If you’re smart you’ll pick a New Year’s Resolution that would be easy to keep, such as fishing more! Should that be the case you can get a pretty strong start to 2019 thanks to plenty of ice and negligible snow cover!
New Hampshire Fishing Report
Al from AJs in Meredith said that all signs are pointing to a successful kick-off to the Lake Winnipesaukee ice fishing on New Year’s Day! Reports of plenty of ice have come in from Center Harbor, Suissevale, State Landing, Alton Bay, the south side of the Long Island Bridge and Paugus Bay. Meredith Bay and The Broads haven’t caught yet, but there is no shortage of hardwater elsewhere. Squam Lake looks good also! Plus the weather forecast is not as foreboding as in Southern New England, with some snow/sleet predicted and no sustained thaw to speak of!
For rainbows stick close to the shore of sandy beaches with salmon eggs dropped to the bottom, a small jig/light rod and good electronics are necessary to chase the slab Winnipesaukee white perch and as for lakers drop a shiner or jig/sucker strip close to the bottom. Joe from Granite State Rod and Reel Repair said that customers are almost universally catching in close with small shiners/trout worms no matter where they are ice fishing! Beaver Lake and Canobie Lake have had action as have Ossipee, Highland Lake and Mirror Lake! Jason from Suds ‘N Soda said that it’ll be awhile still before Great Bay and it’s tributaries lock up so that the Bob House brigade can set about looking for smelt. He did say that some of the Maine smelt camps reported that no plans were in place to drag out their shacks until at least next week.
The quieter sections of the Lamprey River did have anglers out on the ice but the predicted thaw may make conditions unsafe. It might be better served to wait until a chill returns to this area again. Chad from Dover did tell me that on the way to work on Thursday morning he saw a group on Willand Pond and the reports are that the rainbows are cooperating.
Maine Fishing Report
Regarding Maine, it seems as if the shops all decided to extend their Christmas Holiday through this week as I could find only one open this week – Saco Bay Tackle – and for the gentleman holding down the fort it was his first day! Matt did say that buddies of his had been doing well with pike from Lake Sabattus and that the shop was continuing it’s 24 hour, seven-day-a-week self-serve outdoor shiner tank! Now you never have an excuse to skip on a trip because you can’t find off-hour bait!
Fishing Forecast
Happy New Year one and all! Unquestionably the best Northern New England bet is the huge, hardwater gem of Lake Winnipesaukee! Game is on for the first of the year among most bays and coves and with so little snow cover it should be a joy to fish. If Maine is more to your liking than that pike factory of Lake Sabattus is calling!