By Tim Moore
Ice fishing got off to a late start, but we are finally under way and most waters in the state are fishing. Extreme caution should still be used as early-season warm spells have caused for some very inconsistent ice thicknesses. The large clear lakes may still have open areas. Some of our prime guiding areas on Lake Winnipesaukee are fishing and we began guiding ice fishing clients there toward the end of last month.
Lake Winnipesaukee provides us with access to some of the most amazing white perch fishing in North America. We use a run-and-gun style of fishing in an attempt to follow schools of fish, much in the same way you would follow a school of striped bass along a particular shoreline. The difference being that you can’t see the fish working on the surface. When we find them we go to work with Clam Epoxy Drops and Blade Spoons (www.ClamOutdoors.com) tipped with maggots or dillie. Remember, in New Hampshire you cannot put bait on a treble hook so make sure you swap out the trebles when applicable. It takes knowledge of the area and regular time spent fishing to know which way the fish are headed and what features they will use to ambush schools of smelt. This knowledge is especially helpful when the weather turns nasty and it’s necessary to hunker down in one spot. Knowing where the white perch typically travel can help make the day more productive. An added bonus to chasing white perch is the numbers of lake trout that will be doing the same thing. Using Vexilar sonar flashers allows us to see fish in the water column. It also allows us to see the smelt that the white perch are feeding on and when the smelt have moved on which often leaves behind two or three lake trout cleaning up the scraps from a striper-like feeding frenzy. When we set up on a school of white perch we always have lake trout rods rigged with our signature Daddy Mac Lures (www.DaddyMacLures.com) Whisperer at the ready, but don’t be surprised if a laker eats your perch jig before you have a chance to switch rods.
February also offers your best opportunity to jig up some daytime eelpout on Winnipesaukee. Call them eelpout, cusk, or burbot- it doesn’t matter. These fish taste great and they can get big in Winnipesaukee. Eelpout spend most of the year in the deepest darkest parts of the lake. They spawn in February, move into shallower water, and are active all day. If you have never eaten eelpout, I suggest you give it a try. Filet off the backstrap and tail sections and boil them in a solution of half water and half 7 Up. Dip the cooked meat in drawn butter and you’ve got yourself some delicious poor man’s lobster.
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