For those who take their New Year’s with ice underfoot as opposed to in a glass, the season has kicked off in fine fashion! Reports are that Winnipesaukee has been a winner while Maine’s Moosehead Lake has been a best bet for big brookies.
New Hampshire Fishing Report
While hardwater junkies from Massachusetts cursed the recent rains, the Granite State gang who live to ice fish Winnipesaukee reveled in but a few inches of snow! Other than Meredith, the bays appear to have all locked up and first of the year reports are of a blistering bite for everything from crappie to white perch to lake trout.
Al from AJs Bait suggests that anglers give those gamesters what they are feeding on – smelt! Fortunately, the shop has no shortage of smelt in stock. While you should take this with a goodly dose of caution and common sense, snowmobiles have been spotted in Center Harbor. Chad from Dover Marine had good things to say about Winnipesaukee when we spoke but unfortunately for him, the information was second hand. Pals of his have said that the rainbow bite has been pretty good at Alton Bay up close to the shore with salmon eggs accounting for the most fish.
For warmwater species closer to the border of the Bay State, Bellamy Reservoir has been solid for crappie and largemouth bass. Turkey Pond has been producing bluegills and crappie also. Zach of Suds ‘N Soda said that the wait was on for Great Bay to lock up, but Mother Nature certainly doesn’t appear to be in a rush. Meanwhile a few trout have been taken from Pleasant Pond in Deerfield, five feet down in ten feet of water. Two other ‘bow best bets are Upper Beech Pond and Winona Lake.
Southern Maine Fishing Report
According to Scotty from Dag’s, Moosehead Lake has been living up to the hype with a lot of buzz about big brook trout through the ice! Scotty’s gut tells him that the Rockwood section of the big lake is a best bet. Brookies, even big ones, tend to stick close to the shore so don’t rush out to the horizon without sampling the shoreline first. A unique fishery which exists in Maine’s bigger, deeper water bodies such as Moosehead is for cusk. These freshwater cousins of the cod are bottom dwellers which will scoff up dead baits in deep water by day and the shallows by night. The flesh is ideal for chowder. Sabattus is still giving up pike with a good northern report also coming from North Pond in the Belgrade Lakes Region. In closing Scotty did say that he had been seeing impressive brook trout taken out of the Range Ponds this week. Considering that the season kicked off on New Year’s Day, the glory days of many of these smaller water bodies is fleeting so you better get yours before the pressure of the prolonged season shows its effects.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New England
New Year’s Day was the official opening day for many of New Hampshire and Maine’s blue-ribbon coldwater species fisheries and many are living up to the billing! Alton Bay in Winnipesaukee is showing promise for everything from white perch to rainbow trout. In Maine the wait is on for Sebago to lock up, but you can still get your big fish/big water kicks from the Rockwood section of Moosehead Lake.