G. Loomis made the expression “fear no fish” famous, but lately I’m in fear of fowl. I’ve been hearing the honking of geese at a Greater Boston pond where they departed in November. And on Thursday I witnessed the return of mergansers! I wonder if they are onto something. Fortunately they’re still ice fishing out west and they are drilling through 12 inches of ice in Maine.
Massachusetts
Let’s face it folks, for south and eastern Massachusetts it doesn’t look good. It just might be time to practice the fishing version of “making an omelet out of broken eggs.” With so little ice-fishing pressure, if at all, on many ponds and lakes that habitually give up big brown trout and the occasional holdover rainbow, brookie or tiger trout, it might be time to look for your kicks outside of hardwater. Within casting distance of the shore could very likely be swimming that trout of a lifetime you’ve always wanted to catch. And they probably would have difficulty passing on a lively shiner. It’s also a perfect time to launch a pram or other small boat and slowly troll a shiner with an egg sinker (no lead less than an ounce!) at Long and Little ponds in Plymouth. If Boston is more convenient for you, then consider the urban gem that is Jamaica Pond, which has given up 9-pound brown trout in years past. Walden Pond in Concord was responsible for a 13-pound brown trout that took the gold for the Massachusetts Sportfishing Awards Program in 2010.
It’s a far different world by the Orange area, however. Rodney of Flagg’s had to keep excusing himself on Thursday morning because business was so brisk for ice fishermen. Most water bodies such as Mattawa, Rohunta and the “Specks” have 4” to 5” of ice but sunny shorelines are best avoided. Another broodstock salmon was caught from Lake Mattawa, but the catch of the week just may have come out of Queen Lake in Phillipston – a 15” perch. This is the time to get one of those pin-sized yellow perch as they are peaking in preparation to spawn.
New Hampshire
A better bet might be to take a trip to the Granite State. Jamie of Dover Marine told me that Winnipesauke finally locked up with generally 6” to 7” of ice throughout the giant lake, including “the broads”. A recent trip to 19 Mile Bay resulted in feeding sessions as fussy rainbows relieved Jamie and crew of many of their shiners. Shortly thereafter a guy targeting lakers in 60 feet of water tugged in a 36” laker. Lovell Lake in Wakefield has a smorgasbord as Jamie in a scouting mission took white perch, crappie, yellow perch, cusk and largemouth bass. The shop is sponsoring a derby this Saturday at Great East Lake. This cold-water species mega-lake has one of the highest densities of lake trout in the state!
Maine
A phone call to one of the smelt camps revealed that there is 7” of ice and a pretty good smelt bite among the smelt camps of the Kennebec River and Merrymeeting Bay. And with sub-freezing night-time temperatures predicted over the foreseeable future, ice should last awhile. According to Dylan of Dag’s, last weekend’s pike tournament in Sabattus was an eye-opening experience. There were about 500 pike taken there, with the top fish a 21-pounder! Contrary to the early-riser credo, the guy that took the big toothy casually strolled out there at around 8:00 a.m. long after most had been set up for hours. Many water bodies have at least a foot of ice and the togue lakes such as Thompson and Middle Range are finally solid enough to fish on. There’s lousy news about Sebago as the greatly anticipated derby has been cancelled because of insufficient ice. Dylan did tell me of a few guys that are fishing close to shore coves. Don’t necessarily think “skinny water” goes with close to shore here, some places within a stone’s throw of the Sebago shoreline are perched over 70-foot drops.
Best Bets
While open water is the main option in southern and eastern Massachusetts, they’re still icing salmon from Lake Mattawa, crappie at North and South Spectacle Ponds and big perch from Queen Lake. Across the border things really pick up with big water thrills for big fish from Granite State stars such as Winnipesauke and Great East Lake. If you’re feeling the heat due to the lack of Bay State ice, you have to check out the lakes and ponds in the Androscoggin area of Maine. There were 500 pike, including an 18- and 20-pounder, landed at Sabattus last weekend, and Dylan of Dag’s told me that he has a hunch that the plethora of surrounding water bodies have a few more!
I think he meant Kennebec River, not Kennebunk River.
Right you are striperon, thanks for catching that.
I suppose it’s for guys like me that they more commonly refer to Little Pennessewassee Pond as – Hobbs!