While still in its infancy and way too early to call, there are some encouraging signs coming from the smelt camps of Maine! With Great Bay all locked up, that could be a Granite State alternative for those salivating for a pail of smelt. For bigger game, pike action improved last weekend on Sabattus and togue are being taken from the Lower Bay of Sebago as the Big Bay is finally showing promise of freezing over.
New Hampshire Fishing Report
AJ from AJs Bait and Tackle in Meredith told me that almost overnight Lake Winnipesauke locked up. There’s currently 6” to 9” of ice, especially in the northern half. Anglers should be cautious of the Broads, where ice is notoriously thinner, and they should also be wary of pressure ridges, which are especially problematic this year. But the 5-pound rainbows that some have caught make the fuss all worth it! The big bow bite is close to the shoreline, up top and on smelt and salmon eggs in Meredith Bay as well as the Inner Harbor. Look for 19” to 21” lakers in 30 to 40 feet of water, while the much sought after white perch so far is proving a challenging find. Most find the search worth the effort since these fish can reach 2 pounds or more here and on a light jigging stick are the champs of the panfish world. Clamcorp’s new Blade Jig is a deadly search and find tool, just be sure to tip it with a grub or three.
Good news from Jason from Suds ‘N Soda regarding rainbow smelt. A steady of the shop who is a lobsterman tallied 170 smelt the other night at the James Eddy camp! And word was that other camps did well also! Closer to Great Bay, Jason heard of some caught in the Exeter/Squamscott River. This has prompted some to begin dragging their bob houses out on the bay where the latest ice check revealed 10”. Bellamy Reservoir is the local best bet for crappie while the quieter stretches of the locked up Lamprey River are better if bass are your quarry. Pleasant Lake in Deerfield gets the nod for trout while for a multi-species destination Willand Pond is a good choice.
Joe from Granite State Rod and Reel Repair had good things to say about the warm water species fishing in Big Island Pond as well as Tower Hill Pond. There’s generally 8” of ice locally. Honorable mention has to go to the Massabesics; the bigger has trout while the smaller the emphasis is on panfish, pickerel and bass. They’re catching trout from Canobie Lake as well as Cobbett’s Pond, the latter which has been known to give up the occasional holdover brown trout.
Maine Fishing Report
Dylan from Dag’s in Auburn mentioned Moosehead Lake as a potential dream destination. This massive water body may be less intimidating if you target points and set your traps up close for brook trout and then beyond for a chance at a salmon or laker. Dylan recommends the Kineo Cliffs section of Rockwood where the shoreline is virtually a sheer plummet to deep water. There are some very accommodating cabins available at nearby Lawrence’s Lakeside Cabins. They even offer a fishing guide service to help curtail the learning curve. Salmon are being caught from Thompson Lake as well as Long Lake. The pike bite took off among the timber laden section on the south side of Sabattus over the weekend which is eerily similar to what happened in Massachusetts during the same period. Some feel that the full moon is often a pike feeding trigger.
Kenny from Saco Bay Tackle said that he was beginning to hear encouraging reports from some smelt camps. This would be a badly needed boost after last year’s depressing crash. For brook trout, brown trout and largemouth bass Ken is keen on Kennebunk Pond. Bunganut is a better bet for smallmouth bass and white perch but it also has brown trout. Isinglass is tiny but has brookies while Pequawket Pond is the place for browns, brookies and smallies; fluctuating numbers of smelt are part of the forage base. For a versatile fish-catcher, Kenny recommends a size 2 Swedish Pimple which will catch right out of the blister pack but will fish even better if you embellish it with a little bucktail on the bottom split ring. If you’re wondering about Sebago I spoke to the folks at Jordan’s Store and anglers are out in the Lower Bay and the Big Bay just locked up Wednesday night. It is not safe to head out on the Big Bay as of yet but should the ice survive the wind/precipitation forecasted over the weekend then it will be well on its way towards making safe ice.
Fishing Forecast
It might be feasible to once again step into a shanty among the smelt camps of the Merrymeeting Bay/Kennebec River area since initial reports are promising! The other smelt option is Great Bay which recently was sporting 10” of ice – stick to the Squamscott River area to start. The Lamprey River should be more to your liking if largemouth bass are the quarry. For a “crappie day”, check out the Bellamy Reservoir and for trout there is Pleasant Lake. For a chance at a bigger trout, the reports of 5 pound rainbows from the inner harbor of Lake Winnipesauke sound awfully inviting. For big water in Maine, Moosehead is calling! Mount Kineo Cliffs in Rockwood features deep water, a mixture of salmonoids and creature comforts at nearby Lawrence’s Cabins. The wait is on for the Big Bay to lock up on Lake Sebago but meanwhile you can tug in a togue about 7 miles out at Lower Bay.