Lake Winnipesaukee is serving up some interesting numbers in the early stages of this open-water season. Those who are searching out the warmest water temperatures and trolling among the top 20 feet of the water column have been rewarded with gorgeous landlockeds which in some cases are averaging between 4 and 5 pounds! The northern bays have been best and a smelt on the line sure helps! Gulf Of Maine groundfishing on Jeffreys Ledge has been heavy on haddock and light on gear since anglers have been able to downsize since fish have been as shallow as 130′ of water.
New Hampshire Fishing Report
This past winter the biggest news on Winnipesaukee was arguably the size of the smelt anglers encountered. The fish were numerous and big and some were having as much fun fishing for the “bait” as they were the gamefish! If only the vaunted smelt camps of southern Maine had it so good this past winter. That big bait has dovetailed nicely to a quality above quantity open water landlocked salmon fishery on the big lake according to Al from AJs! Trollers working the top 20 feet of the water column especially in the northern bays of Winnipesaukee are encountering a high percentage of 4- to 5-pound salmon in the population. Naturally smelt on the line is your best bet and AJs usually has them in stock but many are also catching well on shiners. As water temperatures rise and the fish become more aggressive look for the salmon and rainbows to become more attracted towards brightly colored streamers such as Pumpkinheads. AJ also gave a special shout out to orange/purple offerings from Cool Water Lures.
Chad from Dover Marine said that the haddock haul has been so hot on Jeffrey’s Ledge that charters are getting bored and imploring their captains to find something else to target such as redfish! The bite has been best on top of The Curl and The Cove. Those employing the “haddock wiggle” – shaking the rod while the bait rests on the bottom – should have an edge over those who deadstick. Customers of Chad have been raving about Winnipesaukee rainbows and salmon from Alton Bay, Wolfeboro Bay and Moutlonborough Bay. They’ve been doing well on Guide Special Spoons as well as Gray Ghost and Winnie Squid streamers. If you use leadcore consider between 1 and 2 colors down.
Jason from Suds ‘N Soda said that sightings of stocking trucks have been nearly as omnipresent as UPS vehicles. He suggests the Great Bay tributaries as best bets for brookies, rainbows and browns. Good options are the Exeter River, Lamprey River and Cocheco River. In addition to the usual fly, spoon or spinner artificial consider switching up to a jerk bait for potentially a holdover or larger stocked trout. It may be counterintuitive to cast a “bass plug” for a trout but some of the biggest trout – especially brown trout – fall, often by accident, for swimming plugs.
Tim Moore of TimMooreOutdoors has been out of the fishing loop since he’s still trying to resuscitate his gear after an epic season which included 107+ ice fishing clients! He’s taking on a new boat as well as upgrading his kayak collection to all Old Town Predator PDLs! His partner at TMO, Chuck Fritz, has been taking the lead and having his way with brown trout which had been stocked in anticipation of the April 1st opening day for streams. While evasive as to actually where, Chuck has not been shy as to the what he’s been catching them on – the 1/8th ounce rainbow Clam Leech Flutter Spoon!
Southern Maine Fishing Report
Scotty from Dag’s in Auburn said that ice in most of middle to southern Maine is just now giving up the ghost. By the time you read this Lake Auburn should be good to go and the landlocked salmon hungry! Anglers have already been out in Sebago with the Songo River producing as well as Sebago Lake State Park and Nasons Beach. Smelt are without debate the best bait and the shop has them in stock!
Mitchell from Saco Bay said that he’s hearing rave reviews about the haddock fishing on Jeffreys Ledge in the building days of the new season. The bite has been best among shallow shelves as well as the edges of drop-offs. One tip is to target bait shoals even if bigger fish are not on your screen. While I was hopeful for haddock hubbub, what I didn’t anticipate was talk of holdover striped bass! According to Mitch, there are such beasts in the marshy areas of the Saco River, Scarborough Marsh as well as the Mousam River. Suggested baits are the venerable bucktail jig/curly tail grub and pearl Storm Shads.
Maine, New Hampshire And Vermont Fishing Forecast
The first step toward great fishing is plentiful bait fish and the fruit of all that winter time smelt anglers were talking about appears to be bearing fruit in Lake Winnipesaukee! Trophy salmon among the northern bays has been the reality. Freshly stocked streams and rivers are teeming with trout with the tributaries of Great Bay being among the better ones. The GOM groundfishing season kicked off this past weekend in fine form and if you drop a teaser/clam combination towards the top of New Scantum odds are it won’t last long before a haddock inhales it! If you can’t wait until next month for the “real” striped bass to return, holdovers in the Saco River and Scarborough Marsh can be a nice consolation prize.
Has anyone tried for flounder yet? Its still early but I see the water is warming rapidly…