Pictured above: Tim Moore from suggests that those who are hoping for the derby-winning Winnipesaukee white perch this weekend jig 33-foot depths with a Clam Pinhead Jigging Minnow.
With near-balmy weather predicted and plenty of ice, this weekend should prove to be a great one for ice fishing. And of course there is that “little” old Winnipesaukee ice fishing derby that takes place this Saturday and Sunday which should interest a few thousand people.
New Hampshire Ice Fishing Report
If you have so much as even a fleeting interest in ice fishing, you know that this weekend is a pretty big deal in New Hampshire. The 2018 Great Meredith Rotary Ice Fishing Derby takes place this Saturday and Sunday and there are over $50,000 worth of prizes to win. For many, however, the camaraderie is but a peg down from the cash and prizes. You’ll be hard-pressed to find anything comparable where so many are having so much fun while standing on a frozen lake. On-line ticket sales end Thursday evening at 6 pm, but derby tickets can still be purchased from vendors or the HQ listed on the Meredith Rotary website. No longer are rainbow trout the “money” fish and equal weight now goes to 7 different species with the eventual winner being picked during the Grand Prize Drawing.
Chad from Dover Marine feels that anglers will do better especially with white perch if they distance themselves from pressured areas and bounce between points and deeper water looking for depth contour lines where white perch, rainbows and lakers will be looking to ambush smelt. Thankfully Winnipesaukee has caught completely making for a lot safer conditions than last year.
Joe from Granite State Rod and Reel Repair said that some customers are viewing the spotlight on Winnipesaukee as a good thing even if they don’t intend on fishing it. The feeling is that the potential fortunes which await a few lucky anglers will draw attention away from smaller water bodies making them less pressured. Joe decided recently to give Mill Pond a go and jigged up crappie as well as largemouth bass. The trick was to deadstick a 1/16th ounce jig with a Gulp smelt. When going about their business under a frozen ceiling warm water species aren’t inclined to do much chasing making a slow presentation a must. One customer of the shop has been hitting the first setback past the dam in the Nashua and he’s been finding cooperative crappie and largemouth bass.
Jason of Suds ‘N Soda counted 30 shanties on the Squamscott River the other day. Smelt are also biting among the Oyster River. Later in the season, occasionally drop down a small flashy jigging spoon since to see if the white perch are running.
Southern Maine Ice Fishing Report
“Sebago is really hot, just about everywhere you can get on the ice, you are going to catch some togue,” said Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife fisheries biologist Jim Pellerin. While the big bay hasn’t frozen yet, anglers are catching fish from Jordan Bay all the way down to The Station. And they are catching a lot of lake trout. One angler landed over 300 togue over the first few weeks of the season on Sebago. While on Sebago one fisherman caught more than he bargained for. As he was reeling in his line, things didn’t quite feel right. He would soon find out why as he reeled in a jigging rod which had a nice togue – still on. Fortunately, there was a name on the lost rod and the honest fisherman returned it to its rightful owner. Nearby Trickey Pond has been giving up nice splake and salmon, including a 5-pound landlocked. Pellerin said that salmon over seven pounds have been trap-netted and released in Trickey. For brown trout the IFW suggests Long Pond in Parsonsfield, Little Sebago and Sabbathday. Regarding the Central and Coastal regions of Maine, for togue try Swan Lake where the lakers are averaging 21”-25” and they are catching them on both bait and jigs. For trophy browns special regulations in Spectacle Lake – 1 fish per day, 18” minimum – are paying off with reports of monsters swimming in there.
Regarding estuarial smelt, the report from Jim’s is that the fishing slowed down a bit but the good news is that the camps are sitting on 2’ of ice, so that fishing is not going anywhere for quite a while.
Maine, New Hampshire And Vermont Fishing Forecast
If you don’t mind sharing the ice with a few hundred new friends, then set your sites on Lake Winnipesaukee this weekend. The hotly anticipated derby is on and reports are that the fishing is great. If there were a comparable water body in Maine, it would be Sebago and the news is that anglers targeting togue have been arm-weary from hauling so many in!
I find it strange that Maine is never mentioned in any of the national hunting and fishing magazines like Field and Stream, In Fisherman and many others. I know that everyone isent in love with trout fishing and that even if most of the tax money is collected in the southern part of Maine but most of it goes to the northern part of Maine for to support trout fishing for the tourests and guides. Some could be spent to increase the types of fish in some of the southern lakes that are not fit to support trout. I would much rather be able to catch a 10 Lb. channel cat than a 1 lb brook trout and the cat fish would not cost the state a 5% of the cost of sustaining trout. 10 lbs of cat fish would feed a large family. Try doing that with one brook trout. I bet fishing licenses sales would increase to.
Agreed, I’d love to see some walleye stocked somewhere.
I have a question, what is a togue? I never heard of it down here in CT. Thanks
Vince,
Togue is the local name for lake trout.
~Ed