fishing report Sept 1

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N.H. WEEKLY FISHING REPORT -- September 1, 2005 This week, big-lakes biologist John Viar reports on his latest catches, and advises that keeping a fishing journal can improve your success over time. Buy your fishing license and salmon permit online, any time -- at http://www.nhfishandgame.com. Fish stocking is complete for the season. Stocking information from April-July is available at http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Fishing/fish_stock_current.htm. Know someone who might like to sign up for the Fishing Report? Send them to http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Inside_FandG/join_mail_list.htm. Fish New Hampshire and relax... We have what you're looking for. ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> PART 1: STATE OF THE UNION By John Viar, Fisheries Biologist, Region 2/New Hampton ><> Landlocked Salmon/Rainbow Trout/Lake Trout - Large Lakes Swan Song At risk of sounding a bit like a broken record, overall, the last several weeks have been phenomenal on Lake Winnipesaukee. Our hydroacoustic and trawl net forage fish surveys (we just completed the Big Lake) have revealed excellent numbers of rainbow smelt. Plump, splendidly conditioned salmon, rainbows, and lakers are the result -- fierce battles await you! More 4-year-old salmon (left ventral fin-clip) have started to show up in the catch; these fish are in the 4+ lbs. range. Wide-body rainbows in the 15-17 inch range (looking as though they are going to explode!) have also been prevalent in the catch. Look for continued success through the end of the month (remember, the season ends Sept. 30), and while most fish have been taken from 30-45 feet in the thermocline, more surface activity will start to take place through September -- working a sinking fly line or 1-3 colors of leadcore at dawn can be productive. Watch for swirls and boils, which signal salmon and rainbows "c orralling" smelt to the surface; gulls dropping to the water to perform clean-up duty are dead giveaways. Spoon selection: orange/red/copper in low light and silver/prism/reflection later in the morning if sunny should keep you in good shape (no doubt by now you know the productive spoons, but if not, it's tough to go wrong with DB Smelt, Top Guns, Mini Guns, Suttons, and Needlefish). Bright streamer flies (Maynard's, Pumpkinhead, Canopache) are also hot; stay on the small side to match young-of-the-year smelt. One other note: when fishing deep this time of year, no need for long leadcore leaders or leads behind downrigger (DR) balls; 15-40 feet for both will do just fine; run even closer to downrigger balls if using flasher attractors off the ball. Running very close (6-12 feet) to the DR balls on windy days will increase action on your lures/flies as the boat and DR balls bounce in the waves (wind and waves also help create action on your leadcore lines). If things slow up mid-morning, drop down to 60+ feet and slow down to 1.5 mph for lakers/togue stacked in the deep basins. Small needlefish 10 feet behind the DR ball can be highly effective; if calm enough, jigging is even more deadly. Looking for "new" water and want to explore? Try Big Squam Lake in the Deephaven and Sandwich Bay basins for a shot at trophy-sized (5+ lbs.) salmon, but lower catch rate than Winnipesaukee; and try Winnisquam and Newfound lakes for rainbow trout (18+ inchers have been taken) and plenty of lake trout. Don't be surprised if you pick up a hawg smallmouth or beefy white perch while trolling; these fish also know where the smelt groceries are at! ><> Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass/Chain Pickerel/ Panfish - Overlooked Furious Fall Feeding Frenzies Fall is one of the best but often overlooked times for warmwater fishing, as many turn their attention to hunting. Particularly during stable weather conditions, bass will really put on the feedbag in anticipation of the long, cold winter. After drowning plastic most of mid-late summer during the "Dog Days," my spinnerbaits begin to start paying off more consistently in fall. Tickling the tops of deep and dying weedlines, then stopping spinnerbaits to helicopter fall along the weed wall can be deadly for largemouth. Some quality-sized smallmouth will also return to relatively shallow water for feeding forays; the same 10-15 foot contours that were hot pre-and post-spawn can come alive again. Another pattern, though hit or miss, that has emerged for large-lake smallmouth is spinnerbaits over very deep water near underwater reefs, when the fish are suspended and feeding on pods of smelt or perch (electronics/sonar are critical). Countdown a heavy 3/4 - 1 oz single Colorado blad e spinnerbait and slow roll it back to the boat at the level of bait/gamefish marks. Once the really cold water settles in, it is vertical spoon jigging time for smallmouth. In deep water (30+ feet), if you really get into them, please show restraint; being hauled to the surface is extremely stressful and can cause the fish to hemorrhage -- which ultimately leads to death, even if fizzing or other special release techniques are used. Give Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam, and Big Squam a shot for fall bronzebacks; for the green machines, hit Wickwas Lake and Balch Pond, along with back bays and coves of the aforementioned lakes. Chain pickerel, especially the quality-sized fish (20+ inches), are also invigorated by the return of colder water and become downright voracious. Aggressively work the decaying deep weedlines with spinnerbaits and stickbaits, or jigs tipped with shiners when the real cold settles in, and hold on. Most warmwater ponds contain stable pickerel populations, but in general, those on the larger size with ample perch and golden shiner forage produce more quality-sized pickerel. For panfish species such as black crappie, deep weedlines will remain productive until later this month, when the fish will begin to school up and settle into deeper basin areas. Vertical presentations with micro-tube jigs or small shiners can provide some fast action. Again, restraint is warranted since a substantial portion of the water body's entire population can be found in these "mega-schools"; use selective harvest to ensure the future of quality-sized panfish. Many times what seems like an endless resource is actually just the vulnerability of concentrated fish in predictable locations at particular times of year. ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> PART 2: DETAILS, DETAILS... ><> A Day in the Life Water Body: Lake Winnipesaukee Location: Governor's Island Basin Date: 23-August-05 Time: 0530-0930 Weather: clear, sunny, 10-15 mph NW wind Moon Phase: 4 days post full moon Surface Temperature: 74 F Bottom/Presentation Depth: 40-100/25-45 ft Technique: trolling; 1.7-2.3 mph Presentation: 2 lines; 1 leadcore 5-7 colors and one DR rod 30-45 ft; or two DR rods (stacker) 30-40 ft Lures/Bait: DB guide and DB "homemade" smelt pattern; copper shrimp streamer Fish Boated: 2 rainbow trout 15-16"; 2 lake trout 17-19"; 3 landlocked salmon: age 1 11"; age 3 19"; age 5 21.5" (See a picture in the online version of this report.) Key/Best: DB guide first 2 hours 30 ft on DR; then DB "homemade" smelt once sunny 30-40 ft on DR; copper shrimp 6 colors working rod Notes: rainbow smelt/gamefish marks over relatively shallow 40-65 contours and reefs - few over deeper basin water; all fish very healthy and several spitting up young-of-year rainbow smelt; several other hookups - most fish lost before ID; surprised at activity given post-front post-full moon conditions Fish Kept - Notes/Stomach Contents: Salmon: age 3 19" 2 lb 5 oz male; age 5 21.5" 3 lb 8 oz female (leftover/last year's and this year's eggs present; small for age class - previously caught age 4's running 4+ lb) - both salmon with numerous young-of-year (1.75") and several adult (3.5") smelt in stomachs ><> Do you keep a fishing log/journal? Even a relatively simple format like above? No matter what species you pursue, I can't tell you how much can be learned over the years by taking 5-10 minutes to record the conditions and results. As the saying goes, "Any time you can go fishing is a good time," but after keeping a log you will note there are definite peak times to fish, especially in terms of weather patterns (you may even start to see credence in some of the old sayings like "wind from the east, fish bite the least" - I am a firm believer in that one!) For multi-species anglers (including yours truly), even more interesting is the comparison of activity levels between species, which you will find to be quite similar in many instances. For example, on dual trip days (coldwater species AM, warmwater species PM) when the weather and conditions remained similar, I have often noted similar results for both sides of the coin. What about the moon phase? While not critical in freshwater in my opinion, many notable trips have come just before full moon and during new moon phases, both warm and coldwater species. But as you will note, the trip above was post-full moon and post-front weather conditions, which given previous results/observations (usually relatively slow), was a pleasant surprise. Conversely, we had pre-front southwest wind conditions at dawn this past Sunday, which typically provide fast action, but our party took a skunk on salmon (tough to do during this very productive time of year)! Reports from some anglers fishing different areas of the lake confirmed the bite was fairly stingy, even though it had been great the previous two days. Yes, so many variables to consider. All of the above "stars" can be lined up, but if you are not in the right location with the proper presentation, well, it doesn't mean much. The bottom line is determining/figuring out as many variables as possible, and this comes from learning the life history of your target species (reading and research), experience/time on the water, talking and fishing with other knowledgeable anglers, and insight which can be gained by keeping a journal. But as many of us would agree, success is only one part of the angling experience; many times a spectacular sunrise or sunset, or a youngster b attling their first airborne landlocked salmon or smallmouth bass, are some of the most memorable entries you will make into your journal. And just when you think you may have them "figured out", you will have a day that just makes you scratch your head (like ours on Sunday!) -- and that is the beauty of it... ><> ><> FISHING NOTES ><> ><> ><> CHESHIRE COUNTY ANGLERS: Please note that the boat ramp at Sand Pond in Marlow will be closed for repairs until further notice. DID YOU KNOW?: Just about all of Fish and Game’s funding comes from sales of fishing and hunting licenses and permits. Even if you’re not planning to fish or hunt this year, you can still support the important work of your Fish and Game Department by buying a license. Pick one up at any New Hampshire license agent; or purchase online, anytime, at http://www.nhfishandgame.com. Thanks for your support! ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> FEDERAL AID IN SPORT FISH AND WILDLIFE RESTORATION A User-Pay, User-Benefit Program Researching and managing fisheries and teaching people about aquatic ecosystems are funded by your license dollars and by the Federal Aid in Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program. Your purchases of fishing equipment and motorboat fuels make a difference to New Hampshire's fisheries. To learn more, visit http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/SFWR_program/sfwr_program.htm. -- Copyright 2005 New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03301. Comments or questions concerning this list should be directed to lpoinier@wildlife.state.nh.us.