Unlike your counterparts in southern New England, you’re ice fishing conditions have actually improved! The reason things are better are two-fold, for one there is better ice and the second is that the fish are simply more active.
New Hampshire Fishing Report
Lucas from The Tackle Shack in Newbury said that laker luck on Lake Sunapee has been getting better. Nearby Lake Todd is a better bet for warm water species, especially for crappie and smallmouth and largemouth bass. For a real variety, Kezar Lake offers rainbow trout and brown trout as well as warm water species.
Jim from The Tackle Shack in Meredith mentioned Newfound and Squam Lakes as alternatives if you’re concerned with crowds at Lake Winnipesaukee. Squam especially has been hot for cold water species. Nineteen and Twenty Mile Bays on Lake Winnipesaukee feature a foot of ice! Meredith Bay is holding some ice fishers with Jim specifically mentioning the “church landing” area as well as the left side (facing out) of Long Island.
Would you like to get the jump on maintaining/repairing your open water gear and as usual have procrastinated? Well thanks to Joe from Granite State Rod and Reel Repair in Nashua – you’ve got a guy! He’s a master technician when it comes to the inner workings of reels and now is prime time to get your gear serviced while things are slow! And slow they are in the Nashua area with reports limited to a few pickerel through a few inches of ice on Mill Pond.
Southern Maine Fishing Report
Finally, it looks as if Brady, who for weeks has been dutiful at Dag’s Bait & Sportgoods in Auburn, is going to get a crack at some hardwater! He’s rented a cabin with some buds and they are bullish, hoping for a banner day on Wyman Lake. The target will be togue, splake, brook trout and salmon. It doesn’t look as if that place is lacking much! Pike are feeling their oats as stimuli such as ice melt, run-offs and more active intlets/springs are putting them on the feed. Sabattus had been in a stupor but no more as pike activity has improved there as well. The same can be said for Great Pond and the Androscoggin River. Despite being an early freeze, the Range Ponds are still producing trout – some brookies, but mainly rainbows.
• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Maine!
From Fisheries Resource Supervisor Jason Seiders regarding the Belgrade Lakes Region:
Spectacle Pond (Augusta) – Spectacle Pond is part of the Garcelon Wildlife Management Area and it’s located just outside the City of Augusta. For being so close to Augusta, Spectacle has a very remote feel and is accessible by snowmobile, snowshoeing, or even cross country skiing because the access road remains gated through the winter. Those willing to make the trek can be rewarded with quality and trophy sized brown trout. A robust smelt population fuels great brown trout growth and excellent water quality allows these fish to live and grow to older ages and larger sizes.
Salmon Lake (Belgrade) – Salmon Lake is another nice central Maine brown trout water. While it doesn’t typically grow trophy-sized browns, anglers could have a multi-fish day for brown trout, which isn’t all that common. Salmon Lake is also stocked with good numbers of brook trout every fall. In addition to trout fishing, Salmon Lake supports some great fisheries for smallmouth and largemouth bass and a wide variety of panfish.Burbot (Cusk) Fishing: Central Maine doesn’t boast a ton of cusk waters, but we have a handful. We don’t tend to see monster cusk pulled from these waters, but we frequently see respectable sized fish, certainly enough to provide some angling action and potentially a great meal! Here are some of central Maine’s better cusk waters:
- Wassookeag Lake (Dexter)
- Flying Pond (Vienna)
- Minnehonk Lake (Mt. Vernon)
- Parker Pond (Vienna)
- Echo Lake (Fayette)
- Woodbury Pond (Litchfield)
- Sand Pond (Litchfield)
Fishing Tips: March is the perfect time to target bass through the ice. Bass will become much more active in anticipation for the upcoming spawning season. Those looking for smallmouth bass should fish rocky areas in the 12-25 foot range. Live bait always works well, but I encourage folks to try jigging for these fish. Often times smallmouths will be concentrated in these areas and jigging is a great way to catch a lot of fish over the course of a day. March tends to bring warmer weather, so jigging can be a little more enjoyable on those sunny days. If you’re looking for largemouth, try some areas near vegetation. Large, flat, weedy areas can be very productive; look for 8-15 feet of water. Depth can vary a bit depending on the particular lake, but in general you’ll find largemouth in this type of habitat. It’s common to catch some of the bigger fish during the month of March, especially if you use some larger live bait.
Reminder: Ice conditions have improved, but they are highly variable. I’ve never seen stranger ice conditions for this time of year, and it has curtailed my fishing activity. Check the ice as you go along and don’t take any chances!”
New Hampshire And Southern Maine Fishing Forecast
I have a hunch that if hardwater fans from Massachusetts read these reports, you folks are going to have company! It’s not easy in the western part of New Hampshire, the choices of Lake Sunapee, Lake Todd and Kezar Lake are vexing! To the east Squam Lake and Nineteen Mile Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee offer solid ice and solid fishing. Spawning urges have pike on the prowl in Lake Sabattus while trout can still be taken from the Range Ponds. Of course as evidenced by Jason Seider’s report for variety, the Belgrade Lakes is hard to beat!