Smallmouth Fishing

rap4 · 05-27-2005, 08:27 PM

We are making our annual trip to Lake Winni for smallies during the second week of June. We are fishing once again in the Alton Bay area and would like to know what effect the cold weather has had on smallmouth fishing. We have two weeks for the temp to get into the 60's but that might be a strech. Does anyone know if the water temp is warmer on the smaller lakes in the immediate area. Any recommendations?

Jonas Pilot · 05-28-2005, 05:19 AM

Water temps on "Winni" have been up and down the whole spring. Early this week the temp in the main body of the lake outside of Wolfeboro was 47 degrees. In the northern part, Moultonboro and Center Harbor areas it was 52. Last week it was 3 degrees warmer. Wednesday and Thursday the temps had dropped another 2 degrees. The warmest water I could find was in the 50 degree range. On Squam Friday the temp was 52. All this has moved the smallmouths on and off the flats. It has slowed the fishing down but there's still some fish to be caught twitching stick baits and slow swimming grubs around the edges of the flats. A few days of sun should really turn things around. The smaller water bodies are warmer but still have been affected by this crazy weather. A nor' easter in late May? Wow! Don't give up on Winni yet.

b8tcaster · 05-29-2005, 06:31 AM

If the smallies have moved shallow a jerkbait such as a Husky Jerk or Lucky Craft pointer 78 is hard to beat. I prefer the pointer in ghost minnow or chartreuse shad colors. My favorite this time of year though would be a 3/4 oz. Silver buddy. I dont think any other lure can put as many fish in the boat as quickly as this one. Its extremely popular with tournament fisherman but I dont think it has caught on with recreational fishermen yet. I took a friend and his son out for a few hours a couple weeks ago who had heard of it but never tried them before and we had a blast catching a bunch of smallies from 1-1/2 to 3lbs. Are you planning on fishing just Alton Bay or other areas of the lake also? I can give you specific areas to try if i know what part of the lake you will be on.Email me if you would like specific info on areas or techniques and I would be glad to help. (b8tcaster@comcast.net)

JDeere · 05-31-2005, 07:10 AM

I assume that you use the gold versus the silver on Winni??

b8tcaster · 06-01-2005, 04:07 AM

I actually prefer chrome but will also use the gold if the fish seem to prefer that color. I also will throw the firetiger, craw, and white with blue back at times. I do like to start out with gold on overcast days though.

snowbird · 06-03-2005, 09:35 AM

The beds have finally begun to yield nesting bass along our island's shoreline. While legal to catch and release [in NH] during the spawn, it is unethical, IMO, to fish the shallow bass beds. Over the long term this practice can't be a good thing. I watched half a dozen bass boats doing this yesterday-----and it's not even the weekend.

With the cold water making for a late start to the spawn and many bass being pulled of their nests [repeatedly, until they give up the battle] this season's hatch is problematic.

Kona Family · 06-07-2005, 06:36 AM

I agree. My son and I fished off our dock and probably caught the same smallie two maybe three times. Then we had a series of more than three bass boats come by and they too kept catching the same fish over and over. I can't imagine the spring spawning is that rewarding vs. getting hooked two or three times a day. So what did we do, we didn't fish Sunday and my son had fun feeding crawlers to the two bass on their beds on either side of our dock so they wouldn't be hungry to hit the lures.

Rattlesnake Gal · 06-07-2005, 09:13 AM

Free Fishing Day happens to fall during a time when you have to catch and release any bass that you might catch.
I don't think that is an accident.

My mom was psyched to try her hand at fishing. She was hoping to have her first taste of bass, until I read the rules for this time of year. Not that we had any luck anyway. Only one lure was lost, but we sure had a great time.

Do bass move around or do they stay in one area? I keep seeing them surface in the same spot. Could these be the same fish over and over? How old can they get?

Hey Grant, when are you having that rock bass fish fry? We’re still waiting!
Do they taste as good as the other bass?

ApS · 06-07-2005, 06:56 PM

Since keeping a large 150-gallon aquarium, I've lost my former interest in fishing; however, I watch a lot of large fish off my dock-- which has become an aquarium.

I see some with white lips, others with red pectoral fins, still others with reddish tailfins. Catfish, sunnies, and pickerel are not an identification problem, but it's as if some other, new, fish have "moved in".

In the past, fallfish, bass, and roach (slender with coarse silvery scales) have been caught here. Some "newbies" appear to be large but stocky, with coarse silver scales. Smallmouth bass I've seen described as "bronzeback", but all the bass I see from above appear to be olive-colored. Some are schooling in numbers of 10's and 20's -- I think they're bass.

Can someone give me some pointers as to how to identify large (2 pounds+) Winnipesaukee fish from above?

(I don't want to hear about rock bass).

.

JohnNH · 06-08-2005, 06:29 AM

Acres Per Second,

The following link will bring you to the NHF&G Fishing Guide booklet which includes fish ID pages.

John/NH
NHF&G Fishing Digest

Finder · 06-11-2005, 12:18 PM

I watched a Bass Bed fisherman this morning. I said hello and watched him catch a bass from it's nest. He released it with a little trouble. Maybe a straight shanked hook. I hope not a treble hook. Later I saw a dead bass floating near my dock. Not making any judgements, but is this a sport?

05-27-2005, 08:27 PM	#1
rap4 Junior Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Smallmouth Fishing We are making our annual trip to Lake Winni for smallies during the second week of June. We are fishing once again in the Alton Bay area and would like to know what effect the cold weather has had on smallmouth fishing. We have two weeks for the temp to get into the 60's but that might be a strech. Does anyone know if the water temp is warmer on the smaller lakes in the immediate area. Any recommendations?

05-31-2005, 07:10 AM	#4
JDeere Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 295 Thanks: 74 Thanked 52 Times in 25 Posts	Silver buddy I assume that you use the gold versus the silver on Winni??

06-01-2005, 04:07 AM	#5
b8tcaster Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 40 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Silver Buddy I actually prefer chrome but will also use the gold if the fish seem to prefer that color. I also will throw the firetiger, craw, and white with blue back at times. I do like to start out with gold on overcast days though.

06-03-2005, 09:35 AM	#6
snowbird Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Gilford Islander Posts: 55 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post	Fishing the smallie beds The beds have finally begun to yield nesting bass along our island's shoreline. While legal to catch and release [in NH] during the spawn, it is unethical, IMO, to fish the shallow bass beds. Over the long term this practice can't be a good thing. I watched half a dozen bass boats doing this yesterday-----and it's not even the weekend. With the cold water making for a late start to the spawn and many bass being pulled of their nests [repeatedly, until they give up the battle] this season's hatch is problematic.

06-07-2005, 09:13 AM	#8
Rattlesnake Gal Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Central NH Posts: 5,252 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 1,447 Thanked 1,349 Times in 475 Posts	Bass & Free Fishing Day in New Hampshire Free Fishing Day happens to fall during a time when you have to catch and release any bass that you might catch. I don't think that is an accident. My mom was psyched to try her hand at fishing. She was hoping to have her first taste of bass, until I read the rules for this time of year. Not that we had any luck anyway. Only one lure was lost, but we sure had a great time. Do bass move around or do they stay in one area? I keep seeing them surface in the same spot. Could these be the same fish over and over? How old can they get? Hey Grant, when are you having that rock bass fish fry? We’re still waiting! Do they taste as good as the other bass?

05-28-2005, 05:19 AM	#2
Jonas Pilot Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Wolfeboro, New Hampshire is my home, 24-7-365 Posts: 1,686 Thanks: 1,047 Thanked 336 Times in 189 Posts	Water temps on "Winni" have been up and down the whole spring. Early this week the temp in the main body of the lake outside of Wolfeboro was 47 degrees. In the northern part, Moultonboro and Center Harbor areas it was 52. Last week it was 3 degrees warmer. Wednesday and Thursday the temps had dropped another 2 degrees. The warmest water I could find was in the 50 degree range. On Squam Friday the temp was 52. All this has moved the smallmouths on and off the flats. It has slowed the fishing down but there's still some fish to be caught twitching stick baits and slow swimming grubs around the edges of the flats. A few days of sun should really turn things around. The smaller water bodies are warmer but still have been affected by this crazy weather. A nor' easter in late May? Wow! Don't give up on Winni yet.

05-29-2005, 06:31 AM	#3
b8tcaster Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 40 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	If the smallies have moved shallow a jerkbait such as a Husky Jerk or Lucky Craft pointer 78 is hard to beat. I prefer the pointer in ghost minnow or chartreuse shad colors. My favorite this time of year though would be a 3/4 oz. Silver buddy. I dont think any other lure can put as many fish in the boat as quickly as this one. Its extremely popular with tournament fisherman but I dont think it has caught on with recreational fishermen yet. I took a friend and his son out for a few hours a couple weeks ago who had heard of it but never tried them before and we had a blast catching a bunch of smallies from 1-1/2 to 3lbs. Are you planning on fishing just Alton Bay or other areas of the lake also? I can give you specific areas to try if i know what part of the lake you will be on.Email me if you would like specific info on areas or techniques and I would be glad to help. (b8tcaster@comcast.net)

06-07-2005, 06:36 AM	#7
Kona Family Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 19 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I agree. My son and I fished off our dock and probably caught the same smallie two maybe three times. Then we had a series of more than three bass boats come by and they too kept catching the same fish over and over. I can't imagine the spring spawning is that rewarding vs. getting hooked two or three times a day. So what did we do, we didn't fish Sunday and my son had fun feeding crawlers to the two bass on their beds on either side of our dock so they wouldn't be hungry to hit the lures.

06-07-2005, 06:56 PM	#9
ApS Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Florida (Sebring & Keys), Wolfeboro Posts: 5,788 Thanks: 2,085 Thanked 742 Times in 532 Posts	Since keeping a large 150-gallon aquarium, I've lost my former interest in fishing; however, I watch a lot of large fish off my dock-- which has become an aquarium. I see some with white lips, others with red pectoral fins, still others with reddish tailfins. Catfish, sunnies, and pickerel are not an identification problem, but it's as if some other, new, fish have "moved in". In the past, fallfish, bass, and roach (slender with coarse silvery scales) have been caught here. Some "newbies" appear to be large but stocky, with coarse silver scales. Smallmouth bass I've seen described as "bronzeback", but all the bass I see from above appear to be olive-colored. Some are schooling in numbers of 10's and 20's -- I think they're bass. Can someone give me some pointers as to how to identify large (2 pounds+) Winnipesaukee fish *from above*? (I don't want to hear about rock bass). . __________________ Every MP who enters Winter Harbor will pass by my porch of 67 years...

06-08-2005, 06:29 AM	#10
JohnNH Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Weare, NH Posts: 72 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	NH F&G Fishing Guide Acres Per Second, The following link will bring you to the NHF&G Fishing Guide booklet which includes fish ID pages. John/NH NHF&G Fishing Digest

06-11-2005, 12:18 PM	#11
Finder Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 27 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 2 Posts	Finder I watched a Bass Bed fisherman this morning. I said hello and watched him catch a bass from it's nest. He released it with a little trouble. Maybe a straight shanked hook. I hope not a treble hook. Later I saw a dead bass floating near my dock. Not making any judgements, but is this a sport?