Anglers spent most days recently gripping a shovel far more than their augers so reports have been scant at best. All is not lost, however, as Lake Winnipesauke has locked up completely with cusk, lakers and rainbows getting a lot of attention. Elsewhere, the smelt camps of Southern Maine are reporting better fishing which some surmise will continue to improve as the full moon draws near.
Tim from Tim Moore Outdoors said that he expects the bite to take a while to adjust due to the sudden and dramatic loss of light because of the blizzard of snow covering water bodies. A suggestion is to tackle cusk. These sweet-eating members of the cod clan are referred to in the mid-west as the poor man’s lobster but for some odd reason New Englanders tend to discount the fillets as mere chowder stock. Tim fries them up and says that they are scrumptious. You can catch cusk in many glacial water bodies in New Hampshire and Maine, not the least of which is Winnipesauke. Cusk are nocturnal feeders as well as February spawners, making the timing of all this snow fall at the doorstep of February perfect. Drop a glow-jig tipped with sucker meat among the bays of Winnipesauke in about 40 feet of water and see if you can’t catch some dinner!
Tim recently took in some lake trout fishing at the Connecticut Lakes Region in Northern New Hampshire and got into some good fish thanks to a jighead/Tim Moore Whisperer combination. The TM Whisperer is a white soft plastic with a unique layout of appendages which works for everything from panfish to stripers.
Regarding Lake Winnipesauke, AJ from AJs in Meredith said that the giant lake has become one big playground as anglers conquer deeper water now that The Broads are locked up. Lake trout, big ones at that, are the focus in deeper water where a bucktail jig/sucker strip is deadly. Salmon eggs on the bottom or a smelt just below the ice close to shore is a good bet for rainbow trout. To up the ante AJ suggests you focus your trout offering wherever a “tributary meets up with sand”; sounds as if you find a beach and flowing water you may increase your odds to score some trout.
Steve from Suds ‘N Soda said that some are catching smelt among the Squamscott River on Great Bay. This is not a bite worthy of notifying all your friends about, but the last three hours of the incoming tide have resulted in outings in the neighborhood of 20 smelt. A far better smelt encounter may await you this weekend around the full moon at the smelt camps of Southern Maine. The blistering initial bite of about 2 weeks ago waned considerably last week but there are reports that the activity is increasing again. Just maybe smelt action will crest the closer we get to the full moon, which is this Tuesday!
Fishing Forecast
With much of New Hampshire and Maine getting walloped by the blizzard, few were out to provide much fodder for this week’s forecast. However, Winnipesauke is looking like a winner with lakers providing sport at The Broads and rainbows active close to the shoreline, especially where a tributary meets up with a sandy beach. Smelt action is slow in Great Bay but better among the camps in Southern Maine. Some feel the fish feed best during the new and full moons and with the latter ready to occur next Tuesday, it might be a good time to book a shack among the Kennebec River/Merrymeeting Bay area today!