Anyone have any luck in SOUTHERN NH yet?

[unhbass37]

Any luck yet in the southern part of NH yet for largemouth? Last time I went out the water temp at in the low 40's. Not even a bluegill.

[Yakfish]

Still waiting for open water here my friend.  

[unhbass37]

I am new to fishing, Well started last year. Would it be safe to assume Bass won't bite till the water is in the 50's? I am now fishing with a jig, spinnerbait and have tried a 6" worm. My graph shows them deep, But no luck catching them yet. Any ideas to help me out?

[nboucher]

I'm about an hour south of Nashua and started catching at my local pond about a week or so ago. You can definitely catch quality bass in 40 degree water. I've caught some of my biggest bass in cold water. I caught a 3lb, 10oz LMB in 44 degree water on my first day out this year, and last year I caught one just shy of 7 pounds in April.

A jig might work, but I think the fish are still too lethargic for a spinnerbait, and I find hard baits generally more effective than soft plastics in the early spring. Whatever you use in cold water, you need to work it very very slowly. The fish are basically moving in slow motion right now.

I have my best luck in cold water with the Rapala Husky Jerk. I use the HJ10 or HJ12, but any size will do, and with so little vegetation around, you don't have to worry about the treble hooks hanging up so much. I've had my best luck with the gold HJ, but anything with a bit of flash should work. Cast it out and let it sit for a good minute then give it a couple of twitches and let it sit some more. Bass will often slowly drift to the bait when it's sitting suspended and hit it when you twitch it, exposing that flash. In the pond where I fish, they seem to be hanging out in about 6 to 8 feet of water right now.

Hope this helps. Good luck & have fun.

[unhbass37]

Thanks alot for the tips. I will give that a shot.

[baboosicbass08]

Went out today to the wilton reservoir for a few hours...got nothing, tried everything i had and fished real slow, oh well won't be able to get out again until sunday but hopefully more ice will be gone by then so more spots will open up.

[Shane J]

Yup, same for me, nothin yet, plus the only real open water I've been able to find is the Merrimack River, and I've tried a few times from the bank, but nothing so far. Soon I'll be dropping the boat in and gettin' on 'em, though. Good luck to you all.

[unhbass37]

Went out again today and got nothing. I did try the jerk bait also. I'm glad I bought it though as I'm sure it will work. I may try another pond today, But I still think it's to COLD. I do refuse to give up though .

[nboucher]

You'll be fine. Just keep at it. Try different depths. It's not the cold; you just haven't found where they're hangin yet. When you do start catching, notice where you are, what the depth of water is (or how far from shore you are if you can't judge the depth), and how you were working the bait.  It's all about learning what works on that day and where the fish are that day. They're deeper now than they will be in a few weeks around here.

Remember, you can't work those baits too slowly this time of year. Patience is key, and stay ready to be surprised.

Let us know when you hook your first of the year.

[unhbass37]

I have been using the Jerk bait (gold) and a Jig with a crawfish trailer (black/blue) and still nothing, The water temp was 48 degrees today before the rain my question is should I wait till the afternoon to try instead of the morning to fish? Also would a pork trailer help the Jig? Thanks to all that can help.

[wagn]

At this time of year I fish later in the day, after giving the water a chance to warm up, instead of in the morning. I'm also searching for the warmest water that I can find, especially if there are springs feeding water into the lake

[nashua fisherman]

sorry for the lack of introduction. im tom from nashua, nh.

me and the wife went fishing at flints pond in hollis yesterday around 4pm. i was hoping to at least catch some pickeral but i only managed to get a yellow perch 3 feet from the boat. we tried jigs, spinerbaits, rapala dt-4's, and senko's.

we tried mill pond today for a half hour, but it was raining to hard to really enjoy it. got to try my new fish finder though. if the fishfinder was right, there were some big schools around the 20 ft depth.

we fished horseshoe pond in merrimack last week and got skunked too.

[unhbass37]

Hi Tom last year I caught a 5 pounder out of mill pond in August. My son did well well there to, But the millfoil makes it tough to fish there. How is Flints pond in Hollis? Is there a boat launch for a 8 ft boat?

[nashua fisherman]

me and the wife managed to launch our 12' jonboat without getting our feet wet at flints pond. they dont allow outboards due to the milfoil, but we use a trolling motor. this was only our second time there. lots of millfoil and pickeral in the summer. plan on cleaning your bait after every cast.

what did you use to catch that bass at mill pond? what part were you fishing? have you tried robinson or otternic in hudson?

[unhbass37]

I used a crankbait (walmart special), As a matter of fact I use that the most in the summer and catch alot of bass. I caught it in the middle. My son did better then me and he is only 8 yrs old. I have never tried those other places, But can you give me directions?

[unhbass37]

I found it. I may check them out. Thanks for the info.

[nashua fisherman]

went back to mill pond today and tried a spinnerbait and tube with no luck. my wife insisted on using a rapala floating minnow. heres what she caught;

[nashua fisherman]

and this

[unhbass37]

Cool good for her. There are alot of pickeral there to. Did you fish from the shore? My son caught a horned pout and a few bass from the shore before I got my boat. There are bass there for sure, But can be difficult to catch in the summer with all the milfoil. I did not bother to go out today, But may try tommorow.

[nashua fisherman]

thanks. we fished from the shore. fish were caught near the canal. we are going out tomorow, but not sure where. hoping to take the boat and get some experience with the fish finder.

[unhbass37]

We may see you there. I am not sure if I will take the boat as it is suppose to be windy and it makes it hard to fish in my little boat.

[nashua fisherman]

made it out again today with the wife. hit a three different places with no luck and ended up back at mill pond. caught my new personal best LM. ive never seen a bass this big before. guy on shore had a scale but it didnt work, but we figure 5-6 lbs. what do you think?

[nashua fisherman]

another

[nashua fisherman]

last one

[unhbass37]

WOW that is bigger then the I caught last augest. I would say atleast 5 1/2 lbs. The one I caught was 5lbs 1oz. What did you use for a lure? I was there today early and fished from the shore but did not get anything. I only stayed there for about an hour. I think I saw you out there, But not sure. What time did you catch it? Where else did you try?