February 2
February seems to be the ice fishing derby month as several of the largest ones are slated to be held this month including the huge Greater Meredith Derby that will be held this weekend, and later on in the month the Sebago Togue Derby and the Statewide Derby (Maine) will entice thousands of anglers to hit the ice.
All this plus some of the best saltwater smelt fishing to be had in years all adds to the excitement of the season that early and good ice have given a big boost to. But ice fishing isn't the only fishing sport in town, as Kittery Trading Post's Donna Beyers explains below.
“With all the deep snow and roadside banks so high you can't see over them, it's hard to envision fly fishing for trout and salmon” noted Donna Beyer at Kittery Trading Post's Fishing Department. But there are plenty of diehards out there that do fly fish on those winter days when the sun is bright and the wind dies down.”
“For several years, Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts didn't allow trout and salmon fishing during the winter but now there are too many opportunities to mention and a surprising amount of people that do take advantage of it.”
“Here in Maine, more and more trout and salmon waters are open to catch and release fly fishing each year, with one noted one open recently being the famed East Outlet of the Kennebec River that flows out of Moosehead Lake and into Moose Pond.” We're mentioning this specific river because it has a great history of being one of the most productive stretches of river in the Moosehead area.
“Although the weather conditions of late and too much ice have put a crimp in the style of most of our local sea-run brown trout fishermen, on many years the conditions allow fishing in the marsh areas of several of these rivers to provide opportunities to fish over some very large brown trout. Fishermen report that on a warm winter day they've even witnessed hatches with the trout feeding on the insects that are hatching.”
“By law, the majority of New Hampshire's rivers are open to fishing all winter long. Some of the most popular are locally, the Lamprey River below the Wiswall Dam in Lee and the Cocheco River in Rochester. These two rivers have been adopted by the Great Bay Chapter of Trout Unlimited and have been stocked by that organization and also by the state with nice rainbow trout to support the winter fishery.”
“In mid-state New Hampshire, the Newfound River that drains Newfound Lake is open to catch and release, fly-only fishing. You never know what you will hook there, as big salmon, rainbow trout and an occasional brown trout will surprise you. Also in the same area, the big, brawling Merrimack River and parts of the Pemigewasset River are open, with special permit, to catch and release fishing for stocked Atlantic salmon that can run to 15 pounds and even larger.”
Donna reminds that Massachusetts has no closed trout season and also has a lot of places that are stocked in the fall with huge Atlantic salmon. “Most of these areas are for ice fishing but there are a few spots at inlets and outlets that you can cast in open water for these formidable salmon.”
“Deep and slow are the secrets to winter fly fishing, except on those very rare days when fish are surface feeding. The most successful fly fishers will use a two fly approach, with a weighed or bead head fly such as a woolly buggar with a smaller nymph attached to a dropper leader. This is kind of chuck and duck fishing. Short casts and constant line watching are key to detecting the often-subtle takes. Know that fish hooked should not be taken out of the water in low temperature conditions. A quick release in the water is best. Do your photos with the fish submerged. It makes for a more interesting photo and it's much kinder to the fish,” she ended.
MAINE:
With all the good news about the saltwater smelt fishing, it was hard for this writer to pass up a fishing trip with four of our regular information sources to Maine's River Bend Smelt Rental Camps in Bowdoinham. Captains Barry Gibson and Bill Brindamour, Master Maine Guide Stu Bristol and tackle shop owner Pete Santini were a lot of fun to fish with, but as usual, Brindamour's reputation of putting a hex on all hunting or fishing trips turned out to be true. While our camp of Bill, Stu and myself only landed about a dozen smelt, the Gibson and Santini group ended up with over a hundred fish. But that paled compared with a five gallon bucketful of smelt showed to us by another group of anglers! But that's smelt fishing, where a fisherman on one end of the shanty can catch most of the fish while one on the other end just watches!
In general though, from most of our sources, this has been a wonderful season at Jame's Eddy in Dresden and River Bend, Leighton's and just about all the other smelt camp rentals. Evening tides seem to be the best but it's hard to forecast which tide, the incoming or outgoing, will produce the most action.
While we were fishing with Bristol who resides in Lyman, he filled us in with the fishing info in his area: “The Ossipee Lake Derby is going to be held on Sunday, February 15. Brook trout and salmon are the main targets and often the state supplements the lake's already good fish population with a stocking of some pretty nice brookies. A lot of our local lakes have great populations of panfish –yellow perch, crappie, some white perch and most always pickerel. Except for the togue fishing at Sebago, if you want action we'd suggest concentrating on these small ponds for lots of action. That's what we've been doing.”
Craig Bergeron at Saco Bay Bait and Tackle says that they are seeing a lot more ice fishing this season. “The good ice has motivated a lot of people. One of our most productive ponds here has been Kennebunk Pond in Lyman where some really decent brown trout are being caught, along with plenty of panfish. Nightcrawlers fished right off bottom in six to ten feet of water were what was working last week. Little Ossipee Lake (a.k.a. The Flowage) continues to be the hottest crappie pond. At the mid-coast smelt camps that big problem is that the fishing has been so good that getting a rental on a weekend night has been tough. You better call and make a reservation.
In the Sebago Region, the buzz is about the incredible togue (lake trout) fishing going on. Dave Garcia at Naples Bait on Long Lake in the Sebago Region says, “It's been phenomenal! You've gotta tell people that they're missing the boat if they don't get up here and give this a try!”
Just last week Dave had seen lots of limits of togue, and some big ones of 12, 10 and 7 pounds with fish being measured at up to 38 inches long!
“They've just been crushing 'em. And just about everywhere – Nason's Beach, Jordan's, Quimby's, the State Park, Frye's Island, off Route 302, Sebago Station. Limit catches are common but you should know that you are allowed only one togue over 23 inches.”
“The jig fishermen are accounting for 75 percent of the fish being caught with the rest being caught using live suckers or smelt on tip-ups. Most of the fish are being caught in 12 to 60 feet of water with the people in the shallow water reporting seeing huge schools of smelt and huge togue following them.”
“You aren't allowed to catch smelt at Sebago Lake but one pond over in Waterford, Bear Pond, has been seeing some very good smelt jigging with the average size in the four to five inches. Also, there's been some good yellow perch and if you can find the channel edges, some big crappie being caught at the Muddy River (Sebago) off Route 114.”
“We're seeing it here also,” was the news from Carroll Cutting at Jordan's Store in East Sebago. “My son Tom caught a togue yesterday that we weighed at eleven and a quarter pounds and that was with several other fish he caught. He was fishing with a Stinger-type, ounce-and-a-quarter bucktail jig tipped with a small shiner. Best colors seem to be red/white, blue/white and glow. Ice depths here are still not ideal – we wouldn't recommend driving on with a vehicle. One group reported only four inches of ice where they were fishing but in general there's about eight or nine inches. The ice caught here this year on January 15, the earliest since 1990 when the lake iced-over on the 21st of December.”
“We're seeing some of the regulars going over to fish Trickey Pond (Naples) but that kind of fishing is for the very patient. Every year Trickey produces some truly remarkable fish – landlocked salmon, splake, brook trout and later in the year, bass. But it's not unusual to come off the ice there without even a nibble! (Cutting just mailed us all the information about the upcoming Sebago and Statewide fishing tourneys scheduled for later this month which we'll share in next week's report.)
This just in from Maine Fishing Guide Bob Hamer, who also serves the Moosehead Region as the President of their Chamber of Commerce: “The Second Annual Moosehead Lake Togue Ice Fishing Derby was held this past weekend. Just over 400 single & family tickets were sold. We estimate that we had around 500 anglers fishing the lake mostly on Saturday. Anglers registered 1,864 fish at the weigh stations. The $1,500.00 winning fish was a 6 pound, 27.5 inch fish caught by Roscoe Ryan from Warren, Maine, second place went to Abraham Hatch of Damariscotta, ME with a 5.35 pound, 25.5 inch fish and last but not least the third place fish came in at 4.76 pounds 24 inches caught by Heiko Nichols of Hartland, Maine. The action was excellent on Sunday but many of the anglers had already headed home to see the Super Bowl.”
“A quick survey of anglers with six or more fish showed that most were fishing in 25-40 feet of water and used small shiners as bait. Several anglers caught over 25 fish in a single day. Many of these worked four traps and a jig rod. The majority reported excellent results from hooking a small smelt on to their jigging lure with many stating that without the added bait they were getting no hits. Those anglers using decent size bait caught fish in the 15-20 inch category. One angler at the Beaver Cove weigh station had over 20 fish with the smallest 16 and the largest 22 inches.”
“The Derby was for togue only but anglers reported good catches of brook trout and land-locked salmon. We had numerous reports of large fat healthy salmon being caught while the anglers were attempting to lower their bait to the bottom for togue. One fisherman reported that they caught three salmon on the same trap while trying to get their bait down. The Rockwood weigh station had a 14 pound cusk come in which would have been a sure winner if we had prizes for cusk.”
On February 1, Lobster Lake opened for its annual one-month ice fishing season. Lobster is a local favorite with some nice size land-locked salmon largely because the law book requires all salmon removed to be 20 inches or longer. And finally, we’re counting down the days until February 15 when Moosehead opens to salmon fishing,” Bob ended.
NEW HAMPSHIRE:
Every one of our Granite State fishing reporters are excited about the upcoming big statewide fishing derby coming up next weekend. Here's the news direct from the sponsors: “The Meredith Rotary Club’s Great Ice Fishing Derby, scheduled for the weekend of February 7-8, 2009, will celebrate its 30-year anniversary in 2009. Derby Chairman Larry Schultz has just announced the top three prizes for the Derby.”
“Our prize list this year is spectacular,” according to Schultz. The 2009 Derby Winner (the person with the heaviest Meredith Rotary tagged rainbow trout) will win the grand prize of an 18-foot Pioneer Sport fiberglass boat with a 90HP Suzuki 4-stroke engine and a Tidewater trailer. The first place prize package also includes a casting chair, tackle box, prop, and fish finder with a depth sounder. The package is valued at $25,000 and is provided by David Hamblet and Y Landing Marina.”
“The second prize winner (the person with the second heaviest Meredith Rotary tagged rainbow trout) will be awarded a 2008 Honda Model TRX 420FM ATV. The Honda Fourtrax Rancher 4x4 ATV has a liquid cooled, fuel-injected 420cc engine, disc brakes, skid plate, front/rear carrying racks and includes a Karavan two-place trailer. The trailer has additional room for a bob house, or an extra ATV. The package is valued at $6,500 from Freedom Cycle.”
“The third prize winner (the person with the third heaviest Meredith Rotary tagged rainbow trout) will be awarded a Super Deluxe Ice Fishing Package including a Frabill 6170 Fortress GT portable bob house with Glide Trax base, a Jiffy Steath STX 3hp ice auger drill, Aqua-Vu Scout XL underwater camera, tackle box and ice fishing tackle. The package is valued at $2,300 from AJ’s Bait and Tackle Shop.”
“The Ice Fishing Derby is one of the top fund-raising events in the state, bringing visitors to New Hampshire from all over the country. Fisherman, their families and friends come to New Hampshire in hopes of snagging the heaviest Meredith Rotary-tagged rainbow trout claiming the grand prize. Hundreds of other prizes are awarded throughout the Derby.”
“Throughout the years, The Meredith Rotary Club has donated more than $1.6 million into the Lakes Region community for charitable projects, area improvements, scholarships and to individuals and families in need.”
“Derby tickets can be purchased online from the Meredith Rotary Club website (www.meredithrotary.org). Derby tickets will also be available at Derby Headquarters at the beginning of the Fishing Derby on Friday, February 7. More information is available by visiting the website at www.meredithrotary.org or calling The Meredith Rotary Club at 603-279-7600.”
In the Seacoast area, Jason MacKenzie at Suds-n-Soda Sports in Greenland says that Great Bay continues to produce some good fishing but that it's getting more specific as to how, when and where to catch the smelt. “At first ice, it seemed as if everyone was catching fish. But now it's boiled down to the fishing seems to be best over at the Emery's side of the bay and off the golf course. Best and sometimes the only time they're hitting is when the ice first lifts off the mudflats on the first of the incoming tide. People have been catching fish in as little as ten inches of water. The theory is that as the ice lifts off the mud a lot of food is contained on the underside of the ice and the smelts are feeding on it.”
“In most instances, the river smelt fishing has been pretty dismal! There only a few fish caught at Exeter and Stratham on the Squamscott River but since then there has been virtually none. The Oyster River had started pretty hot but is now just starting to come back from about a week of virtually no fish. We talked to one guy that had fished the night tide at the Oyster River in Durham this weekend and he and a buddy had caught 80 fish. At the Lamprey River in Newmarket, the ice didn't get good enough to get out on until about a week ago and only a few fishermen have been out there with small catches. Over on the York (Maine) River, they had fishing that was only second best to our bay here but now we hear that's slowed down pretty much also. They're fishing in the vicinity of the Scotland Bridge.”
“Out here on the big part of the bay, there's a lot of snow and a lot of slush so the going is pretty hard. Some of our best fishermen have hauled their shanties to shore and are waiting for the slush to freeze up.”
“We're still seeing quite a few freshwater fishermen. The Bellamy Reservoir continues to be a big favorite and we've had good reports about Long Pond in Rochester for good crappie fishing.”
George Taylor at Taylor's Trading Post in Madbury says that the anglers were out in force on the nearby Bellamy Reservoir and that a huge largemouth bass was taken (and released). “This guy came in with some photos on his cell phone that you couldn't believe. The bass was so big he had a lot of trouble getting it up through the hole! There was no denying the size of the fish as there were plenty of photos taken before he put it back down the hole for someone else to make some memories with. The fish had taken an Arkansas shiner fished on a tip-up. There were also lots and lot of smaller bass, in the two to three pound range that were being caught and mostly released.”
“For some reason, this was the day when lots of huge pickerel were also caught, along with the usual crappie of all sizes and yellow perch.”
George said that some of the other local spots were producing some good action. The Oyster River had been pretty much dead for smelt but that's picked up with a few reports of average catches coming, mostly at night. The Lamprey River has been quite spotty for smelt. York River fishing has slowed a bit for smelt. Cusk fishing at Lake Winnipesaukee in the Alton and Wolfeboro Bay areas has also been productive with some decent sized fish being taken.
AJ's Bait and Tackle in Meredith is getting ready for the big upcoming derby but Alan Nute there says that plenty of fishing is going on right now. “The ice is good and the fish are there. Cusk were making news last week. We saw an eleven pounder and two nine pounders as well as heard of catches in the dozens or so. The area off Gilford Beach in the 30 depths was where a lot of the cusk have been coming from. Big live shiners fished right on bottom are key. We order them special and call them cusk-shiners.”
“Last week there were plenty of lakers taken but no really big ones, fish mostly in the three to four pound range. Jigging with Stinger-type bucktail jigs tipped with cut sucker was working well. We make our own jigs here and have been pretty busy keeping up with the demand.”
“It seems like when the fishing for one fish turns slow, anther species will turn on. The white perch fishing slowed but the lakers made up the difference. Also, the rainbow trout fishing really took a dive but the yellow perch fishing and their size increase from last year has been a big hit. Meredith Bay has been producing some of the best yellows.”
Bob at Storey's Sport Shop in Laconia at Winnisquam Lake reports quite a bit of activity over the weekend. “Up in the northern end of the lake white perch as large as three pounds have been hitting pretty well while out here on our end of the lake there's been quite a few lake trout taken. No huge fish but some good ones in the 22 to 24 inch range while most of the catch has been smaller. We also had reports of three tagged rainbows that were caught and were told that they were released. Those tagged rainbows could be worth a small fortune during next week's derby,” he laughed.
February seems to be the ice fishing derby month as several of the largest ones are slated to be held this month including the huge Greater Meredith Derby that will be held this weekend, and later on in the month the Sebago Togue Derby and the Statewide Derby (Maine) will entice thousands of anglers to hit the ice.
All this plus some of the best saltwater smelt fishing to be had in years all adds to the excitement of the season that early and good ice have given a big boost to. But ice fishing isn't the only fishing sport in town, as Kittery Trading Post's Donna Beyers explains below.
“With all the deep snow and roadside banks so high you can't see over them, it's hard to envision fly fishing for trout and salmon” noted Donna Beyer at Kittery Trading Post's Fishing Department. But there are plenty of diehards out there that do fly fish on those winter days when the sun is bright and the wind dies down.”
“For several years, Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts didn't allow trout and salmon fishing during the winter but now there are too many opportunities to mention and a surprising amount of people that do take advantage of it.”
“Here in Maine, more and more trout and salmon waters are open to catch and release fly fishing each year, with one noted one open recently being the famed East Outlet of the Kennebec River that flows out of Moosehead Lake and into Moose Pond.” We're mentioning this specific river because it has a great history of being one of the most productive stretches of river in the Moosehead area.
“Although the weather conditions of late and too much ice have put a crimp in the style of most of our local sea-run brown trout fishermen, on many years the conditions allow fishing in the marsh areas of several of these rivers to provide opportunities to fish over some very large brown trout. Fishermen report that on a warm winter day they've even witnessed hatches with the trout feeding on the insects that are hatching.”
“By law, the majority of New Hampshire's rivers are open to fishing all winter long. Some of the most popular are locally, the Lamprey River below the Wiswall Dam in Lee and the Cocheco River in Rochester. These two rivers have been adopted by the Great Bay Chapter of Trout Unlimited and have been stocked by that organization and also by the state with nice rainbow trout to support the winter fishery.”
“In mid-state New Hampshire, the Newfound River that drains Newfound Lake is open to catch and release, fly-only fishing. You never know what you will hook there, as big salmon, rainbow trout and an occasional brown trout will surprise you. Also in the same area, the big, brawling Merrimack River and parts of the Pemigewasset River are open, with special permit, to catch and release fishing for stocked Atlantic salmon that can run to 15 pounds and even larger.”
Donna reminds that Massachusetts has no closed trout season and also has a lot of places that are stocked in the fall with huge Atlantic salmon. “Most of these areas are for ice fishing but there are a few spots at inlets and outlets that you can cast in open water for these formidable salmon.”
“Deep and slow are the secrets to winter fly fishing, except on those very rare days when fish are surface feeding. The most successful fly fishers will use a two fly approach, with a weighed or bead head fly such as a woolly buggar with a smaller nymph attached to a dropper leader. This is kind of chuck and duck fishing. Short casts and constant line watching are key to detecting the often-subtle takes. Know that fish hooked should not be taken out of the water in low temperature conditions. A quick release in the water is best. Do your photos with the fish submerged. It makes for a more interesting photo and it's much kinder to the fish,” she ended.
MAINE:
With all the good news about the saltwater smelt fishing, it was hard for this writer to pass up a fishing trip with four of our regular information sources to Maine's River Bend Smelt Rental Camps in Bowdoinham. Captains Barry Gibson and Bill Brindamour, Master Maine Guide Stu Bristol and tackle shop owner Pete Santini were a lot of fun to fish with, but as usual, Brindamour's reputation of putting a hex on all hunting or fishing trips turned out to be true. While our camp of Bill, Stu and myself only landed about a dozen smelt, the Gibson and Santini group ended up with over a hundred fish. But that paled compared with a five gallon bucketful of smelt showed to us by another group of anglers! But that's smelt fishing, where a fisherman on one end of the shanty can catch most of the fish while one on the other end just watches!
In general though, from most of our sources, this has been a wonderful season at Jame's Eddy in Dresden and River Bend, Leighton's and just about all the other smelt camp rentals. Evening tides seem to be the best but it's hard to forecast which tide, the incoming or outgoing, will produce the most action.
While we were fishing with Bristol who resides in Lyman, he filled us in with the fishing info in his area: “The Ossipee Lake Derby is going to be held on Sunday, February 15. Brook trout and salmon are the main targets and often the state supplements the lake's already good fish population with a stocking of some pretty nice brookies. A lot of our local lakes have great populations of panfish –yellow perch, crappie, some white perch and most always pickerel. Except for the togue fishing at Sebago, if you want action we'd suggest concentrating on these small ponds for lots of action. That's what we've been doing.”
Craig Bergeron at Saco Bay Bait and Tackle says that they are seeing a lot more ice fishing this season. “The good ice has motivated a lot of people. One of our most productive ponds here has been Kennebunk Pond in Lyman where some really decent brown trout are being caught, along with plenty of panfish. Nightcrawlers fished right off bottom in six to ten feet of water were what was working last week. Little Ossipee Lake (a.k.a. The Flowage) continues to be the hottest crappie pond. At the mid-coast smelt camps that big problem is that the fishing has been so good that getting a rental on a weekend night has been tough. You better call and make a reservation.
In the Sebago Region, the buzz is about the incredible togue (lake trout) fishing going on. Dave Garcia at Naples Bait on Long Lake in the Sebago Region says, “It's been phenomenal! You've gotta tell people that they're missing the boat if they don't get up here and give this a try!”
Just last week Dave had seen lots of limits of togue, and some big ones of 12, 10 and 7 pounds with fish being measured at up to 38 inches long!
“They've just been crushing 'em. And just about everywhere – Nason's Beach, Jordan's, Quimby's, the State Park, Frye's Island, off Route 302, Sebago Station. Limit catches are common but you should know that you are allowed only one togue over 23 inches.”
“The jig fishermen are accounting for 75 percent of the fish being caught with the rest being caught using live suckers or smelt on tip-ups. Most of the fish are being caught in 12 to 60 feet of water with the people in the shallow water reporting seeing huge schools of smelt and huge togue following them.”
“You aren't allowed to catch smelt at Sebago Lake but one pond over in Waterford, Bear Pond, has been seeing some very good smelt jigging with the average size in the four to five inches. Also, there's been some good yellow perch and if you can find the channel edges, some big crappie being caught at the Muddy River (Sebago) off Route 114.”
“We're seeing it here also,” was the news from Carroll Cutting at Jordan's Store in East Sebago. “My son Tom caught a togue yesterday that we weighed at eleven and a quarter pounds and that was with several other fish he caught. He was fishing with a Stinger-type, ounce-and-a-quarter bucktail jig tipped with a small shiner. Best colors seem to be red/white, blue/white and glow. Ice depths here are still not ideal – we wouldn't recommend driving on with a vehicle. One group reported only four inches of ice where they were fishing but in general there's about eight or nine inches. The ice caught here this year on January 15, the earliest since 1990 when the lake iced-over on the 21st of December.”
“We're seeing some of the regulars going over to fish Trickey Pond (Naples) but that kind of fishing is for the very patient. Every year Trickey produces some truly remarkable fish – landlocked salmon, splake, brook trout and later in the year, bass. But it's not unusual to come off the ice there without even a nibble! (Cutting just mailed us all the information about the upcoming Sebago and Statewide fishing tourneys scheduled for later this month which we'll share in next week's report.)
This just in from Maine Fishing Guide Bob Hamer, who also serves the Moosehead Region as the President of their Chamber of Commerce: “The Second Annual Moosehead Lake Togue Ice Fishing Derby was held this past weekend. Just over 400 single & family tickets were sold. We estimate that we had around 500 anglers fishing the lake mostly on Saturday. Anglers registered 1,864 fish at the weigh stations. The $1,500.00 winning fish was a 6 pound, 27.5 inch fish caught by Roscoe Ryan from Warren, Maine, second place went to Abraham Hatch of Damariscotta, ME with a 5.35 pound, 25.5 inch fish and last but not least the third place fish came in at 4.76 pounds 24 inches caught by Heiko Nichols of Hartland, Maine. The action was excellent on Sunday but many of the anglers had already headed home to see the Super Bowl.”
“A quick survey of anglers with six or more fish showed that most were fishing in 25-40 feet of water and used small shiners as bait. Several anglers caught over 25 fish in a single day. Many of these worked four traps and a jig rod. The majority reported excellent results from hooking a small smelt on to their jigging lure with many stating that without the added bait they were getting no hits. Those anglers using decent size bait caught fish in the 15-20 inch category. One angler at the Beaver Cove weigh station had over 20 fish with the smallest 16 and the largest 22 inches.”
“The Derby was for togue only but anglers reported good catches of brook trout and land-locked salmon. We had numerous reports of large fat healthy salmon being caught while the anglers were attempting to lower their bait to the bottom for togue. One fisherman reported that they caught three salmon on the same trap while trying to get their bait down. The Rockwood weigh station had a 14 pound cusk come in which would have been a sure winner if we had prizes for cusk.”
On February 1, Lobster Lake opened for its annual one-month ice fishing season. Lobster is a local favorite with some nice size land-locked salmon largely because the law book requires all salmon removed to be 20 inches or longer. And finally, we’re counting down the days until February 15 when Moosehead opens to salmon fishing,” Bob ended.
NEW HAMPSHIRE:
Every one of our Granite State fishing reporters are excited about the upcoming big statewide fishing derby coming up next weekend. Here's the news direct from the sponsors: “The Meredith Rotary Club’s Great Ice Fishing Derby, scheduled for the weekend of February 7-8, 2009, will celebrate its 30-year anniversary in 2009. Derby Chairman Larry Schultz has just announced the top three prizes for the Derby.”
“Our prize list this year is spectacular,” according to Schultz. The 2009 Derby Winner (the person with the heaviest Meredith Rotary tagged rainbow trout) will win the grand prize of an 18-foot Pioneer Sport fiberglass boat with a 90HP Suzuki 4-stroke engine and a Tidewater trailer. The first place prize package also includes a casting chair, tackle box, prop, and fish finder with a depth sounder. The package is valued at $25,000 and is provided by David Hamblet and Y Landing Marina.”
“The second prize winner (the person with the second heaviest Meredith Rotary tagged rainbow trout) will be awarded a 2008 Honda Model TRX 420FM ATV. The Honda Fourtrax Rancher 4x4 ATV has a liquid cooled, fuel-injected 420cc engine, disc brakes, skid plate, front/rear carrying racks and includes a Karavan two-place trailer. The trailer has additional room for a bob house, or an extra ATV. The package is valued at $6,500 from Freedom Cycle.”
“The third prize winner (the person with the third heaviest Meredith Rotary tagged rainbow trout) will be awarded a Super Deluxe Ice Fishing Package including a Frabill 6170 Fortress GT portable bob house with Glide Trax base, a Jiffy Steath STX 3hp ice auger drill, Aqua-Vu Scout XL underwater camera, tackle box and ice fishing tackle. The package is valued at $2,300 from AJ’s Bait and Tackle Shop.”
“The Ice Fishing Derby is one of the top fund-raising events in the state, bringing visitors to New Hampshire from all over the country. Fisherman, their families and friends come to New Hampshire in hopes of snagging the heaviest Meredith Rotary-tagged rainbow trout claiming the grand prize. Hundreds of other prizes are awarded throughout the Derby.”
“Throughout the years, The Meredith Rotary Club has donated more than $1.6 million into the Lakes Region community for charitable projects, area improvements, scholarships and to individuals and families in need.”
“Derby tickets can be purchased online from the Meredith Rotary Club website (www.meredithrotary.org). Derby tickets will also be available at Derby Headquarters at the beginning of the Fishing Derby on Friday, February 7. More information is available by visiting the website at www.meredithrotary.org or calling The Meredith Rotary Club at 603-279-7600.”
In the Seacoast area, Jason MacKenzie at Suds-n-Soda Sports in Greenland says that Great Bay continues to produce some good fishing but that it's getting more specific as to how, when and where to catch the smelt. “At first ice, it seemed as if everyone was catching fish. But now it's boiled down to the fishing seems to be best over at the Emery's side of the bay and off the golf course. Best and sometimes the only time they're hitting is when the ice first lifts off the mudflats on the first of the incoming tide. People have been catching fish in as little as ten inches of water. The theory is that as the ice lifts off the mud a lot of food is contained on the underside of the ice and the smelts are feeding on it.”
“In most instances, the river smelt fishing has been pretty dismal! There only a few fish caught at Exeter and Stratham on the Squamscott River but since then there has been virtually none. The Oyster River had started pretty hot but is now just starting to come back from about a week of virtually no fish. We talked to one guy that had fished the night tide at the Oyster River in Durham this weekend and he and a buddy had caught 80 fish. At the Lamprey River in Newmarket, the ice didn't get good enough to get out on until about a week ago and only a few fishermen have been out there with small catches. Over on the York (Maine) River, they had fishing that was only second best to our bay here but now we hear that's slowed down pretty much also. They're fishing in the vicinity of the Scotland Bridge.”
“Out here on the big part of the bay, there's a lot of snow and a lot of slush so the going is pretty hard. Some of our best fishermen have hauled their shanties to shore and are waiting for the slush to freeze up.”
“We're still seeing quite a few freshwater fishermen. The Bellamy Reservoir continues to be a big favorite and we've had good reports about Long Pond in Rochester for good crappie fishing.”
George Taylor at Taylor's Trading Post in Madbury says that the anglers were out in force on the nearby Bellamy Reservoir and that a huge largemouth bass was taken (and released). “This guy came in with some photos on his cell phone that you couldn't believe. The bass was so big he had a lot of trouble getting it up through the hole! There was no denying the size of the fish as there were plenty of photos taken before he put it back down the hole for someone else to make some memories with. The fish had taken an Arkansas shiner fished on a tip-up. There were also lots and lot of smaller bass, in the two to three pound range that were being caught and mostly released.”
“For some reason, this was the day when lots of huge pickerel were also caught, along with the usual crappie of all sizes and yellow perch.”
George said that some of the other local spots were producing some good action. The Oyster River had been pretty much dead for smelt but that's picked up with a few reports of average catches coming, mostly at night. The Lamprey River has been quite spotty for smelt. York River fishing has slowed a bit for smelt. Cusk fishing at Lake Winnipesaukee in the Alton and Wolfeboro Bay areas has also been productive with some decent sized fish being taken.
AJ's Bait and Tackle in Meredith is getting ready for the big upcoming derby but Alan Nute there says that plenty of fishing is going on right now. “The ice is good and the fish are there. Cusk were making news last week. We saw an eleven pounder and two nine pounders as well as heard of catches in the dozens or so. The area off Gilford Beach in the 30 depths was where a lot of the cusk have been coming from. Big live shiners fished right on bottom are key. We order them special and call them cusk-shiners.”
“Last week there were plenty of lakers taken but no really big ones, fish mostly in the three to four pound range. Jigging with Stinger-type bucktail jigs tipped with cut sucker was working well. We make our own jigs here and have been pretty busy keeping up with the demand.”
“It seems like when the fishing for one fish turns slow, anther species will turn on. The white perch fishing slowed but the lakers made up the difference. Also, the rainbow trout fishing really took a dive but the yellow perch fishing and their size increase from last year has been a big hit. Meredith Bay has been producing some of the best yellows.”
Bob at Storey's Sport Shop in Laconia at Winnisquam Lake reports quite a bit of activity over the weekend. “Up in the northern end of the lake white perch as large as three pounds have been hitting pretty well while out here on our end of the lake there's been quite a few lake trout taken. No huge fish but some good ones in the 22 to 24 inch range while most of the catch has been smaller. We also had reports of three tagged rainbows that were caught and were told that they were released. Those tagged rainbows could be worth a small fortune during next week's derby,” he laughed.