The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department recently reported on New Hampshire’s fishing action throughout the state, including the coast. They also provided the fishing report and outlook for the coast as well.
Remember that Free Fishing Days are June 5 in most state, including New Hampshire. Get out and get those that don’t usually fish out there to experience the joy of fishing.
In the northern part of the state, the Department reports that the weather has been hot and so has the fishing in multiple stocked waterbodies in the North Country. Try your luck at Cedar Pond. Despite the August-like water levels, shaded brooks and spring-fed ponds remain productive. Check out some of your local beaver flowages. Beavers make lots of small pool habitats that brook trout love.[mappress]
In the Lakes Region, large lake surface temps are at or near 70 degrees, so look for salmon down at least 25 feet when early morning trolling. Winnipesaukee anglers are saying that the salmon fishing has slowed, as they are catching less salmon in the morning, down from the numbers they were catching earlier in the year.
The water temperature is not 55 degrees 35 feet down. Lake trout are still caught for those that seek them out, fishing much deeper (50 feet) than salmon. On Winnisquam, anglers saw some white perch cruising the shoreline in 6 feet of water; these were all nice fish measuring 12-14 inches. Try trolling a worm and spinner (these rigs are sold with the spinner attached to a snelled hook) along the shoreline in 5-15 feet of water later in the afternoon. Find a school and you’re in for some great (and tasty) action!
Some bass have left their nests, while many continue to guard eggs/fry. There seems to be quite a few bass cruising the shorelines; they could be non-spawners
(not all bass spawn in a given year) or females looking to gain lost weight. Remember that catch and release bass fishing will continue for bass through June 15.
New Hampshire is currently in a drought condition in the Lakes Region, and the streams and rivers are in low water condition. Try the Pemigewasset River in Bristol/New Hampton, and the catch/release water below Eastman Falls Dam/Franklin. These river sections are larger and tend to hold fish longer.
In Southeast NH/Merrimack Valley, the state transported river herring to the Merrimack River Watershed. Close to 7,000 river herring (primarily alewives) have been stocked into a few lakes, in hopes that successful reproduction will occur and abundant herring runs return to the Merrimack River and its tributaries. These fish are from the Cocheco River and the Androscoggin River in Brunswick, Maine.
Soon, the division will begin transporting American shad from the Essex Dam in Lawrence, Massachusetts, to the Merrimack River in Boscawen. Scott Decker reports that trout are still biting at Pleasant Lake in Deerfield. He caught a 16” brown trout while trolling an orange and gold Flash-King lure down 3 colors of lead-core line on Memorial Day. He reported seeing about 8 other boats trolling that morning, with several boating trout.
On the New Hampshire Coast, the sea temperatures seem to be slightly warmer than usual this year, so hopefully the ahead of schedule temps bring the striper and bluefish early too! There were a fair number of stripers caught in the Great Bay and the harbors, but most were outside of Hampton Harbor.
The Atlantic mackerel are also biting pretty good, so try using a diamond jig about 5 feet deeper than when you first lose sight of it; even better, add a Sibiki rig above it and when you get the first mackerel reel in at a slower pace and let all 6 hooks fill up with a fish!
With the full live well, about a dozen, try moving to the coast guard station, Pepperell Cove, or the shoals and live line the mackerel with a circle hook. If you don’t have to use a balloon, don’t, just let them free swim for a bit and then pinch the line. Keep the reel open and when it starts ripping off after the striper takes it, close the reel to set the hook.
From shore, try focusing on areas with tidal rips or structure, like bridges. Using medium depth swimming Rapala-style lures (~8”) in the eddies behind bridge pilings or across the current is effective.
