March usually ushers in the best weather and ice fishing of the season! Bait balls of smelt are running the bays of Winnipesaukee with white perch in hot pursuit! The action at Thompson Lake and Sebago Lake make a trip for togue nothing short of a terrific idea!
New Hampshire
While it now seems like light years away, the thaw of last week had been a catalyst to current in Winnipesaukee from not only tributaries, rivers and inlets but in narrow sections between islands. Many are reporting 12” plus of ice in most locations but you have to be especially careful out there for the rest of the season; all that moving water can erode pressure ridges, auger holes, sunny shorelines and inlets. Also be weary of marinas where the combination of bubblers and last week’s thaw may have created unsafe conditions. Provided you play it safe, you’ll find Suissevale sizzling hot for lakers and white perch. What’s drawing the white perch closer into bays is the bait balls of smelt which have come in tight and close. Anglers hugging sandy shorelines near beaches are finding hungry rainbows willing to gulp salmon eggs in only a few feet of water.
Coves on the Northeast side of Winnipesaukee have a good crappie bite, while the deeper edges are better for cusk. Chad from Dover Marine took a brief break from stacking and packing the fishing department with fresh tackle to report he’s been hearing of a lot of flags flying in Willand! In addition to trout, pre-spawn perch are cooperating from Pawtuckaway as well as Willand. Now is about the best time to take home a few sweet-tasting jumbos. A Swedish pimple with a spike should do the trick.
Joe from Granite State Rod and Reel Repair said that parts of the Nashua River, which were solid, need to be entered with caution after last week’s thaw. Mill Pond, however, has 8 inches of solid ice! Being close to Massachusetts, some of the shop regulars are catching trout and bass from Walden and White Ponds in Concord. In addition to nice browns, the latter is known for big bull bluegills!
Southern Maine
While Sebago Lake has long had a storied reputation for lake trout and landlocked salmon, anglers are targeting the invasive pike with increasing frequency. While viewed as a problem, the pike that live in Sebago achieve impressive sizes and, owing to the water clarity, are especially colorful. Try dropping a dead smelt or pond shiner on top of a shallow flat or near Turtle Cove to see if you can’t coax one of these apex predators into striking. There are 20-pound fish cruising around in there!
Fortunately, the “proper species” is also cooperating as the togue bite remains terrific in Big Bay. Considering the Jeckyl/Hyde personality of the current winter, you have to double-down on common sense. For the remainder of the season, watch out for sunny shorelines, moving water and old auger holes, which will be among the first to erode.
According to Scotty from Dag’s, the smelt bite remains strong among many of the camps. He and a few buddies jigged up a mess at Baker’s Camp after which Scotty set out for Sebago. Dead smelt fished from traps on the bottom at Big Bay resulted in fish up to 30 inches! Another option for those fresh-dead smelt is Thompson Lake for togue. If you’re looking to increase your odds of catching, consider Scotty who is a Maine registered guide! His tip for the togue of all sorts: add a splash of white to your wares!
Fishing Forecast for New Hampshire and Maine
A western New Hampshire option to consider is the setback oxbows which form off the main current of the Connecticut River in the Hinsdale area. At least one shop from Massachusetts sends ice fishermen there for the walleye and pike that are caught! As the calendar flips to March, the white perch switch flips on at Lake Winnipesaukee as tightly schooled smelt are pushed closer to shorelines in Ellacoya and Suissevale. Togue are the talk on Thompson Lake and Sebago Lake with a few targeting an even toothier fish (pike!) among weedy coves and flats.