Winnipesaukee In October

[jzal8]

Hey Gents,

I have a vacation booked with some friends for the first week of October on Lake Winnipesaukee, NH, and am a little concerned we'll be way to late for some fishing success. Competing schedules drove us out to October, which is unavoidable these days. 

I'm a novice Bass fisherman who is expecting to have to learn another species on this trip, though would be happy to continue with Bass. 

Is there anyone that can give me some insight and advice as to what to expect and whether I should be targeting a specific species. Hotspots are appreciated. We won't be focused on keepers. 

Thanks for the Intel in advance.

[nhbassin]

The water should still be around 60 in early October, which is great for both largemouth and smallmouth. During the summer months Winni is harder because its lots of drop shots and Carolina rigs, but you should be able to get them with a horizontal presentation when you are going. October can get windy there, so for safety reasons, make sure you are prepared for some wind and waves. 

[jzal8]

Okay great info, I appreciate it. Definitely will be prepared for wind and waves. Hopefully it's not out of control or anything.

As far as species at that point in the year, what should I be targeting?

["hamma"]

Id target the smallies as they are found throughout the whole lake with largemouths in a few areas.,... it would help if you told us the town/location you will be lodged in. Its a large lake. But,...Topwaters in the am, spinnerbaits in the wind, a jighead with a grub or 4 inch worm when the topwater bite fades as well as a jerkbait. Then progressing to a carolina rig. This is a "usual" almost fall day on winnie for me. You will be fishing  mostly clear waters for the smallies so be prepped to make long casts with lighter lines. You will find some largemouth in almost every area but most areas for this,... is limited,... other than lee's mills in Moultanboro, Paugus bay, and some in Wolfboro

 If its windy you'll want to avoid the broads, and stick to the bay/area your in. Knowing what area you will be in is more than important as far as hotspots/species go. I could type out a small novel on the whole lake. That time of year is a good time to be fishing winnie. Most of the "summertime" yahoos will have left the lake, and anglers should be the predominent boaters out there. 

MOST IMPORTANT !!!!! get a lake map and study the heck out of it.  The lake is very rocky and you can go from 100 feet deep to 2 in a instant while cruising across the lake, One area in particular is named the graveyards for a reason. The lake maps show a broken line that the mount washington tour boat follows, stick to it when cruising,.... And in NH you are required to be safe boater course certified to operate a boat. If you are certified ,..good, if not? get certified, as there is a fish and game office/barracks right on the lake and they will usually check you out if they see you.

 Good luck, and enjoy,...its an incredible lake

[HeavyDluxe]

53 minutes ago, Keith "Hamma" Hatch said:

Id target the smallies as they are found throughout the whole lake with largemouths in a few areas.,... it would help if you told us the town/location you will be lodged in. Its a large lake. But,...Topwaters in the am, spinnerbaits in the wind, a jighead with a grub or 4 inch worm when the topwater bite fades as well as a jerkbait. Then progressing to a carolina rig. This is a "usual" almost fall day on winnie for me. You will be fishing  mostly clear waters for the smallies so be prepped to make long casts with lighter lines. You will find some largemouth in almost every area but most areas for this,... is limited,... other than lee's mills in Moultanboro, Paugus bay, and some in Wolfboro

This guy knows the deal... Great post. I'd add that jig/craws and weightless plastics always turns in a fish or two.

That time of the fall is a GREAT time to be fishing up here, IMHO.  You'll have amazing scenery and a wonderful fishery to enjoy.

[Mainebass1984]

You chose a great week to fish. I am sure the fishing will be great then. I purposely take a week off in October every year for the fall bite. You should have no problem catching a ton of 2-3 lbers. Topwater action on winne is incredible.

[jzal8]

Wow, Keith, thanks for the information. It's much appreciate. Same to HeavyD and Maine...I was a little nervous that this was going to be a little late in the season, but you guys are building my confidence here. 

The house we are renting is in  Moultanboro, on the water. We'll be renting a boat for the week. We also have access to kayaks and canoes.

I'll definitely have to look into lee's mills, but also look into some equipment adjustments for SMB targeting if that's what is recommended.

As far as species, my equipment is LMB and Panfish heavy. I was wondering if I should do a few months of Walleye MTB or something like that to get some additional species gear to fool around with. 8 days on the water, I'm going to have a lot of time to play.

Huge tip on the lake depth. I'll get a map. Me and one of my buddies both have both licenses in NJ and NH so we are in good shape there, but good to know there may be some unmarked tricky areas.

["hamma"]

A spinning rod with 8 or 10 lb stren green mono would surfice for smallies, get yourself a rebel popr, and a heddon torpedo, a white spinnerbait and another in a chartreuse, and a jerkbait in a smelt pattern. These will cover a good chunk of fishing time. Plastics on a jighead or weightless will round it out a bit.

You can be "in" Moultonborough's city limits and the dock be located in Center Harbor,.... you'll see when you get a map. If your boat dock is in Center Harbor it will be a hike to get to Lee's Mills.  But,..Center Harbor itself offers both smallie and largemouth fishing

dont confuse a fishing license with safe boater certified,.. they are seperate,.then yet,.. I may be confused by your statement.

 The tricky area's are marked, its just that there is so much space on the lake that its easy to get confused as to where you actually are,.. compared to where the shoals and rockpiles are. Keep a diligent watch as to what markers are coming up and which side you need to be on related to them, and you should be ok