Below zero temperatures with little snow is the perfect recipe for making ice and come this weekend you’ll find no shortage of that. There’s even talk among the Maine smelt camps of dragging out the shanties by this weekend!
New Hampshire Fishing Report
Chad from Dover Marine said that anglers are out and about on Willand Pond and the bite has been pretty good for bass with the occasional rainbow trout thrown in the mix. He also suspects that Bellamy Reservoir in Madbury should be all locked up by now, and this water body is a noted for catching crappies. While crappie get a lot of attention, according to Chad what really gets the blood boiling in there is the bucketmouths that grow big due to a high volume of small eels which call this place home. Most of the magic takes place by the dam. Chad also heard that hardwater was setting up nicely in Alton Bay on Lake Winnipesauke.
“Five to six inches of ice” commented Joe from Granite State Rod and Reel Repair in Nashua when I asked. Potentially hot warm-water species spots are Mill Pond, Silver Lake, the Old Pennichuck Ponds and Northwood Lake. For trout, try Pleasant Lake in Deerfield. Should you need parts or service for you traps, check out Joe’s place; it’s like a first-aid triage for all that ails your hardwater gear.
I spoke to Tim from Tim Moore Outdoors and he was lamenting that he wasn’t out on the ice even though it was a bit “frosty” Thursday morning. What kept him from the great outdoors was the seminars he was prepping to give at the Rockingham Expo this weekend. Make it a dream weekend: watch the Pats, put in a little ice fishing and check out his seminars. The only problem will be trying to top it the next weekend. Meanwhile Tim tugged in some nice pre-dawn crappie from Turkey Lake in Concord. Once the sun got cooking, the action slowed down to a crawl. He’s hearing good things regarding brookies, browns and rainbows from Pleasant Lake and he’s seen some impressive shots of lakers and white perch from some of the bays of Winnipesauke. Another option there is cusk, which like their saltwater cod-cousins can be caught with bait right on the bottom. A sign that things might be happening on Winnipesauke came courtesy of a call I made to AJs in Meredith that went unanswered because he was busy taking care of customers! If there ever was a good sign!
Southern Maine Fishing Report
The potentially big news in Maine is that some of the smelt camps are planning on setting up their shanties beginning tomorrow. I spoke to Worthing’s and they were a go for Friday, just make sure you call first. For a list of camps: http://www.maine.gov/dmr/recreational/smeltcamps
Brady from Dag’s in Auburn said that pike hunters were finding it slow on Sabattus and more active at the Androscoggin River. With so much attention paid to these water bodies Brady suggests you steer for the less pressured pike water of the Belgrade Lakes. He’s hearing reports that Moosehead was beginning to ice over in the Greenville/Beaver Cove section. I placed a call to Jordan’s Store for information on Sebago and was told that ice which was beginning to set up among some of the bays blew away from the winds in spite of the -18 degree temperatures Thursday morning.
Kenny from Saco Bay Tackle said that the shops 24 hour bait tank was bubbling with shiners just in the nick of time for the widespread lock-up. Best bets for brook trout, including the occasional broodstock are Otter Pond, Kennebunk Pond, Little Ossipee and Worthley Pond. Honorable mentions should go to Trickey Pond, Horn Pond and Bunganut Lake in Lyman.
Fishing Forecast
The five or six inches of ice you’ll find on Mill Pond may not be enough to make you work up a sweat but hopefully flying flags courtesy of bass will! If crappie are more to your liking than check out Madbury Reservoir or Turkey Lake; insomnia can be an asset here because the bite has been best pre-dawn. Some of the bays are hardening up on Lake Winnipesauke and the white perch are willing. The same cannot be said for Sebago just yet because the incessant winds won’t let the frigid temperatures rule. Smaller spots such as the Belgrade lakes are a better choice, especially if pike are in the plans. Fingers are crossed that this weekend brings a brisk smelt bite to the southern Maine camps this weekend, something which was sorely lacking last year!