As Old Man Winter expands his kingdom, bigger bodies of water such as Winnipesauke are beginning to “catch”. Meanwhile the catching by anglers is as varied as trout from Waukewan to pike from Sabattus.
New Hampshire Fishing Report
Joe from Granite State Rod and Reel Repair said that before last weekend’s downpour, guys were on 2 ½” to 3 ½” of ice on local ponds. The catching consisted primarily of warm water species at Sandy, Rocky and Mill Pond. With four straight days of freezing temperatures predicted early next week, those and other nearby ponds should lock up quickly.
Chad from Dover Marine talked of 4” plus of hardwater recently on Willand Pond, Beech Pond and Balch Pond. The catch in Willand proved especially interesting with everything from crappie to bass to trout being taken. He has heard of the consistently “crappie” Bellamy Reservoir locking up and suspects after the spate of chilly temperatures predicted next week that place will be sporting ice form shore to shore. If you still can’t kick the open water habit, the catch and release/barbless hooks-only Lamprey River recently was open to casting and had willing trout.
Al from AJs in Meredith said that Center Harbor on Winnipesauke “caught” and was sporting skim ice of 1” to 2”. The jury is still out however, whether or not there will be safe ice there by the weekend but next week is looking awfully good. Meanwhile you can get your laker fix from the northern end of Winnisquam where they are falling for bucktails/sucker strips as well as Kastmasters and Swedish Pimples in 30-40 feet of water. If panfish and other warm water species is your preference check out Pemigewasset and Wicwas, while for cold water species especially brook trout, Al suggests Winona and Waukewan.
Maine Fishing Report
Scotty from Dag’s tugged in a few togue from Lower Wilson Pond recently with a jig tipped with a sliver of smelt. The fish were on the run, apparently chasing the smelt schools as evident by the bite which ranged from 6’ to 40’! Some of the “put and take” ponds such as Worthley as well as the Lower Range have good action for trout, especially close to shore by inlets. When asked if the rain of last weekend was a detriment Scotty felt just the opposite. The Androscoggin River had been low, more water volume from the rainfall should fill up the coves bringing pike close in and could be the catalyst to better fishing. Of course with pike up to 19 pounds already being caught, better fishing is a relative thing. Sabattus has had sufficient ice for a while, especially by the all-important stump-strewn north end.
The word from Sebago Bait is that the wait is on for the big lake to lockup. But not everyone is sitting around waiting; they’re finding alternatives and fishing instead. Otter, Middle Range, Parker and Thomas all have good ice and good fishing. If you’re looking for bigger water, you’ll need to search farther north such as in Greenville where reports are coming in about cooperative salmon and togue.
Fishing Forecast
For pike prospects in Maine, higher water in the Androscoggin has experienced anglers believing members of the Esox clan should be on a tear. As winter continues to behave like winter, larger lake trout water will become available, meanwhile Winnisquam in New Hampshire and Lower Wilson Pond in Maine are good bets for lakers. While the wait is on for Winnipesauke and Sebago, nearby smaller water bodies deserve honorable mention such as Waukewan and Middle Range.