By Tim Moore:
Summer fishing is definitely upon us. Waters are warming, which is pushing some species out, and pulling others in. Striper patterns are changing along the New Hampshire coast. The more time you can spend on the water, the better tuned you will be to these changes. July offers many great opportunities, such as early-morning top water and late night live eel fishing.
Winter flounder are one species that vacates shallow water harbors. Once the water warms to above 59 degrees the flounder will move to cooler water around 25’ deep. You can still catch a few if you time the tide right with first light, but most in-shore flounder anglers will turn their attention to other more cooperative fish, such as striped bass.
The water temperatures will be coolest during the early morning (first light) period. Schooled-up bass will take advantage of the cooler more oxygenated water to feed aggressively, making top water a blast. Look for birds on the surface, then pan down to look for telltale splashes, and you will have hit pay dirt. Wood pencil poppers from BigFish Baits are a blast when the water is boiling with bass. We will be busy guiding kayak fishing clients and taking advantage of the calm mornings for good numbers. Then switching to targeting structure once the sun rises.
If you really want some fun, I suggest trying our one-person night kayak fishing trips. These trips specifically target bigger fish that wait for the sun to set, and the smaller fish to leave the shallows, before stalking prey in as little as 3-feet of water. My biggest stripers ever caught came on a live eel drifted in only a few feet of water. The outgoing tides just prior to a full moon have been the best for us.
Good news! Our boat is finally fixed and in the water. We began running smallmouth trips on Squam Lake last month. That bite is slowing, so we will be focusing on walleye in the Connecticut River, and lake trout on Squam Lake. Walleye are easily the best tasting freshwater fish to eat and they’re fun to catch. Vertical jigging for lake trout is also a lot of fun. It’s a lot like ice fishing, only in shorts. By that I mean we are often finding and targeting individual fish. It’s a fun cat and mouse game. For convenience, we are now offering fish and stay packages with Cottage Place on Squam Lake. Visit our website for details on all of our trips.
FORECAST BY: Tim Moore is a professional hunting and fishing guide from New Hampshire. He is the owner of Tim Moore Outdoors LLC, offering ice fishing charters, fresh and saltwater kayak fishing charters, and freshwater boat charters. He is a member of the New England Outdoors Writers Association and the producer of Tim Moore Outdoors TV. Visit our website for more information.