By Tim Moore,
December is a month when the weather cools down, but the fishing begins to heat up as more freshwater lakes and ponds freeze over throughout the month. For us, it will be all ice fishing from now through March. Expect northern high-elevation ponds to freeze first providing the first fishable ice in New Hampshire. Many ponds in Grafton County and the White Mountain regions usually see fishable ice as early as the first week in December and are only a two-hour (or less) drive from most anywhere in the state.
Although trout ponds have closed throughout the state, New Hampshire has many opportunities for trout anglers to catch some early season brook, brown, rainbow, and lake trout. Lakes such as Stinson and Tarleton have no closed season, have lake trout, and are usually stocked in the fall with brown or brook trout. A 3/8 or 1/2 ounce round-head jig with our signature series Daddy Mac Whisperer Lure is our go-to jig for lakers. A size 12 Clam Epoxy Drop tipped with a Makiplastic Draggi is a good lure for any trout species, but don’t underestimate the size of the Epoxy Drop for lake trout. We lost count of how many lake trout we caught using white or green Epoxy Drops last season. If you want to specifically target bigger lakers, try a Daddy Mac Lures Elite Ice jig tipped with a minnow head or strip of sucker belly-meat. Match your lure color to the water clarity and light conditions at the time and you should catch fish.
Many of the first ponds to freeze will also contain bluegill, crappie, and perch. These warm water species will feed most aggressively early and late in the season making early-ice a prime time to catch some of these great eating fish. Panfish will school over deep basins early and late in the day and feed aggressively. During the mid-day hours they will head to weed beds for cover and higher oxygen levels. The Drop jig from Clam Outdoors tipped with a Jamei or Maki Minnowhead from Makiplastic are great with the Speed Spoon coming in a close second.
Early ice forms inconsistently and can be very dangerous. Make sure you always have a spud bar, floating safety picks, and ice cleats. A life vest or ice fishing suit with buoyant properties such as the Ice Armor Lift Suit are excellent pieces of reassurance. Don’t forget that weighs under one ounce, and jigs less than one inch long, must be non-lead in New Hampshire and if you want to use bait you must be using a single hook with a single hook point. Anything a fish can ingest is considered bait, including plastics.
With cold December weather around the corner, fisherman Tim Moore is ready for ice fishing season.
FORECAST BY: Tim Moore is a nationally recognized professional angler and owner of Tim Moore Outdoors LLC, offering NH kayak fishing charters and Lake Winnipesaukee ice fishing charters. He is a pro staff member for several local and national companies, and the producer of Tim Moore Outdoors TV. Visit www.TimMooreOutdoors.com for more information.
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