Full-time New Hampshire fishing guide Tim from Tim Moore Outdoors told us that not a lot had changed from the previous week. We’ve made a little ice, but we really need this cold weather that is coming. A couple of nights below zero should really help, as long as the wind doesn’t blow too hard,” he said. Tim says he pushed some of his guide trips off a week to ensure the ice is better, so he has a few more places to fish without worrying. He expects many bays on Winnipesaukee to be fishable by the coming weekend.
Lon Berry at Berry’s Bait in New Durham told us that the local ponds have good ice and there have been a lot of fishermen heading out and catching a lot of yellow perch and crappie. He and his family got out onto Alton Bay over the past weekend and caught a bunch of yellow perch and a few white perch. “We sold a ton of bait and are still well stocked with gear,” he said. Lon told us that there are people fishing multiple bays on Winnipesaukee, but he cautions anglers to be careful. “The cold weather coming will expand real estate a bit, but that doesn’t mean everything that is frozen is safe,” he told us.
Mike Crouthamel at Wildlife Sport Outfitters in Manchester was on Pleasant Lake in Deerfield when we spoke to him. He says a lot of local ponds have ice, but the middles are thin, so check as you go. He says their shop is stocked with shiners ranging from pins to extra large pike shiners. “I haven’t been doing very well using eggs for trout, but we are selling a ton of them, so someone must be,” he said.
Jason MacKenzie at Pawtuckaway Trading Post in Raymond was enthusiastic about the coming arctic weather. “We were quite busy a couple days this week with anglers buying bait to head out to places like Northwood Lake and the Moat on the Lamprey River. It’s still early and a lot of people are just heading out for their first time and none of them have been back in to report how they did. Jason says a lot of the local ponds have fishing activity, but he advises anglers use caution until ice conditions improve.
George Taylor at Taylor’s Trading Post in Madbury reported a slow week in his neck of the woods but was optimistic that the coming weekend would be different. “A lot of people headed out, but no one has been back yet to report how they did,” he said. George says people have been on Swains, Baxter, and Willand, and the Bellamy has ice but not very thick.
