New Hampshire, Maine & Vermont Fishing Report – March 2, 2017

We are NOT supposed to be talking of melting ice on Lake Winnipesaukee in early March but such is the reality off the wimpy winter of 2017. The good news is that what may be Old Man Winter’s last gasp of cold air is supposed to hit New England beginning Thursday night, so productive places should remain so, at least for a little while longer!

New Hampshire Fishing Report

What’s most telling about Lake Winnipesaukee, according to Al from AJs Bait in Meredith, is that he knew of only one BobHouse still out on the lake! If you’re curious about where it is, the answer is Paugus Bay. The thaw combined with Bobhouse holes has left many sections of Winnie looking as if a tornado hit, leaving conditions, in spite of bay reports of still-safe ice, extremely perilous. The Broads are now wide open and with the whipping wind, expect erosion to increase exponentially. A safer bet is other nearby lakes such as Pemigewasset, Waukewan, Wicwas and Winona, which caught more uniformly and earlier than Winnie.

One guy who has been suffering through the inconsistency of ’17 is Granite State Guide Tim Moore of TimMooreOutdoors, who had been in the thick of a better laker and white perch bite while on 15″ of mostly solid ice in Moultonborough as recently as Monday. The action has been with live smelt suspended from traps in 18″ of water. The problem has been the sketchy shorelines. Tim has his finger firmly planted on the pulse of Winnipesaukee so if you’d like to finish the season on a high note give him a call at (603) 842-3572. Odds are you’ll have company in addition to the finned persuasion as an eagle has taken to putting on quite the in-close show as it snatches sucker racks a mere few feet away from clients.

Chad from Dover Marine told me of a terrific smallmouth bass bite from Square Pond just across the border in Maine. There was nothing fancy going on here, just shiners under traps for about a dozen bronzebacks up to 4 ½ pounds! One half of Willand Pond has safe ice but the other shaky so plan your entry/exit carefully.

Southern Maine Fishing Report

According to Scotty from Dag’s the expression that last ice is the best ice is more than just a wives tale, especially if you want to tap into an inshore togue/cusk bite. Deep lakes which hold these species feature a unique phenomenon this time of the year as spawning cusk cruise close to shore with predatory lakers (big ones to boot!) in tow! Look for 10′-20′ depths next to deep water and drop a dead shiner onto the bottom for these freshwater cousins of the cod, which make for excellent chowdah! Tops for cusk are Thompson, Moosehead, West Grand Lake and East Grand Lake.

The coves of the Androscoggin are solid and with angler burnout setting in, you’ll find less pressure and potentially bigger pike! If you’re expecting, after the long season, Dag’s to be out of big bait, guess again – they have substantial suckers still in stock! Peter from Saco Bay mentioned some unexpected river-run salter brown trout possibilities in his bailiwick. In fact a patron from Texas has been poking around Berry Brook, the Mousam River and the Ogunquit in search of these unique salmonids. Fly fisherman should opt for scud or mummichog imitations while spin fisherman have it simpler with gold spoons often doing the trick. If you’re looking to learn you could do a lot worse than attend the shops annual Fishing Seminar Series at the Clambake Restaurant in Scarborough on March 25th. A few years ago I did a talk there and the place was humming with activity!

Maine, New Hampshire And Vermont Fishing Forecast

If you’re still hankering for hardwater on Winnipesaukee then enlist the services of a guide. The ice is just not consistent enough to go it alone. A better solo bet is Pemigewasset or Waukewan where the ice is more predictable. The word from Maine is that with the predicted cold snap this weekend, good ice should be even more so and with cusk and togue cruising in close the timing is perfect. Look for the deep water dynamic duo at Thompson Lake, Moosehead Lake as well as West and East Grand Lakes. If your fly rod is looking lonely in the corner of the basement, dust if off in the Mousam River for a shot at a sea run brown trout.