By Tim Moore
The stripers are here! Schoolie striped bass arrived in New Hampshire waters in mid-May. The alewives made their way into the rivers, and the bass were only a few days behind them. Bass in the mid-30” range were caught within days of the first schoolies arriving. Expect the striper fishing to get better throughout the month.
One of my favorite things about the arrival of fresh striped bass is the surface action they provide. One of my favorite lures for stripers is a 6” paddle tail shad. Shads casted into schools of surfacing bass, and ripped through them, create vibration. The vibration separates the thick schools of bait, leaving the shad all by itself, and making it a target. As we progress through the month be sure to have a diverse collection of lures to match the many feeding patterns of the bass. Daddy Mac Lures make some of the best striped bass swim baits, crank baits, and vertical jigs on the market.
June is my busiest month for walleye trips on the Connecticut River. Now that we are running freshwater boat charters we can really target better numbers of walleye, and often shift gears for a few bonus northern pike. We will still be guiding northern pike trips, but they will mostly be early morning and late afternoon trips as the waters warm. We have the new Straight-Wire Spinnerbaits from Bigtooth Tackle Company and man are they sweet. They create so much vibration, and they’re virtually weedless.
I’m stoked to be offering guided trips for smallmouth bass on Squam Lake. TMO has partnered with Cottage Place on Squam Lake to offer fish-and-stay packages. This is one of the most beautiful lakes in all of New England, but also has amazing smallmouth bass as well as landlocked salmon, rainbow trout, and lake trout. June is an exciting month for anglers. Our website has details about all of our guided trips for anyone interested. Best of luck out there!
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 Tim Moore Outdoors for more information.