Fishing Report

 April 1, 2024 - A.J.’s Fishing Report

April 1st started the season of open-water fishing on the big lakes that are managed for Landlocked Salmon & Lake Trout and they are biting! We have heard of several 20-25” Salmon and also some nice Rainbows already.

Early season Salmon are successfully caught by trolling with everything from spoons such as BB Guns, 61 & 44 Lights (Suttons), Top Guns, and Smelt Guns to A.J.’s streamer flies like Firesmelt, Blood-n-Guts, Spawning Smelt & Red Grey Ghost also an early season favorite, live smelt or shiners. Fish along the shorelines and at the mouths of the brooks.

Most early season fish are caught from the surface to about 20 feet down, with everything from planer board set-ups to monofilament flat lines 50-150 feet behind the boat. When the wind kicks in, drifting live smelt or shiners in the waves can be highly effective.

Shore Fishing:
There are also many places to fish from shore such as: The Lakeport Dam/Opechee Lake, Weirs Channel & the Weirs Channel Bridge, Winnipesaukee River (through Laconia to Dixon Point at Lake Winnisquam), Mosquito Bridge at Lake Winnisquam, Winnisquam public docks on Water Street, Lochmere Dam at Silver Lake, Governors Island Bridge in Gilford, Long Island Bridge in Moultonboro, Smith River inlet at Wolfeboro Bay, and the Weirs, Alton, Meredith & Center Harbor public town docks. At these locations, everything from smelt, shiners and worms under a slip bobber to small jigs will take salmon, as well as rainbow trout.

 Fly Fishing:

• The Newfound River in Bristol offers great fly-fishing-only water that can often produce rainbows and an occasional salmon.
• The Merrymeeting River (fly-fishing-only, barbless, catch and release), and the mouth of the Merrymeeting River as it enters Alton Bay, downstream of the famous stone arch bridge will produce landlocked salmon and an occasional trout.