Old Man Winter has played the cruelest of tricks on the frozen faithful – so much ice, yet so much access-killing snow! There is strength in numbers, however! Nothing flattens paths to fishing better than the crowds of a derby. There was Lake Winnipesauke’s highly participated one this past weekend, and next on the list is Sebago Lake.
New Hampshire Fishing Report
When asked about interest in this past weekend’s Greater Meredith Rotary Fishing Derby centered on Lake Winnipesauke, Jim from AJs in Meridith said that considering guys were lined up outside of the shop he thought it was pretty good! Also pretty good was the catching, with white perch showing up in big numbers, big bows aplenty, and the biggest fish ever weighed in the derby – a 13.93-pound laker caught by Donald Savage. Other noteworthy catches were a 3.07 white perch by Paul Boulanger, a 4.8 rainbow caught by James Lizotte and the grand prize, a cool cash outlay of $15,000.00 was won by Rodney Rondeau. Now that the “shock” of the derby is in the rearview mirror, look for many of the fish to take up shallower positions. Expect rainbows to come cruising close to shore looking to scoff down salmon eggs or a smelt in Meredith Harbor, Center Harbor or by Lees Mills. The white perch will be deeper in 20’ plus water where cusk should be lurking as well. Lakers should be deeper still and if you strike out in the bays, there’s always The Broads to try.
Tim Moore was demonstrating a delicate balancing act when we spoke – how to remain composed as his sonar lit up with fish and somehow talk on the phone! If you’re wondering about Winnipesauke after the “really big show”, it looks as if the fishing is just fine. Lakers and white perch are slamming tube jigs and Gulp! smelt in 30’ of water from Suissdale. I wish I could have pried some more information from Tim but you might say he was getting distracted. If you’d like to glean the details from Tim your timing is perfect since he’s spilling much of what he knows about white perch and more this weekend at Bass Pro Shops in Hooksett and the following week on site at Winnipesauke. I can’t imagine a quicker way to cut your learning curve! Sign up for his class at www.timmooreoutdoors.com
Southern Maine Fishing Report
Brady (not that one!) is suggesting that those looking to tackle a togue in Maine try their luck at Thompsons Pond. This is also a good salmon spot but he believes harvesting of salmon is not allowed to later in the month – check out the IFW rulebook on that one. If you’re looking for the “Downeast” version of this past weekend’s Winnipesauke tournament than check out the Sebago Lake event this weekend. This big lake is all locked up and good to go for the tournament. There’s some serious prizes at this event including a Grand Prize Drawing where the lucky ticket takes a new Polaris ATV. And should you top the current state record tougue – 31 pounds, 8 ounces – than you’ll pocket $100,000.00! That’s not as far-fetched as it seems, the top togue of last year – 22.42 – was the new derby record! A tip from Brady is to target Jordan Bay in 60-80 feet of water. Let a ¾ ounce jig tipped with a sucker strip do the yeoman work for you.
For additional big water and potentially big fish possibilities consider Moosehead Lake for brook trout, salmon and togue. It’s obviously a huge place; a good start might be to try the Rockland area. For brookies stick a smelt close to the shore, for salmon keep it just under the ice and for togue go deep and if nothing deeper still! Word on the smelt camps is that the fishing is fine. If you’re looking for ease of access combined with good odds of catching something than this should be high on your list. The outfitters go to great lengths to ensure problem free entry to their Bobhouses. Recent tallies I’ve heard of are 80 fish per tide outings! For a places to go list try here: http://www.maine.gov/dmr/recreational/smeltcamps/
Fishing Forecast
There’s no denying the 500-pound gorilla in the room or more appropriately the abominable snowman – conditions are tough out there. However, there is nothing like a big crowd on big water to make you feel that you’re not alone. Consider the annual Sebago Lake derby this weekend! If you’re the lucky draw you’ll be cruising around in a new Polaris ATV and better still if you ice the new state record togue, there will be a cool $100,000 reward to pocket. For fun on a less grand scale but fun nevertheless, the smelt camps are reporting solid catch rates!