Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine Fishing Report 1-26-2012

 With solid ice in eastern Massachusetts having the longevity of a gnat, maybe you should heed the mantra popularized in the 19^th century that went something like, “go west young man, go west” Last weekend they were even driving trucks on Club House Pond in Warwick! Ice still looks pretty good up north and the last I heard the smelt camps were in full swing.

I almost felt foolish when I placed a recent call to Jim Walsh of Walsh’s Deep Sea Fishing in Lynn. “Could they possibly still be fishing?” I thought. The answer was obvious when Jim told me that the conversation had to be short since he was ensconced in Scuba gear and was preparing to check out the underpinnings of his boat. A skipper still maintaining his vessel in the middle of winter has one thing on his mind – fishing! What I did ascertain from Jim was that the mild winter has been a boon for deep sea fishing and he has been getting patrons from as far away as Philly. Big 28- to 30-pound-class pollock are slamming bait and jigs from 400-feet of water. They are also tangling with more than a few porbeagle sharks. Apparently there is some awesome footage on Facebook of ice-encrusted anglers waging war with all kinds of briny beasts. And you thought the only saltwater game in town was the Smelt Camps! Book a trip at (781) 596-3474.

 Rodney of Flagg’s in Orange told me of a monster truck proportioned pick-up that was making the rounds on 10 inches of ice on Club House Pond over the weekend. Those less daring have been walking out there and catching rainbow trout from this small water body. No recent news about broodstock salmon from Lake Mattawa but there were no shortage of anglers out and about on it over the weekend. Big bass chasers are still at it Lake Rohunta. Rod carries the BioEdge scent attractants line. The smelt wand has become standard issue for many salmon/laker fishers on Quabbin during the warmer months, but it has also proved deadly while ice fishing. Bobby May, one of Quabbin’s premier salmon fisherman told me he gave a tube to a friend who ice fishes a lot and he swore by it. On his advice I began to dab some on my shiners, even dead ones, and it made a big difference in my catch rate as well. The North and South “Specs” are giving up slab crappies and those leaving dead shiners on the bottom are rewarded with jumbo bullheads that are sweet eating when taken out of clean water such as this.

While ice closer to Worcester is in a state of flux, Jim from Barry’s told me that he has super-sized bait for those looking to tame a trophy toothy. Some of the fallfish he has in stock tip the scales at 1-pound!

 Chad from Dover Marine in New Hampshire said he was receiving encouraging text messages from marine-mate Jamie who was having his way with white perch from 19 Mile Bay in Lake Winnipesauke. While “The Broads” is iffy the bays appear to have solid ice. They are jigging up big ‘gills and slab crappie from Bellamy Reservoir in Madbury. For a real mixture check out Willham Pond, right behind the shop, where you’ll find rainbow trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass and a variety of warm water species as well as 5 to 6 inches of ice. This spring fed water body sports 40-foot depths as well.

It remains an entirely different world when you drive Downeast. Dylan from Dag’s told me that the trout and salmon bite on Thompson Lake in Poland has been terrific. But check out the Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife website because special regulations apply to this lake.. If you had hopes of tugging in togue or catching a cusk from Sebago Lake (such as the swell story in the February issue of OTW) I’m afraid you’ll have to hold on just yet. I placed a phone call to Jordan’s Convenience Store which is a gateway to all things Sebago and I was told that it hasn’t frozen over. However, ice fishermen on ATVs have been tearing around Lake Sabattus in search of a nasty northern or two.

Best Bets

If you’re looking to stay in the Bay State your nirvana for ice fishing is the Connecticut Valley Region. There is nothing “crappie” about the calico fishing among the North and South Specs and you’ll find solid ice and fishing in Club House Pond. The bays of Winnipesauke reportedly have good ice and good fishing for white perch and rainbow trout. Downeast in Maine they’re pursuing pike in Sabattus and trout in Thompson. Check for updates but the scuttlebutt on the smelt camps of Maine is that they are mostly open. However if you’d like to haul in some real saltwater brutes, set sail on the American Classic out of Lynn for pollock and porbeagles.