By Tim Moore:
March is our favorite month to ice fish. As we progress through the month expect fish, especially warm water species that spawn in the spring, to become increasingly more active. Longer days signify to warm water fish that the spawning season is approaching. Add to that more runoff created by melting snow and precipitation, which more often falls in the form of rain, and you’ve got more oxygenated water and more energetic fish.
White perch are no exception to this phenomenon. They feed aggressively to prepare for the energy expended during the spawn that occurs just after ice-out. Our clients can expect mornings and sometimes entire days of non-stop action with some of the biggest fish of the season, many pushing three pounds. We typically begin our day fishing over a basin anywhere from 25’ – 60’ deep. Blade Spoons and Epoxy Drop jigs from Clam Outdoors, or size 3 Swedish Pimples, tipped with a piece of worm or spikes (maggots) will get the job done. As the day progresses we will move to steep break lines in around 30’ of water and sometimes drill lots of holes.
Mobility is often the key to stay with these nomadic marauders as they wreak havoc on schools of smelt. After a school moves through we wait no more than 30 minutes to see if they return before moving and drilling more holes. A Vexilar sonar flasher will be
our biggest asset. It allows you to immediately determine when there are fish beneath you and when there are not. To locate fish, drill a few holes and fish them all. If you do not locate fish, drill a few more. You shouldn’t have to drill very many this time of year before you are catching fish after fish. The key once you find a school of fish is to get your jig back down to them as fast as you can. There will be time to take photos later.
As the month progresses and depending on the weather, we may see a reversal of early ice. When we begin to make our way toward the end of the season, ice thickness will again become inconsistent. Flowing water and longer sunlight will melt the weaker, snow ice first making the ice unstable. Keep safety first and break out those ice safety picks and throw bags. The ice-fishing season on Lake Winnipesaukee ends after March 31 and we expect to get every day of that on the ice.
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.