day scouting these places and looking for shed deer antlers, a sport that is really gaining a lot of followers. “In our search for sheds (that’s what the antler collectors call them), we’ve found some fantastic native brook trout waters that hardly appear to be fished. Some of the beaver ponds have produced great fishing. All you need is some ambition to get out on your snowshoes or if there’s a good crust, just walk on top the snow. Go to your DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer and pick out a likely looking brook and have a look. (Make sure you ask permission to go on people’s land when possible). If you’re taking a long hike alone, it’s a good idea to notify someone of your plans before you go. There’s some danger in those backcountry treks that need to be addressed, such as falling through the ice or slipping and injuring yourself. It’s also a good idea to take along some basic survival gear, such as fire lighting material, a compass and if you have one, your cell phone and GPS. The GPS is a great aid in cutting across country in a direct line if you’re headed for a certain spot in the woods or on a stream. And it’s a definite help going back in a straight line to your vehicle,” Dave noted.
Some of the big news coming out of Maine this week had to be the results of the big lake trout derby held on Sebago Lake. According to Carroll Cutting at Jordan’s Store, one of the weigh-in and registration stations for the Windham Rotary Sebago Togue Derby, there was a huge crowd out on the ice with over 2,000 registered anglers vying for the prizes. “It was incredible,” were the first words out of Cutting’s mouth. “We were at the store at 3:15am on Saturday morning, and the crowds of people just started to come for signing in and bait. And it never stopped! Although the togue bite was off a bit from previous years, we had some whoppers caught and brought in to be weighed. First prize togue was a 38.5-incher that weighed 22.34 pounds caught by Steven Emerson of Addison, Maine. Second place was taken by a togue weighing 21.6 pounds and just an inch shorter at 37.5 inches, caught by Roger Reed of South Portland. The surprise third place fish was a half-inch longer that the winner at 39 inches but was only 16.6 pounds. This fish was taken by Peter Connolly of Albion, Maine. There were lots of other fish in the double-digit weight class but the total fish registered was a bit shy of last year. All in all, most people agreed that the derby was a huge success. We also were very impressed by the contingent of people that were here from Kittery Trading Post, a co-sponsor of the event. We heard nothing but glowing reports of their support of the fishermen and onlookers.”
Dave Garcia at Naples Bait on Long Lake was also “wicked busy” tending to the derby anglers. “We were at the shop at 4am and never left until 8pm. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, even those that didn’t even get a bite” (which Dave said were many).
“Surprisingly, there were quite a few people that were out ice fishing some of the other lakes and happy about the lack of fishermen on these lakes. Trickey Pond in Naples continued to give up some real quality brookies while Long Pond was producing some brown trout, salmon and white perch. The bass have started to hit quite well in some of the local ponds, including Long. A good percentage of those that ice fish for bass practice catch and release, which is great for the resource. We preach this ethic, asking people to take home the panfish to eat but release the bass for another day.”
Craig Bergeron at Saco Bay Tackle reminds us that some of the best tides for gathering hen clams—surf clams are coming around this month. He also says that after this forecasted Northeaster, there’s a good chance that clams will be washing up on the beaches, a very easy way to get a nice mess of clams without having to go into the surf to gather them. He also noted that many of the mid-coast Maine smelt rental camps start to pull their camps off the ice and close their businesses the end of February, but there often are plenty of opportunities, if the ice holds up, for fishing on your own in those areas.
Thomas Jones, at Vermont’s Fish and Wildlife Department, sent us this great info on fishing for northern pike in the Green Mountain State: “Built like rockets, pike are well adapted to earn their place at the top of the food chain. They lie in ambush, waiting for prey to swim near. They have extremely quick acceleration and abundant teeth, enabling them to effectively catch and hold onto their prey. Their diet consists of small fish, frogs, tadpoles, crayfish, leeches, and large aquatic insects. For medium to large pike, small rodents, snakes and birds are also on the menu. Primarily sight feeders, they are very active by day, which makes them fairly easy to catch. They also feed in coldwater conditions making them ideal candidates for ice fishing.”
“When safe ice conditions exist, the following Vermont waters are a good bet for catching nice pike through the ice: Lake Champlain (Kelley Bay, Missisquoi Bay, Dillenbeck Bay, Carry Bay, St. Albans Bay, Mallets Bay, Larabees Point, Singing Ceders, Lapans Bay, Benson Landing, and Dresden Narrows), Lake Bomoseen, Lake St. Catherine, Lake Hortonia, Glen Lake, Lake Carmi, and Norton Pond.”
“The following tips may help you catch pike through the ice: (These tips are valid if you fish for pike in Maine, New Hampshire or Massachusetts!) Fish mornings and evenings particularly on overcast days. Rapidly changing weather conditions can produce phenomenal pike action. Patience and persistence are the key to getting big numbers and large pike.”
“Larger holes, 8 to 10 inches, will make it easier to guide the fish up through when landing. In extremely cold weather, smaller holes will shrink due to ice build-up.”
“For tip-ups, rig the spools with heavy Dacron ice-fishing line (36 to 45 pound test). This large line makes it easier to handle on the ice. On the end of the main line, tie a barrel swivel to keep your line from getting twisted. To the swivel tie a three-foot leader, which can be heavy monofilament, heavy fluorocarbon, or steel. To the leader, add a very small split-shot to keep your bait from moving too much. A variety of hook sizes and styles can be used. You may need to experiment, and then decide which set-up works best for you.”
“Pike prefer soft non-spiny rayed fish. White suckers, creek chubs, golden shiners, and rainbow smelt are all good choices. In general, baits from three to seven inches are used. This size range will usually eliminate flags from panfish that will take smaller sized baits.”
“Pike prefer shallow water (3 to 15 feet) associated with aquatic vegetation. Points and drop-offs with weed beds close by are always a good bet. During late ice conditions, you may want to try shallow flats as pike are spring spawners and will begin to congregate in shallow areas. Suspend your bait about 12 inches off the bottom unless you’re fishing very shallow weedy areas. In this case, hang your bait closer to the hole to avoid the bait being entangled in the weeds. To accurately set the depth for your bait, use a sounding weight. Clip the weight on the hook and lower your line until it hits the bottom, clip on a tiny bobber or line marker to mark your line where you want it to be on the tip-up spool. This “sounding technique” will take some practice but when perfected will make it easy for you to see if a fish has taken line, or after checking your bait you can easily put the bait back to the correct position without sounding again. Once you’re set-up it’s a waiting game. Check your baits at least once an hour. If the bait is dead, don’t worry about it. Pike will eat dead bait too.”
“For fish that will be released, it is important to minimize the time the fish is out of the water, especially during extremely cold air temperatures that can freeze the fish’s external surfaces. Quickly remove the hook, avoiding any contact with the fish’s gills. Extra care here will help ensure that the fish survives.” (Many thanks to Tom. This report has been edited for brevity).
New Hampshire’s ice fishing has been in kind of a slow period, but that’s not unusual for this time of year, according to Paul Garland at Hotspot Outfitters in New Durham. “Every year it seems to be the mid-season blues, but then as March’s sun starts to warm things up, so does the ice fishing. We’ve been told that the times to catch a big mess of bluegills are on days when the snow and ice are melting and water is running into your ice fishing holes. We also know that crappie will start to bite quite a bit better as the season progresses. There’s no time better than from now until the end of the ice fishing season to catch bass and northern pike. While New Hampshire’s pike waters are limited, there are several places to fish, one of the largest and underutilized is the big Moore Dam Reservoir in Littleton. One thing to keep in mind here is that ice conditions can vary, as there is quite a current that comes down through this reservoir, so safety is the word while out on the ice. This reservoir also has rainbow and brown trout, smallmouth bass and a ton of perch and rock bass.
Jim at Martell’s Bait in Laconia reports fishing pressure has slowed down on Lake Winnisquam but it appears that there’s been plenty of action over at Lake Winnipesaukee. He also mentioned that Newfound Lake’s fishermen had reported that the great fishing of earlier in the season had slowed down, with a few fishermen reporting not even a nibble.
In the Newfound Lake region, there is a great opportunity for open water fishing for trout and an occasional salmon. The Newfound River has a special regulations section that allows for catch and release fly fishing. Dave Dawley of Rye had forwarded us this information and says that the river is often lightly fished but some huge fish are caught each year. The usual method is a pair of nymphs, one large weighted one with a dropper leader that has a much smaller nymph attached.
In the Connecticut Lakes Region, Shirley Remick at TR’s Bait in Pittsburg says that the First Connecticut Lake continues to produce some steady fishing for lakers and an occasional cusk. She also reported that conditions for snowmobiling were excellent, with plenty of snow and groomed trails.
On the saltwater scene in New Hampshire, Jason MacKenzie reports that there is still a considerable amount of smelt being caught, and ice conditions on Great Bay and the Squamscott River in Stratham have seemed to be improved. “The catches out on the bay have slowed a bit, but there’s dozens of smelt shacks still out on the Squamscott, mostly at the end of River Road in Stratham. Those boys are catching from 40 to 80 smelt a tide but we don’t expect it to last much longer, maybe a week or two.”
George Taylor at Taylor’s Trading Post in Madbury says that he’d had a customer fish the tidal Oyster River for smelt in Durham and fall through the ice twice! “Both the Oyster River and the Lamprey River lost a lot of ice two weeks ago and both are suspect. Be very careful!”
Pete Santini, from Fishing FINatics in Everett, Massachusetts sent this email to us, wanting to rub in the fact that he’s in the sunny south while we’re preparing for a big Northeaster! “Hello Dick. I'm in Vero Beach, Florida with my daughters Lauren and Tania We've been fishing the Atlantic surf in front of the resort, and we're catching lots of puppy drum up to four pounds as well as Atlantic croaker and sheepshead. Across the street is a pond loaded with bass up to six pounds taking spinnerbaits and rubber worms. On the local scene, Wright’s Pond in Medford is still great for three to five pound bass in about eight feet of water. Whites Pond in Concord is producing rainbows and a few salmon. Try Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield for a shot at a tiger musky, nice crappie and bass.”

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