I live in Nashua but fish up in Concord , Loudon area usually once a week.
No secrets , Its simple ,I see water and fish it. I try to give every place I try a fair chance to prove to me there are no fish. Typically I will fish a place 3 times before I start wondering if its worth it. Some places surprise me right from the get go. Others take a few trips. I will fish them different ways with different baits in different types of weather and really give every place a chance to show me what it has to offer.
NHTI for example , I have fished maybe 6 times. every time it produced some fish, once it produces some bass , in my mind I assume there are more.
a big fish like a 23 inch pickerel requires food. if it supports a 23 inch pickerel I figure I will probably never catch the biggest fish in a place. So my thinking is simple, there must be bigger, now I just have to find them. I caught a bunch of 15 - 16 inchers an 18 and a 19 then in my theory there is bigger.
There is a lot of water up there.
I have a list of places in the Clarkes book for NH Fishing ponds. Trout ponds hold bass also.
Exit 17 , fish the railroad bridges and back areas and slower moving water, always fish the weeds.
NHTI Pond
Merrimack river at the NHTI launch go across the other side and fish all of that area follow it around. (I have not fished much of the big part of the Merrimack river itself in this area)
At the liquor store on the highway they are rebuilding there is a body of water, fish across the other side where the fallen trees are.
Crooked pond in Loudon
Stumpfield
turkey pond
turtle pond
turee pond
on my list, are some of the other river areas up there. --- Horseshoe pond in Concord. ---- Pinnacle pond, need to find kayak access ---
a lot of small water hold big fish. small water , no big boats , no tourneys , less pressure , this is my thinking.
much of what I learned has been here. thru these other guys.
this southern nh thread --- there are 3? other closed southern nh threads from years past. research them , tons of info.
a basic rule of thumb Shane told me --- structure,oxygen,food ----structure,,, bass need a place to hide and ambush, underwater stumps , trees , brush, rocks, drop offs find these, underwater many times not seen above water ----- oxygen , green weeds, grass, pads , green usually equals oxygen , also water falls and water dropping areas creates oxygen also equals a place to hide and ambush. ------
Food supply, find baitfish evidence of crawfish pieces.
above all --- have fun. if you put in the time and the effort, you will find fish. sometimes we all get lucky and find a big fish by accident, --- even a blind squirrel finds a nut.
find a place you like , figure it out, fish different parts of it , find the structure underwater, and try to find the big fish. some places go thru cycles, like lake Naticook in Merrimack. some big fish have been caught in past years. fish die, get caught and eaten (not everyone practices catch and release) get old etc... right now I believe Naticook is going thru a cycle of no big fish. by big I mean 3+
Between winter kill , treating for milfoil and all the other stuff. give it another year to rebound.
there is also a big population of 10 -12 inch pickerel in Naticook, this keeps bass #s down also.
also, expect to catch pickerel,,,, they want the same thing the bass do. I usually find them in the same areas together.
feel free to comment on any info I write, these are my thoughts and opinions, I am always open to hearing other thoughts, opinion, facts.
anybody want to discuss why the chicken crossed the road? I think there was water across the road he wanted to fish.
