As the winter waxes, ever more ice fishing opportunities are opening up in New Hampshire and Maine. What many are excited about now is the possibility of fishing big water for the true heavyweight of New England freshwater – lake trout!
New Hampshire Fishing Report
It’s not unusual for there to be a lot of buzz in New Hampshire in January, but right now especially so. Al from AJ’s in Meredith told me of a monster 27-pound laker, the second biggest ever, that was taken from a more northern water body. The news of that fish has lit a spark among local laker lovers and, fittingly, there’s ice now on Winnipesaukee… somewhat. Some of the coves and even the bays have caught and sport ice up to 8 inches. Center Harbor is a go as is Leavitt Park and yes, there are reports of lake trout. The northern end of other big water bodies in the region such as Newfound Lake and Winnisquam have good ice and good reports. In lock step with that good news, the shop is now carrying the ultimate salmonoid candy – smelt!
Hans from Suds ‘N Soda in Greenland has been hitting southern New Hampshire ice such as Bellamy Reservoir and Todd Lake and doing fine for largemouth bass. Not many choose a jig as their first choice for bass, but Hans does. His favorite is the Clam Leach Spoon and already this year he’s hauled in 4-pound “hawgs” on them. A 20” bass on a jig stick really is something to behold. Hans has been hearing reports of brookies from Waukewan as well.
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Southern Maine Fishng Report
Scotty from Dag’s in Auburn has heard of smelt from the Bowdoinham area, but it’s been independent of the smelt camps which are still waiting for more widespread ice. If you have your own shanty or bob house and you sniff around a bit, you can find them. Thompson Lake is now open for business and reports are encouraging for lakers. Dag’s has some diehard Moosehead fans and they’ve racked up brookies already up to 5 pounds there! Just be careful, massive lakes such as this freeze in stages so chip the ice for safety incessantly as you go. For a surer bet of safe ice, there is Sabattus where they are out and about now on sleds! If you’d like to shortcut your learning curve regarding Maine fishing, Dag’s own Scotty is a Maine Registered Guide and really knows the ropes.
Renee of Sebago Bait said that windswept Sebago Lake is still largely open but there is some ice fishing activity on Kettle Cove! Many of her customers are perfectly content to poke around on smaller, more trustworthy water bodies at the moment such as Little Sebago which according to Renee has trout as well as a mélange of warm water species.
Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Maine!
New Hampshire And Southern Maine Fishing Forecast
Be careful out there! But if you do some homework, you’ll find blue-ribbon, cold-water-species gems gradually offering more opportunities to catch trout, salmon, and lakers. Regulations are encyclopedic, so brush up on specifics for each pond or lake before you go. Winnipesaukee’s coves are gradually catching, with bays beginning to lock up and even some harbors such as Center Harbor holding hardwater. Sebago is in the sights of many looking for a trophy togue, especially after the results of last year, which saw a handful of 20-pound class fish. The wait is on for the Merrymeeting Bay/Kennebec River smelt camps to open for business, but in the meantime anglers who are going it alone and doing the research in the Bowdoinham area are already enjoying smelt on the skillet.