The story line for this week could be “Exit snow, enter (ideal) ice!” Shops are gearing up for a bang-up weekend as conditions are just about perfect from southerly setbacks to massive northern lakes.
New Hampshire Fishing Report
The Greater Meredith Rotary Ice Fishing Tournament centered on Lake Winnipesaukee for New England hardwater finatics is the penultimate celebration of their passion! For a tip that might improve your odds of elbowing into the winner circle for this event which takes place this weekend, I spoke to Al of AJs in Meredith. Bait matters, and when chasing lakers, rainbows, and perch, smelt are an aphrodisiac. As of Wednesday, the shop still had smelt, but Al expected them to be gone by the derby, so it wouldn’t hurt to head up and snatch them up early.
The lack of snowcover negates the utility of a snowmobile, making something with four-wheel-drive far more useful to get around. The Broads have been the most recent to freeze and have had far less pressure than the bays making for potentially better fishing. Lastly, your chances don’t necessarily live and die with Winnipesaukee. As proof, a 10-pound laker was recently caught from Newfound Lake and an 18 pounder taken from Winnisquam!
Chad from Dover Marine said that smelt are being caught from the Squamscott River! He’s also hearing glowing smelt reports from the Southern Maine smelt camps in the Kennebec area, with incoming tide fishing best. Locally for warm water species, Bellamy Reservoir in Madbury is best for bass and black crappie.
According to Joe from Granite State Rod and Reel Repair some nice largemouth and a few smallies have been hauled out of the setbacks of the Nashua River in the Pepperell area. Much attention gets paid to Lake Massabesic but Joe told me that the few who make the longer trip in to Little Massabesic are often rewarded with surprising fishing and this place has trout too! Other attractive southern New Hampshire options are Manning Lake which has black bass and brook trout and Merrymeeting Lake where you stand a good chance to hook a rainbow trout, smallmouth bass and during open water – a landlocked salmon!
Southern Maine Fishing Report
The big bay on Sebago Lake locked up briefly only to succumb to the thaw! Lakers however are hitting well from Jordan Bay out to The Station. The catching is really easy, most everywhere you drop down a shiner or swim a jig, odds are good you’ll catch a togue!
Tricky in Naples has been terrific for splake and salmon. Five-pound examples of both have been caught there in the past! For brown trout, a better bet is Long Pond, Little Sebago and Sabbathday Pond. Scotty from Dag’s suggests that anglers who want to stack the odds in their favor begin their outing at dawn or even false dawn. Many a time, the flags start flying just as the sun peaks over the horizon! Despite that belief, life got in the way of a preferred early start recently on Thompson’s Pond, yet Scotty still found cooperative togue! That’s a sure indication that there is a terrific togue population in Thompson’s. Echo Lake has a robust rainbow smelt population resulting in paunchy landlocked salmon, making this a good choice for a trophy! Alford Lake is an attractive alternative for salmon, smallmouth bass as well as brown trout and brook trout. Once again, what makes this fishery special is a strong smelt population.
Fishing Forecast for Maine and New Hampshire
If you’re yearning for a goodly dose of camaraderie combined with competition, the annual ice fishing derby based on Lake Winnipesaukee this weekend is a must! This event will siphon anglers away from nearby lakes such as Newfound, Squam and Winnisquam making them a better choice for relative solitude! The big bay of Sebago has yet to lock up but the hooting and hollering over the terrific togue bite from The Station out to Jordan Bay more than makes up for it! Smaller water options for a mixture of salmonids abound with Sabbathday Pond and Echo Lake good bets.