Maine Fishing Reports

Fishing report for item #96.

Fishing Report:  
Warm, sunny and still weather over the weekend had a lot of anglers looking for some suitable fishing conditions. Many were stymied by the high and cold-flooded rivers and streams, but some found their favorite fishing pond had lost its ice cover, especially those in the coastal areas.
One of the hottest spots so far has been New Hampshire's big Lake Winnipesaukee, where openings in the ice have provided some surprisingly good fishing.
At Hot Spot Outfitters in New Durham, Paul Garland had two happy fishermen in his shop as we talked to him. The two hardy anglers had been float tubing in the small area of open water off the docks and bridge at Alton Bay. Casting streamers, one of them caught four salmon, and the other caught five! All in just an hour and a half.
"They must have been frozen," we said to Paul. He asked, and one of them said that he had been so hot out there that he had been sweating! They both had plenty of fleece and neoprene between them and the thirty-something degree water!
"We've seen some unusually good fishing so far," Paul said. "A lot of quality salmon are being caught, mostly on live bait, around the natural openings in the lake. The open water at Alton extends about a couple of hundred yards out past the bridge."
"Seven fishermen, seven salmon caught in a couple of hours fishing from the bridge at Long Island (Lake Winnipesaukee)" was the word from Martel\'s tackle shop in Laconia.
"The fishing here on Lake Winnisquam and the Winnipesaukee River has slowed down a lot. There's a couple hundred yards of open water out on the lake--it's actually out over the drop-off. Up in the river below the dam behind Landmark Inn, there's been a lot of salmon seen, but few, if any, have been caught. The river is running very slow and that's not helping the fishing. Most of the fish caught have been on live smelt."
George Taylor at Taylor's Trading Post in Madbury said that quite a few of his customers had been fishing Wolfeboro Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee. "There's quite a pool of open water there at the mouth of the Smith River. There's plenty of room for boats out in the open water and some salmon and rainbow trout have been caught each day. Some of the fishermen that fish from the docks are sight fishing for fish laying in the current. Small Mister Twister-type jigs and nymph flies work well there. Out in the deeper water, live smelts and shiners are the best bet.
Chris Henson at Kittery Trading Post's fishing department loves to fish the shorelines and tributaries of Winnipesaukee early in the season. "It's a good idea to flip a live smelt out under a slip-bobber or cast a streamer into any opening that you can find. Cast to the ice edge or strip your fly along the edge."
"Another good bet is to sight-fish for spawning rainbow trout in the tributaries, if the water is clear and you can spot fish. Good Polaroid sunglasses are a must. Stealth is also needed. A fish that can spot you is a fish that probably won't take."
Dave Ganter, also at Kittery Trading Post's fishing department says that what many people don't realize is that in some ponds and rivers, yellow perch will be ready to spawn. "If you find a concentration of yellow perch, you are apt to have some of the best fishing of the season. The females will be the largest fish and will be full of spawn. Properly cooked, some people consider perch spawn a delicacy."
"Small pieces of worm or cut bait will work, but usually a small jig or wet fly will also do the trick. Look for schools of spawning perch in sunny openings in the ice or in the smaller ponds that have iced-out. Stream outlets can also hold a concentration of these fish."
Dave had checked out one of his favorite trout streams, Swan Brook, and found the lower end flooded over its banks, but in the most upper part of the brook, the water was well within the banks and fishable.
Mark Beauchesne, Let's Go Fishing Coordinator for NH Fish and Game emailed us this report: "A long, successful ice fishing season has come to a close. What a year we had! Big lakers taken all over the state. Great panfish action, along with plenty of rainbows through the ice. Now, with the ice gear stored, it's time to get ready for open water."
"Early spring, I'll be fishing any open water I can find. I have to make the trip to Ellacoya State Park. Standing waist-deep in icy water casting for salmon and rainbows is the official kickoff to the open water season for me. The boat comes out a week later. The first trip will be a shakedown cruise, with some fishing thrown in for good measure."
"Late April to mid-May is pike fishing time. The Connecticut River now calls to me in my sleep. My dreams are filled with visions of three-foot long pike chasing my fly. If you are new to pike fishing, you will soon learn why this toothy fish is so exciting! We focus on the oxbows and setbacks. Often when pike fishing we encounter big yellow perch, bass and walleye. That is the best thing about fishing the river in the spring--you never know what you will catch next."
"This year, I will fish for trout more often. I will be float tubing the ponds around the state. Willard Pond (Antrim) is on the list, along with Smith Pond and Millen Lake in Washington, Stirrup Iron Brook (Salisbury/Boscowen), Hot Hole Pond (Loudon) and of course, the North Country ponds. Most of these ponds are less than two hours from Concord. What does that mean? Well, that means even on workdays I'm on the water by 7:00pm. I have the best part of the day to fish. Quite often during the week I'm the only angler out there."

"Stream fishing for trout has been ingrained into my being. Sure, I talk and write about fishing for warmwater fish like the smallmouth and pike. But, I know the outstanding river and stream fishing we have in New Hampshire. You probably know about the great rivers in the North Country--the Connecticut, Ammonoosuc, Saco, Androscoggin--they're all awesome. Well, we also have some wonderful rivers not too far from Concord. Right in Concord is the often-overlooked Soucook River. Growing up in town, a good portion of my youth was spent fishing this river. Then there is the Suncook, and the Merrimack River is a must-fish. The Contoocook River is a classic--great insect hatches along with plenty of opportunities for the spinfisher. I will find the time to knock off a number of smaller rivers, too--the Souhegan, Piscataquog, Smith and Blackwater rivers, and Shedd Brook."
"The word around here is that we will be having a banner salmon season on the lakes. When the biologists get excited about the fishery, you know it's going to be good. I'm planning a couple of salmon trolling trips for sure!"

"I have planned several camping trips to Lake Umbagog, too. I can't wait! This lake is wonderful. Wildlife and great fishing combined with the peace and serenity of the North Country. Remembering what happened last July, when I witnessed an incredible hex hatch, I will not be without a selection of dry flies. If my timing is right I will be doing more than watching the insects, I will be hooking the fish that eat them. Be sure to take time out this season to fish with your friends and family." (Edited for brevity. Many thanks, Mark!)
One last word from the Granite State--although the portion of Berry Brook upstream from Random Road in Rye is closed to trout fishing, the area below and toward the Seavey Creek Bridge can be fished and should produce some action on newly stocked brown trout, according to Dave Dawley who lives close by. Dave recommends catch and release fishing here, as these fish are stocked to eventually go out to sea and come back as some of the monsters that Berry Brook is famous for.
With the exception of a few coastal ponds, most of Maine's lakes and ponds are still covered by ice, with some small openings around the shoreline producing some fishing. At Sebago Lake, Carroll Cutting at Jordan\'s Store in East Sebago, said he had some boat fishermen in that had purchased sucker minnows for fishing the mouth of the Songo River on Sebago Lake. "There's not much open water but apparently there's enough, as these guys have been catching some togue (lake trout) on just about every trip out. The smelt should start to congregate around the Songo opening shortly, as my son Greg has had some luck already netting smelt for our bait tanks. The ice looks like it's ready to start to pull away from the shoreline here," Carroll noted.
Dave Garcia at Naples Bait on nearby Long Lake said the open water at the Naples Bridge had expanded a lot over the warm period and should be a good bet for brown trout or salmon. "The Songo Locks is also a good bet, as some brookies up to 16 inches have been caught there and a few salmon have been hooked but lost. The water is dropping now in our rivers and they should be in pretty good shape for next weekend's fishing. The mouth of the Songo should also have a lot more open water to fish by the weekend."
In the Rangeley area, Rusty at River's Edge Sports said that the Hunter Cove Bridge at Rangeley Lake should be producing some fish. Besides the pool below Upper Dam, the Hunter Cove Bridge is about the only accessible open water that is available right now in the area.
John Hall and Eric Palmer of Vermont's Fish and Wildlife Department sent us this information about the good fishing their state enjoys: "Vermont's lakes and streams are home to a broad array of fish species that you just won't find anywhere else in the region," said Vermont Fish & Wildlife's John Hall. "And, anglers from other states as well as new Vermont residents are discovering for themselves just how good Vermont fishing really is."
"Vermont is fortunate in being located within the St. Lawrence, Connecticut and Hudson River drainages," said Hall. "We have St. Lawrence drainage fish in Lake Champlain that are typically found in the Great Lakes region. Champlain also has fantastic coldwater fishing, more typical of northern New England."
"Lake Champlain on the state's western boundary has a surface area of 435 square miles. Landlocked salmon, lake trout and steelhead rainbow trout offer spectacular action. For outstanding shallow water excitement, try the big lake's northern pike, which range up to 25 pounds. High quality bass fishing, for both largemouths and smallmouths, is one of the lake's best-kept secrets now being discovered by bass angling enthusiasts."
"Interior Vermont waters offer classic New England lake and stream fishing with 808 lakes and ponds, 284 of which are larger than 20 acres, and over 7,000 miles of rivers and brooks. Vermont's lakes and streams are home to more than 20 popular species of game and panfish offering fishing for anglers of all tastes and experience levels. Vermont is well known for its "cold-water" trout and landlocked salmon fishing. Innumerable icy brooks seep down off the Green Mountains into beaver ponds and streams, providing superb angling for native brook trout, as well as larger rainbow and brown trout. Lakes Willoughby, Caspian, and Seymour, among others, are renowned for their lake trout and landlocked salmon fishing. Yet, Vermont also has excellent "warm-water" fishing. It is home to a vast array of species that tolerate warmer water than trout and salmon. They include such favorites as largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, channel catfish, chain pickerel, American shad, yellow perch, white perch, black crappie, rock bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and bullhead, as well as bowfin, long-nosed gar, freshwater drum, burbot, cisco, whitefish and sauger." (report edited for brevity)
Kay Moulton at Surfland Bait and Tackle on Plum Island, Massachusetts had some good news about the local smelt population. "Our fisheries people have discovered a thriving smelt run over on the Parker River that had long been believed to have gone. Now they are moving smelt eggs from the Parker River to other traditional smelt streams nearby. This could be the start of something really great," she laughed.
Pete Santini at Fishing FINatics in Everett, Massachusetts emailed us this information: "For the first time in years, flounder--some up to 19 inches long, are taking seaworms along the beach at Revere by the old Holts Pier and down by the Point of Pines. These are fantastic eating fish! The size limit is 12 inches with a bag limit of three fish per day fish until May 1st, when it goes up to eight fish a day."
"Captain Chuck Distefano of Skip-A-Dory charters was catching codfish to 30 lbs. well offshore, but these fish will be moving in as water temperature in Boston Harbor was 46 degrees on Sunday. Look for the arrival of herring to call in the cod off Presidents Roads (the shipping lane coming into Boston Harbor) with the next ten days or so."
"Stripers are still hitting at Amelia Earhart Dam and the Charles River. Wildeye Shad jigs and other rubber fish and jigs picking them up."
"Trout fishing is on fire in all local ponds including Horn Pond in Woburn and Whites and Walden in Concord. A 22-pound broodstock Atlantic salmon was taken this week by Roy Levya at Jamaica Pond in Boston on a spoon. Nice job Roy!"

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