A Shoutout for NH Fishermen!!!

[Walkingboss]

I don't want to start a panic, but there's a big orange ball on fire in the sky.  Anybody clue me in on this?  What's worse....I broke a sweat today.....in a t-shirt.   What's going on?  Maybe it's this Spring thing I keep hearing about.

Today's Report:

My tourny this weekend has gone from Winni, to the Nashua River, to Lake Massabesic, and now, back to Winni, which I understand still has bergs floating around.....Did not have time to go all the way to Winni today and pre-fish, so I slipped into Angle Pond....Happy I did.  Caught 16 bass (7 smallie/9 large) and 25 fish total today from 6am to 1pm.  The verdict is in...Rapala's X-rap is a GREAT lure.  Gold was the color today, far outperforming silver.  I caught a couple females whose tails were beat-up.  One's tail was half rubbed off.  Too early to spawn, but there's some fanning going on already.  Most all my fish came in 5-10 feet of water on the outside of shallow flats.  Biggest smallmouth was 3lbs. 7oz. and came in 3 feet of water, which surprised me.  This weekend should be outstanding everywhere...except rivers.

[telecaster]

3+ smallie nice little fish. A buddy of mine lives on Angle pond and we hardly ever fish it.I'm gonna have too get out there more.

It sure is nice to see the sun,I'm gonna head out to my brothers,an we will check out the fish in his pond (we could be running into a little over population problem) I'm hoping nature will correct. There have been more herons around so they should controll a good bit of the small fish population. The Nashua river is near by so will probably take a ride over and see what it looks like.

  ENJOY THE SUN,,,,,,,

[baboosicbass08]

hey fished the wilton reservoir for a little bit today didn't stay there long because i went a little before dusk which was dumb because it was pretty bad with mosquitos, didn't get anything but it looks like a good place if u can get out on a canoe, i just fished off shore.

[Yakfish]

hey fished the wilton reservoir for a little bit today didn't stay there long because i went a little before dusk which was dumb because it was pretty bad with mosquitos, didn't get anything but it looks like a good place if u can get out on a canoe, i just fished off shore.

I've had good luck from the shore there but the better spots require some trekking through the bramble and yeah, the skeeters can be fierce. I'm looking forward to getting on it with my kayak to hit some of the spots that are otherwise inaccessible. How was the access road? Still rough? Traffic is pretty screwy in Wilton with 101 closed due to that little landslide from the storm but hopefully that will be resolved in the next few days.

[baboosicbass08]

It looks good from the shore but i only fished for like a half hour cause it was getting dark and the mosquitos were out pretty bad, the road wasn't that bad there were a couple spots where there was some mud but it wasn't anything to worry about its alot better than it was last week. Where u fish from shore do you go in through that spot between the fence theres like a small section inbetween fence, thats where u go in right?

hey fished the wilton reservoir for a little bit today didn't stay there long because i went a little before dusk which was dumb because it was pretty bad with mosquitos, didn't get anything but it looks like a good place if u can get out on a canoe, i just fished off shore.

I've had good luck from the shore there but the better spots require some trekking through the bramble and yeah, the skeeters can be fierce. I'm looking forward to getting on it with my kayak to hit some of the spots that are otherwise inaccessible. How was the access road? Still rough? Traffic is pretty screwy in Wilton with 101 closed due to that little landslide from the storm but hopefully that will be resolved in the next few days.

[Yakfish]

It looks good from the shore but i only fished for like a half hour cause it was getting dark and the mosquitos were out pretty bad, the road wasn't that bad there were a couple spots where there was some mud but it wasn't anything to worry about its alot better than it was last week. Where u fish from shore do you go in through that spot between the fence theres like a small section inbetween fence, thats where u go in right?

hey fished the wilton reservoir for a little bit today didn't stay there long because i went a little before dusk which was dumb because it was pretty bad with mosquitos, didn't get anything but it looks like a good place if u can get out on a canoe, i just fished off shore.

I've had good luck from the shore there but the better spots require some trekking through the bramble and yeah, the skeeters can be fierce. I'm looking forward to getting on it with my kayak to hit some of the spots that are otherwise inaccessible. How was the access road? Still rough? Traffic is pretty screwy in Wilton with 101 closed due to that little landslide from the storm but hopefully that will be resolved in the next few days.

Yep, that's it.

[nhbassin13]

fished melendy pond in brookline today for a couple of hours and caught a two small bass real close to the shore up against structure. bothy bass were only about a pound or so each

[llPa1nll]

Hey guys, Giving you the report form Cobbetts pond for Sunday the 22nd. It is getting warmer with these sunny days, water temps were 44.5°F at launch time and warmed upto 50.1°F when we left. Fish were active but due to the lack of wind/chop on the water were somewhat hard to catch. I had 8 LM in the boat by Noon and 1 brown trout, trout went 2 lbs all the bass were between 1-3 lbs. We had a long stretch with no bites after noon, by 1pm though the wind picked up and the fish turned on. The next few hours I picked up 12 more bass in the 2-3 lb class and 1 pig smallie measuring 4lbs 8oz on my friends digi scale (pic to come when I get it emailed to me). So the day turned out good 19LM bass 1 SM bass 4lbs 8ozs and 1 brown trout. We were off the water by 4pm.

[baboosicbass08]

hey fished the reservoir in wilton yesterday with no luck but i didn't really walk around the shore, saw a school of about 10 small perch in the water though and some small sunfish. it was pretty busy there yesterday. going back today to walk around the pond more and hopefully get some luck.

[Yakfish]

Hey guys, Giving you the report form Cobbetts pond for Sunday the 22nd. It is getting warmer with these sunny days, water temps were 44.5°F at launch time and warmed upto 50.1°F when we left. Fish were active but due to the lack of wind/chop on the water were somewhat hard to catch. I had 8 LM in the boat by Noon and 1 brown trout, trout went 2 lbs all the bass were between 1-3 lbs. We had a long stretch with no bites after noon, by 1pm though the wind picked up and the fish turned on. The next few hours I picked up 12 more bass in the 2-3 lb class and 1 pig smallie measuring 4lbs 8oz on my friends digi scale (pic to come when I get it emailed to me). So the day turned out good 19LM bass 1 SM bass 4lbs 8ozs and 1 brown trout. We were off the water by 4pm.

Wow, awesome day! I have yet to catch a fish in '07. The rain caused some issues in my yard that have added to my already insurmountable honey-do list but I'm hoping to get out for a few hours this Wednesday. Hopefully I'll be able to post some results.

[Walkingboss]

Things are heating up for sure.  Had a whirl-wind weekend, fishing Fri through Monday.  Fished Angle as I mentioned before, pre-fished Winni on Sat for my Sun tourny....Winni, of course, for the tourny, and Bow Lake on Monday.

Did good on Angle, KILLED them Saturday on Winni (20+ smallies, 7 over 3 lbs, 1 over 4....of course the day BEFORE the tourny), and did good enough for a top 15 (out of 37...final results haven't been posted, but I think we got 11th or 12th) on Sunday.  Monday at Bow was very windy, but caught some nice smallies and my wife caught the biggest white perch I've ever seen.

Sunday was my first bonafide tournament and was really intimidating.  I own a Bass Tracker PT 185 w/a 75 hp Merc.  Out of 37 boats entered, I had the 36th best motor....the 33rd best boat....and by far the worst electronics, so I feel my partner and I did pretty good all in all.  About half the boats got skunked, hp and sonar aside.  We caught 14 for the day and had a healthy 4 (tourny limit) for weigh in, but not enough for cash.  If only we could have weighed Saturday's fish!!!!  We would have placed 2nd or 3rd.

That being said, I will tip my hat first to good fishermen and also to good electronics.  This was an open water tourny for the most part.  I knew how deep the water was and occasionally marked a fish or two on my screens, but there were guys there who could see their own drop-shots on the screen, let alone the fish....and it made all the difference.  I'm not making excuses at all, but I will say that the electronic equipment you use can really help your success.  The winning team caught 4 beautiful largemouth in a cold, cold lake.  Their lunker was 6-79.  They had another over 4 and the other 2 weighed about 2lbs each.  All in about 15' of water.  They told me they'd have never come across these fish without their electronics.  Don't get me wrong, they had a good idea of where to look, but I'm starting a new savings account for my next sonar.

Anyway, keep up the fight.  Water temps should be consistantly in the mid-50's by next week......GAME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[big bug]

if i may ask, what was your aproach on winne last weekend, as far as what you used and where did you concentrate your fishing around (structure, deep water, points), i have a tourney for smallies up there on the 12th, and there is so much dead water on that lake, i'll take any edge i can get.

[Walkingboss]

Silver buddies were the key to most all the smallmouth caught, with some spider jigs catching a few lunkers.  The largemouth were caught on jigs and x-raps.  Largemouth up towards Lee's Mill.  Smallmouth hitting hard near marker 13.  All fish were deep (smallmouth in 30-50' and largemouth in 15-20', with a few hanging around docks).  We were restricted to the extreme NW portion of the lake.  We could not go further than 19 mile bay due to ice.  By the 12th I would think the smallies would be patrolling flats breaking into deep water and the largemouth should be moving up to 5-10'.  You should be able to spit and catch fish by then......it'll be hot.

[big bug]

thanks for the tips, i was thinking of hangin around 1/2 and 1 mile island right outside center harbor, theres alot of big rocks there in about 15' of water then it drops down to 30 and 40 ', i've caught many there in the summer , i'm just hopeing they have moved in this far by then.

[Walkingboss]

Humble Pie was served in large quantity yesterday at Big Island pond and I think I had the biggest plate.  I think there were +/- 40 boats on the water and only about a dozen weighed fish in a two fish tourny.  The biggest fish I saw weighed in at 4.5.  I didn't hang around for final results as some rain was coming.

I haven't had such a crappy day in a looooooooong time.  At least I had plenty of company.  My wife and I tried EVERYTHING.  Jerks, plastics, buddies, jigs, cranks, spinners, chatters, frogs, and poppers.  Oh well.  I'm going to my special place today, despite the rain.  My team partner grabbed 30+ there yesterday, with 6 over 5.  Said he lost his P.B. at the boat.  Get this:  He had the fish lipped, the hook came loose, and when he went to lift her out of the water she shook her head and he lost his grip :'(.  I told him he'd better get some 'roids cause if he does that in a tourny, I'll turn him into structure  >.

[baboosicbass08]

hey what are u guys catching bass with? I've been out a bunch of times this year but i have still not caught any bass yet. i've mostly been fishing in coves should i be fishing deeper?

[Walkingboss]

Thank God for the small pond....Finally went up to my little place and smoked them. I've been on big water all spring and this was my first trip up to bassville. Fished from 3:30 to 7 and stopped counting at 15 fish....probably about 23 or 4 before I stopped because the boss (see: wife) expected me home by 7:30. Didn't bring a scale with me today, but the best fish was easily6 1/2. Another at a solid 5, 3 around 3-4 and the rest peanuts. Chatterbait did the trick today. Couple on senkos and one on a fluke, but when they're hitting the chatterbait like today it's hard to use anything else and a whole lot of fun. Aim, toss, reel, and set the hook....Repeat.....

All the big girls had deep water nearby. Peanuts up super shallow. Both big girls were off old laydowns, about halfway down the trunk, in 4-6 feet of water. New laydowns from recent storms didn't have big fish. Old wood, old bass. I'm pretty sure they'll be on the beds within 3 weeks and will probably spawn on the following full moon.

[llPa1nll]

Hey guys,

Reporting from Cobbet's for Sunday the 29th. Easily had my best day in a long long long time. The bite started early and stayed hot all day long. The key was to chunk and wind near any kind of shallow flats in 4-8ft of water. I think my partner for the day hates me although by regular standards he had a decent day. He boated 20 bass with them coming on Jerk Bait, Trap, Jig. I landed 61 yes 61 on Jerk Bait and Trap. All decent fish with the majority in the 2-3lb size limit. We had some bigger ones in the 3.5lb range as well but nothing I would say that broke 4lbs. We had the lake all to ourselves except for a few trout fishermen. I saw another bass boat but I think he left due to the showers.  I had to pry myself off the water if I wasnt house sitting and had a dog doing the "I gotta Pee Dance" I would have stayed later and tried my luck to run at 100. Unbelievable so my thumb is tore up and I couldnt be happier, great day hope you guys loaded the boat like I did.

[baboosicbass08]

Wow! Great job lPa1nl man 61, i'd settle for 1 i've yet to catch a single bass so far and i've been trying everything. keep up the good work.

Hey guys,

Reporting from Cobbet's for Sunday the 29th. Easily had my best day in a long long long time. The bite started early and stayed hot all day long. The key was to chunk and wind near any kind of shallow flats in 4-8ft of water. I think my partner for the day hates me although by regular standards he had a decent day. He boated 20 bass with them coming on Jerk Bait, Trap, Jig. I landed 61 yes 61 on Jerk Bait and Trap. All decent fish with the majority in the 2-3lb size limit. We had some bigger ones in the 3.5lb range as well but nothing I would say that broke 4lbs. We had the lake all to ourselves except for a few trout fishermen. I saw another bass boat but I think he left due to the showers. I had to pry myself off the water if I wasnt house sitting and had a dog doing the "I gotta Pee Dance" I would have stayed later and tried my luck to run at 100. Unbelievable so my thumb is tore up and I couldnt be happier, great day hope you guys loaded the boat like I did.

[Walkingboss]

Are you on the water, or on shore?  Spring is tough from shore, as most of your fish aren't up yet.  If you are in a boat/canoe, do you have a depth finder?  I find that spring bass around here like to relate to 'vertical' structure, like a bluff or STEEP bank.  They'll move up or down the water column against these structures depending on conditions, but they'll always be near.  Also, secondary points, mid-lake humps/rock piles, and flats between 5-10' (better if deep water is near) are good places to try.  The females are FULL of eggs and will be fanning beds within the next few weeks, so if you fish from shore you might just get what you're looking for.  If you are in a boat/canoe, get a depth finder if you don't already have one and log onto the NH F&G website to print off a topo-map.  There are quite a few (I believe over 200) available for free and they can save you a lot of time looking for those area's I've mentioned.  Finally, if you don't own a Clark's Guide to NH fishing, get one.  Northern Bass Supply has a bunch.  Worth every penny.  Good luck.

[llPa1nll]

Are you on the water, or on shore?  Spring is tough from shore, as most of your fish aren't up yet.  If you are in a boat/canoe, do you have a depth finder?  I find that spring bass around here like to relate to 'vertical' structure, like a bluff or STEEP bank.  They'll move up or down the water column against these structures depending on conditions, but they'll always be near.  Also, secondary points, mid-lake humps/rock piles, and flats between 5-10' (better if deep water is near) are good places to try.  The females are FULL of eggs and will be fanning beds within the next few weeks, so if you fish from shore you might just get what you're looking for.  If you are in a boat/canoe, get a depth finder if you don't already have one and log onto the NH F&G website to print off a topo-map.  There are quite a few (I believe over 200) available for free and they can save you a lot of time looking for those area's I've mentioned.  Finally, if you don't own a Clark's Guide to NH fishing, get one.  Northern Bass Supply has a bunch.  Worth every penny.  Good luck.

Well said. I couldnt agree more...

[baboosicbass08]

hey guys thanks for the tips, i've been fishing from a canoe but don't have a depth finder. i'll just keep trying until it gets warmer then i'll start catching them in the coves and from shore like i did last year. thanks again.

[Walkingboss]

I lived out of my canoe (see picture to left) for a long time.  Used to have a nice lund, got divorced......Got a canoe, got married (again), got a Tracker 185.  Both the wives and the boats are very different, but I've moved up on both for sure!

Anyway, save a few pennies and go get a simple Humminbird Piranha series depth finder at Wal-Mart.  I think you can grab one for under $100 for sure.  What I did for my canoe was to buy a riding lawn mower battery to power my sonar.  The battery is small and doesn't screw-up the balance of the canoe.  You could probably power a sonar with those old-school lantern batteries...even smaller (maybe not though because their not 12 volt).  I then mounted my transducer to a 1x2 and C-clamped the wood to my canoe behind me.  Doesn't really mess with the paddling, but can easily be unclamped to make speed.  

I think I spent a total of $130 for the whole set-up and it was worth every penny.  I learned things about my local ponds that completely changed how I fished them from season to season.  I've pulled some great fish from local ponds thanks to what my sonar let me know.  I don't use it to find fish, I use it to find their house, local pub, and 'school'.  You find those, you'll find fish.

If you spend it, they will come.

[llPa1nll]

I am not going to be able to get out this weekend or next.  I was wondering how you guys are doing? Any luck any big fish? Boy looks like its gonna be a great day out on the water, today.

[ben watson]

hello everyone, went fishing yesterday in milton, northeast pond. only caught 2 pickeral, still no bass, caught both picks on 5/8 jitterbug, alot of traffic on lake, tournament today, also really windy yesterday, i threw out my anchor to slow me down a little, it didnt really work , when i pulled the anchor up i noticed there was some fishing line wrapped around  the rope along with a very old rod and reel with a mepps2 lure still attached, the rod was a 6' shakespere with a shakespere longcast reel,.. wish i caught a nice bass instead.