N.H. Weekly Fishing Report -- June 12, 2003

Fishing report reader David Karam writes: "This was a good day fishing lake Massabesic (June 7). 14-inch bass taken on fly. Naturally I released the fish. I fly fish and enjoy catching bass as well as other fish. Most people were not having luck."

Thanks to those of you who sent photos and stories this week! Want to share your fishing adventures? Drop an email to Liza Poinier at liza.w.poinier@wildlife.nh.gov -- we'll choose one or two a week to post here and on the Fish and Game website.

Online license sales: www.nhfishandgame.com. A reminder to hunters that Unit M lottery applications are now available online as well as fishing licenses. Click here.

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Anglers are reminded to "get the lead out"! If you have any lead sinkers or jigs left in your tackle box, it's time to safely dispose of them and replace them with non-lead alternatives. Click here for a list of places where you can take your old lead tackle. Lead tackle in waterbodies can be extremely harmful to wildlife -- especially loons, which ingest them and die of lead poisoning within weeks. Please do your part to rid New Hampshire's waterways of lead.

Central New Hampshire has been subject to one of the most cold and wet springs in recent memory. Surface water temperatures over basin areas of the big lakes --Winnipesaukee, Newfound, Winnisquam -- remain in the upper 50-degree range, even at this late date. Bass spawning is currently underway on these waterbodies, but, because of the barrage of cold fronts and water temperature fluctuations this spring, don't look for a banner year class of smallmouth bass to be produced on most waters. Bass anglers shouldn't worry, though -- super-large year classes come along every few years and provide the bulk of fisheries for bass over a span of several seasons.

Poppa smallmouth bass doing what he does best -- guarding a future generation. Photo by John Viar.

Go deep to protect bass babysitters
One thing you can do to help out male guardian bass (males make and guard the nest in the sunfish family, of which bass are members) is refrain from "picking beds." The stress on these fish is enormous, as they constantly chase would-be predators away from the nest site. No poppa bass, and you can guess what will happen to the eggs or fry -- gulp! It only takes a matter of seconds for a whole nest to be lost. Repeated removal of guardian males can lead to nest failure. Multiple hook wounds and even lures are frequently observed in guardian males' jaws. Not all bass spawn at exactly the same time on a given waterbody, so there are other options -- pre-or post-spawn fish can be found in deeper water near the spawning grounds (including the larger females) or in different parts of the lake, where temperatures can be several degrees lower/higher. Consider that the eggs or fry in those nests are the future of the fishery.

...And to find trout in "low places"!
Lake trout and landlocked salmon anglers have reported mixed results. Reports of good numbers of salmon in the 15-17 inch range along with some fish up to 4-5 lbs. are still being caught on Winnipesaukee, just fish a little deeper for them now (25-40 feet). Lake trout are plentiful on Winnisquam and Newfound lakes, fish in at least 60 feet of water and keep your bait (shiners) or hardware (Mooselook wobblers) near bottom, either with lead-core line or downriggers. As usual, early morning activity still occurs at the surface -- dawn is the prime time for trolling action. We have experienced some great phantom midge hatches (Chaoborus spp.) on the big lakes, which can make fishing tough at times, since even large salmon and rainbows will target them almost exclusively.

A reminder to all lake trollers at this time of year -- our one-year-old rainbow trout and landlocked salmon have been stocked recently in our big lakes and are feeding ravenously. These fish have a minimum length limit of 15 inches (in most lakes), and great care should be exercised in their release. Severe hook wounds impede their growth, as they must divert calories into repair instead of growth. Try not to use nets on these fish, and keep them in the water as you release, if at all possible. I have seen released salmon lie motionless on the surface for several seconds only to quickly dart into the depths when touched by the tip of a rod -- give them a nudge. Remember, these are our future 3-5 lb. rainbows and salmon.

Fast hatch action = Happy fly fanatics
I fished a local trout pond the other day and had good action on trolled nymphs and sparse-hackled wet flies. A pheasant-tail nymph on floating fly line worked well for top feeding rainbows, while a sink-tip fly line with a Hornberg caught brook trout 4-6 feet down. Brookies and rainbows were feeding on phantom midge larvae upon close internal inspection. Surface water temperatures are just right (about 60 degrees) and water levels are the best I've seen in years. Stream fishing is excellent, from the lakes region north to the White Mountain National Forest, especially along the Kancamagus Highway (Swift River) and Rt. 302 (Saco River). Caddisflies of all colors and sizes continue to appear on our streams; in addition, mayflies have started to hatch. Remember to bring the bug dope and head nets -- it has been a great spring for natures' table setters, namely the black fly and some monster mosquitoes.

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