Skyrocketing air temperatures have shifted sweet water fishing into the next gear. Salmon prowl within the first 15 feet of Lake Winnipesauke, while smallies are beginning to aggregate close to the shore. If you have a taste for something relatively salty than toss a dart for shad by the Saco River Dam.
New Hampshire
Joe from Granite State Rod and Reel Repair said that the door has been blown wide open on the fishing. The coves of the Nashua River have pre-spawn largemouth and smallmouth bass which are aggressive and prone to mugging topwaters, crankbaits and spinnerbaits. A few six pound largemouth and one nearly five pound smallmouth were recently caught from Pawtuckaway Lake. Skowhegan River and Beaver Brook were recently stocked with brook and brown trout. The salmon boats are out in force at Saunders Bay and Rattlesnake Island in Lake Winnipesauke and the fishing is good! Close in a lot of smallies are being caught from the lake.
The arrival of alewives is right on time said Steven of Suds ‘N Soda. Some of those who have been live-lining the river herring have been greeted with that fist striper of the year! No, they are not fresh fish but I think we can all agree that even a holdover is far better than the skunk. The shop is selling seaworms to those looking for “salter” white perch in the Squamscott River. According to Steven the estuarial white perch get huge, averaging a pound or better! A few are finding flounder around Wentworth Harbor, Hampton Harbor and Rye Harbor. Look for a virtual “switch” to be flipped once the water temps crest the 50-degree mark.
Chad from Dover Marine had just returned from a jerkbait junket for largemouth bass at Union Meadow Pond. Chill your retrieve to match the still-chilly water temperatures; if you’re not catching and you think you’re reeling slowly, slow it down further! Freshly stocked trout are providing fun at the Isinglass and Coheeco Rivers. Willand Pond remains a local winner for rainbow trout. Smelt have vacated the shorelines/tributaries of Lake Winnipesauke and with them the smelt which can now be found up to 15 feet down in Alton and Wolfboro Bays. Shiners, smelt, streamers and DB Smelt spoons will all work. At dawn be prepared to troll right on the surface and expect the action to drop-off to deeper water as the sun rises.
Southern Maine
Scott at Dag’s in Auburn said that small streamers are working well for salmon in Little Androscoggin. Lake Auburn, Thompson and Sebago have had a solid salmon bite up top within the first 10′ of the surface. Try trolling Gray Ghosts and Montreal Floozies. At least one “Brady” has gotten good recent news! Dag’s Brady Ouellette came in second place at a recent bass tournament at Trip Lake. On the heels of Brady’s first place finish in the Sebago ice fishing derby this past winter, it’s obvious this guy’s got the Midas Touch. For a trip to a pristine, potentially productive salmonid spot, Scott suggests the Rangeley Lakes.
Things have yet to lift off in the Webhanet area according to Brandy from Webhanet B&T but the observance of working cormorants in the vicinity is a strong indicator that herring and possibly mackerel are present. With bait available, can bass be that far away? She expects anglers to soon be giving local areas a shot at flounder as water temperatures are creeping into the mid-forties.
Kenny from Saco was fresh from getting pounded by tarpon on a Florida trip when we spoke. Relieved to be back home where more “manageable” fish roam, Kenny was pleased to report that shad are at the dam in the Saco River. He suggests ¼ ounce red/white darts for those shad. Smallmouth bass are smacking Silver Buddy blade baits in Mousam Lake, Bugganut and Ossipee. Brookies are falling for flies at Deep Book and the Nonesuch River. The watch is on for mackerel and soon their seven-striped nemesis!
Fishing Forecast
If you’d prefer dueling with some smallies, check out the coves of the Nashua River where pre-spawn bronzebacks are prone to hit a buzzbait or jerkbait. White perch in the Squamscott River is an interesting alternative to what most anglers are chasing. In Maine try trolling streamers up top on Lake Auburn or make a trip to the scenic Rangeley Lakes. If “real” salmon aren’t for you than consider the “poor man’s’ salmon as American shad file into the Saco River.
The Crappie are hitting on the Mousam in the 11 to 14 inch size. They are hitting best at night at about 5 per hour on small red & white jigs. They are running large this year. Good eating.
Thanks for the report Hank! Whoever named them crappie did not have table fare in mind! My that Mousam watershed is a versatile fishery. I fished it once as a kid and I caught smallies just above the dam, pickerel below it but I was most awed by was the big white suckers which were more interested in each other than what I had to offer!
I dont understand the fish & game people of this state. Thay have alol been brain washed that land lock salmon and brook trout are the only fish deserving of their fund and efforts. I take several fish magazines and seldom is Maine ever mentioned in any of the fishing articles. Did you ever think of feeding a family on one Bass other than on three month a year? There are so many small lakes in Maine where channel cats could be stocked. A couple of 8 to 10 lb Channel cats could feed a bunch of people and I would rather have that than a 10 inch brook trout any day. They claim there are a lot of hungry people in this state. Lets get some decent fish in here to help them feed themselves instead of blowing the whole budget on on a bunch of little brook trout. There are also hibred stripers, and walleye. Maybe then the fishing public would think on Maine as worth a place in the fishing magazines. If wasent for Crappie I would probably not be eating much fresh water fish. I am 87 and cant run up and down a little brook looking for a lonely fish that the state just dumped into it.