New Hampshire, Maine & Vermont Fishing Report – June 30, 2016

New Hampshire, Maine And Vermont Report

New Hampshire, Maine And Vermont Report Provided By Ron Powers

In addition to grilling and chilling, what better way to spend summer’s official first holiday than catching a bunch of squid off New Castle and them getting smacked down by stripers? Moody has been one of the better beaches in Maine, especially when mackerel is on the hook. Hopefully the extra day off for the Fourth gives you the chance to set sail for Jeffreys, where haddock and pollock are waiting and willing.

New Hampshire Fishing Report

Chad from Dover Marine told me that you could basically draw a line at the General Sullivan Bridge on the Piscataqua with worthwhile striper fishing all taking place seaward while Great Bay and Little Bay have grown cold. Mackerel and artificials have been successful for fish of up to 40” at the effluences of Spruce Creek and Chauncey Creek. You may have to poke around for mackerel, but they have been found recently off Hampton Shoal Ledge.

Chad himself has had a hard time weaning off the superb largemouth bass fishing locally. His choice lure has been Kopper’s Live Target Floating Bluegill. He’s been croaking the bass near weedlines as well as over and through lily pads at Union Meadow.

Van from Suds ‘N Soda has been into 34” plus stripers a bit southerly from the shop, namely in the Parker River. He has been pounding the Parker with white and black unweighted Slug-Gos rigged with a Gamakatsu EWG hook. Mackerel are still magical in the Merrimack and Piscataqua Rivers. Van recently had to search around but he found a few at Breaking Rocks and Hampton Shoal Ledge.

Tim from Tim Moore Outdoors told me he was practically awash in squid the other night as he was targeting stripers in the Piscataqua River. They were literally leaping out of the water with striped bass in hot pursuit! Prime spots for the squid as well as interested stripers are the bridges of New Castle and Kittery. Big bass have been under the mackerel schools at Hampton Shoals Ledge. The biggest bass of all however seem to be well offshore near the limits of state waters by humps and ledge where they are picking off mackerel and pollock.

Southern Maine Fishing Report

Mitchell from Saco Bay described the haddock as “abundant” off Jeffreys Ledge. He steers customers to high spots and recommends that they leave fish for potentially bigger if a school seems to be full of short fish. The logic is that year classes tend to stick together, so keep searching until you find bigger fish. The best terminal gear has been teasers tipped with clams. For stripers the key ingredient is less about tide and more about time of day! Topwater plugs are getting blasted at daybreak and then again dusk in Scarborough Mash and off Pine Point. Eagle Nest Spindle has been good for boaters. Anglers chumming for macks are getting them near the Saco Bay Islands.

Scott from Webhannet Marine said that the fishing all around in that area is fantastic! The fish range from 8” to 45” with the better bass being taken on mackerel which are big and abundant. Noteworthy catches have been made courtesy of clams from Parson’s Beach, Moody Beach, Drakes Island and also the rivers such as Saco, Kennebunk and the Little River. There’s some amazing fishing among skinny sections of the rivers/marshes/estuaries in water as shallow as 2 ½ feet deep. Some enterprising boat anglers are standing outside of their vessels and guiding them through the shallows while watching for fish. Premium sunglasses such as Costa Del Mar give these guys an edge where they can spot the fish before casting. You could say this is a New England version of bonefishing! And like the more established, southern version it takes an accurate cast as well as a deft touch to put a fly or soft plastic right in front of the fish without spooking it. Practitioners find it very satisfying. Before the sea swells anglers reported terrific groundfishing on Jeffreys Ledge. While the haddock are willing, the cod, which must be released, seen even more so. One angler counted 80 nice cod which they caught and released on jigs and clams.

New Hampshire, Maine & Vermont Fishing Forecast

If you’re looking for fishy fireworks for your Fourth of July celebration than jig up and then live line mackerel off Hampton Shoal Ledge. If you’re a shore angler target the Piscataqua River bridges at night and then turn around and use the squid for bass bait. Clams from the surf of Parson’s Beach at Scarborough Marsh has been successful for stripers in Southern Maine. However, if you’d like to make a haul out to the haddock grounds of Jeffreys Ledge be prepared for a lot of catch-and-release cod fishing!

L.L. Bean Maine Fishing Report

L.L. Bean Maine Report Provided By L.L. Bean’s Matt Bickford

Maine Bass Report

Small mouth bass fishing has been outstanding in central and southern Maine the last few weeks. Fish are very much structure oriented and have left their beds for ambush points. Anglers fishing finesse style baits around deep water structure are really hammering quality small mouth bass. Last week my favorite baits were Rapala clakin-raps, Z-Man N.E.D rigs Finesse TRD in the Deal and Green Pumpkin colors. Low light and overcast days have produced fish on poppers but the hot bite has been sub surface.
Fly anglers targeting smallies have been doing very well fishing crawfish and hellegramite patterns on sink tips. Last Friday nearly every bass brought to the boat was spitting up pieces of crawfish. Usually this is a good sign as to what you should be using!

New Hampshire Fishing Report

New Hampshire Fishing Report Provided By New Hampshire Fish And Game Department

North Coutry

If I had to define the most important aspect of successful angling in one word, it is location. If you don’t find the fish, it doesn’t matter what tactics have been employed, you simply won’t catch one. My second buzz-word for the day is timing. Once you dabble in the world of fly-fishing and insect identification, timing becomes crucial and understanding it will reduce the difficulty in this often-confusing science. With the date, weather patterns, and other variables in the forefront of my brain, I can now begin this fishing report by stating that I should have written it two weeks ago — my timing is a little off.

I’m referring to the annual Hex hatch. In Northern New Hampshire, this large mayfly (Hexagenia limbata) typically emerges at the end of June and can peak around the Fourth of July. This season, reports started coming in around the second week of June that these huge insects were hatching and triggering the feeding behavior of fish. I have seen everything from a 3-inch brook trout, to a 3-pound smallmouth rise for the hearty meal that the hexes provide. When fish start eating these bugs, there seems to be nothing else that gets them to strike.

There are many advantages to fishing with large, dry flies and I have written about them many times. First, a big foam-bodied fly will float very well. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to replace a soaked fly with a new, dry one while fish are rising around you and daylight is disappearing. Second, these big mayflies are lightly colored and can be seen easily even after sunset. Finally and most fortunate for me, it is hard to mess up the presentation of a fly like this. If it gets twitched or retrieved in an unnatural way, the fish are not spooked but attracted to what they consider a struggling or susceptible insect. The time to take advantage of this hatch is now!

– Andy Schafermeyer, Regional Fisheries Biologist

Lakes Region

Large-lakes smallmouth bass have or will soon be moving to a “post-spawn” pattern, with guardian males offering their last protection to this year’s fry, and then ravenously patrolling for forage thereafter. This is a perfect time to throw topwaters of your choice early and late in the day, and for a real treat, poppers or deer-hair “divers” on a fly rod. Although no secret, portions of large-lakes such as Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam, and Big Squam will offer boundless opportunities. Don’t forget some alternative waters for exploration such as Waukewan and Wentworth. Get in on the surface/shallower action while it lasts, before many of the quality-sized specimens make their annual move to deeper water.

The “Hex” hatch (Hexagenia mayfly) has been in full swing on many area lakes and ponds, including large lakes such as Big Squam. Seasoned anglers know just about every species in a particular water body relishes this annual feast, from bass to brookie to bluegill, with the surface waters literally “boiling” in dusk feeding frenzies. Witnessing the intensity of this hatch/feeding can leave you wondering just where all these fish were seemingly minutes before… Big, bold, and floating will usually get a look!

Some fantastic “oversized” yearling and two-year-old brook trout upwards of 1.75 lbs. — courtesy New Hampton Hatchery – were recently stocked for “holiday weekend” anglers to enjoy in the White Mountains and vicinity. Some of the area designated trout ponds and major rivers such as the Pemigewasset and Saco are well worth exploring! Also keep in mind, if your favorite “stocked trout” river or section is not producing, work back into the smaller tributaries, which often produce wonderful catches of wild brook trout. Look for the “thin blue lines” connected to the major rivers on the map!

As noted in previous reports, some excellent opportunities for panfish exist in both the large lakes and smaller water bodies, testimony to the fact two recent panfish state records have been broken in as many months. Most recently Dustin Bucklin (age 18) took an incredibly plump 10.0-inch, 0.94-lbs. pumpkinseed, with Brian O’Day breaking the black crappie record now set at 17.0-inch, 2.99-lbs. As summer progresses, look for more of the quality-sized panfish to reside in slightly deeper waters away from the shoreline, particularly at midday.

– John Viar, Regional Fisheries Biologist

Monadnock/Upper Valley

I regret that I don’t have a report for you this week, but did want to let readers know that I will be taking a job as a Fish Biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, effective July 11. I have enjoyed writing these reports for the last 14 years, and wish good fishing to all. >

– Gabe Gries, Regional Fisheries Biologist

Southeast NH/Merromack Valley

The American shad run on the Merrimack River is winding down for the season. As of June 28, they are only counting a few hundred fish per day at the Essex Dam fish lift in Lawrence, MA. The 65,000 shad counted so far is the third highest number of returns recorded since 1991. You can see many shad circling above the dam looking for the downstream bypass chute that provides safe passage back to the ocean. Low water is good for upstream passage because migratory fish can more easily locate the entrances to upstream fishways, but it can delay downstream passage. With no water spilling over the dam, the only exit is through gates or chutes designed to pass water and fish at low flow. This can cause quite a traffic jam as thousands of shad finish spawning and begin to make their way downstream.

Freshwater fishing in southeastern New Hampshire can be tough this time of year. Many people are heading to the Lakes Region or farther north. Others are making their way to the ocean for striped bass or haddock. The shallow waters of rivers and lakes in southeastern New Hampshire are feeling more and more like warm bathwater with each 80+ degree day. Species that prefer cold or cool water are moving to deeper water or areas of upwelling groundwater. If I’m fishing locally in July or August, I’m usually content to take the kids to the northern part of Pawtuckaway Lake or the western shore of Swains Lake to cast for pickerel and sunfish between patches of pond lily. This year I think I’ll take the advice of my more experienced angler friends and try drop shotting. Drop shot fishing allows you to fish structure in water that is a little too deep for casting. There are many tutorials available online (Bass Resource is one example). Bow Lake or Massabesic Lake would be good places to experiment with this technique for catching smallmouth bass during the summer. Both lakes have shallow, rocky points that extend into deeper water. The idea is to follow the point until you find the depth at which the fish are feeding.

The Merrimack River can also be a productive place to fish right through the summer months. Places where tributaries join the Merrimack River provide an easy source of food for fish lurking in the deeper water just downstream. The mouths of the Soucook or the Suncook River are two examples. These rivers join the Merrimack River in the reach upstream of the Hooksett Dam. In a few weeks, the Merrimack will be teaming with juvenile river herring and shad. At dusk, you will see thousands of ripples on the surface, often called dimpling, which is a sign that juvenile river herring are feeding in large numbers. Lures that imitate juvenile herring could be very productive for bass and pickerel in the upper Merrimack River starting in mid-July.

– Matt Carpenter, Regional Fisheries Biologist

Seacoast Area

Fishing on the seacoast is great, with flounder still hanging around inside Hampton Harbor and mackerel coming inshore and also piling up around the Isles of Shoals. As luck would have it, this is exactly what the big stripers are being caught on — live mackerel. Haddock fishing is still strong and large pollock are even making an appearance. On July 1, the Cod Spawning Protection Area south of the Shoals, will once again be open to groundfishing. Cod will remain closed until August 1.

– Becky Heuss, Marine Fisheries Biologist