Oliver Lodge In Meredith New Hampshire February 20-21, 2017

Cynthia and I made reservations at the lodge in order to spend two days ice fishing on Lake Winnipesaukee.  The Oliver Lodge is located on the shore, a few miles east of downtown Meredith.  I thought that we would be staying in a small cabin.   I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that we would be staying in the main lodge.  

Being the only guests staying in the main section of the lodge we pretty much had the place to ourselves.  Our amenities included a bedroom with a lake view, a large modern kitchen, an even larger dinning room and a truly enormous gameroom/sunroom overlooking the lake.  Large stone fireplaces, antiques, plus mounted fish and game animals gave the place an authentic outdoorsy look.  The accommodations alone are enough to lure us back for another stay next year.  The fishing wasn’t too bad either.

We started our fishing at about noon on the first day.  It was slow which is typical of most days when fishing on the large two tip up lakes in New Hampshire that are managed for Lake Trout and Salmon.  A little bit before sundown we started to get some flags and pretty soon caught our first fish, a 19 inch Lake Trout.   A few minutes later we caught another same size Laker. 

Day two was less successful.  I think this spot has potential.  Oliver Lodge is a great place to stay and at least it’s a spot where we can find Lake Trout in the Winter.

Dunn Pond Revisited

Last month in January I went to Dunn Pond for some ice fishing only to realize when I got there that I forgot to bring the earthworms.  This oversight greatly diminished my chance of catching a Rainbow Trout.  I did catch one Black Crappie, a species on my 2017 wish list.  So the day wasn’t a total loss.  This week I returned on two consecutive days, with my son, Nate on Tuesday and my daughter, Alyssa on Wednesday.  

Alyssa with one of her Rainbow Trout.

Day One - Tuesday February 14, 2017

Nate and I arrived at Dunn Pond State Park at 10:30am.   The ice was quite thick, about 9 inches. The slushy snow on the surface made walking very difficult. 

YUCK!

The weather was sunny, with very little wind, and the air temperature was very comfortable.  We set out 10 tip-ups.  Five baited with Mummichogs* of various sizes and five baited with a nightcrawler/salmon egg combo.   

Got one flag right away.  We waited at least an hour before the next flag popped up.  It was a small 12 inch Rainbow Trout that fell for a nightcrawler/salmon egg bait.  The action continued to be slow with only three more flags and one more 12 inch Rainbow. We didn’t get a single hit on the Mummichogs  but least we didn’t get skunked.

 
                                                                                           Nate tried some jigging.

Day Two - Wednesday February 15, 2017 

Returned the following day, this time with Alyssa.  It was cloudy with almost no wind.  The surface of the pond was a little less slushy than the previous day. We started drilling holes at around 9:30am.  We set up seven tip-ups and then it got busy.  By 11pm we had our limit of three Rainbow Trout per person!  All were caught on the crawler/salmon egg combo.  It was too early to go home so we switched the bait to live Mummichogs to try for Bass and Black Crappie.  After an hour and a half without a flag we decided to call it a day.  I’ll have plenty of smoked trout to snack on while fishing at Lake Winnipesaukee next week!

* Mummichogs are a species of brackish water killifish.  In Massachusetts they're called chubs.  In Maine and New Hampshire they're known as Tommycod.

More Ice Fishing On Lake Winnipesaukee

Just got back from a three day trip to the big lake.  Each day was successful but in different ways.  Fished the same spot in Moultonborough where I caught a Lake Trout two weeks ago. I used only large smelt on wooden tip ups.  Many ice fishermen are using electronic fish finders and jigging rods these days for targeting Lake Trout, but I seem to be doing just fine fishing the old fashioned way.   

Day One - January 29, 2017 

Arrived at the lake around 11am. It was slow for the first couple hours.  Then the schools of Yellow Perch started to move through and the flags popped up steadily right up until sunset.  

I caught ten perch and kept seven.  Fried some up when I got home. 

Concluded the day watching a gorgeous sunset.

Day Two - January 30, 2017

Got on the ice at 8:30am.  Placed one tip-up on the same spot, in 10 feet of water, where the Laker was caught two weeks earlier.  This was also where most of the perch were caught.  Set the second tip-up about 80 feet out in 25 feet of water.  It wasn’t too long before the flag popped up on the second tip-up.  As soon as I set the hook I knew it wasn’t a perch.  The way it fought indicated a decent size Salmonoid of some sort.  When I got it to the hole I was staring at a 22 inch Landlocked Salmon!  The Salmon was promptly released since it’s illegal to keep Salmon caught through the ice in New Hampshire. The Landlocked Salmon was on my New Year's Resolution Species Wishlist.

On this day the Yellow Perch bite was slower.  Caught only three perch.  No Lake Trout but the Salmon made it a fun day.

Day Three - January 31, 2017

Arrived at 8am.  Set up on the same spots as the previous day.  One tip-up in 10 feet of water and one in 25 feet of water. Figured these spots were sufficiently chummed with all the dead smelt that I dropped through the holes.  

First flag popped up soon after at the Salmon hole in 25 feet of water.  The fish took out a few feet of line then dropped the bait.  About 45 minutes later another flag.  Hardly any line taken. Pulled gently and felt something solid on the other end of the line.  Set the hook and pulled in a 19 inch Lake Trout.  It had and extended pot belly from eating chum.  

One hour later the flag popped up on the other tip-up.  The spool was slowly and steadily tuning.  I set the hook and brought in the second Lake Trout of the morning!   I  could have stayed longer to catch and release for the rest of the day but was satisfied enough to start heading home to Cape Cod.  

Hoping to make one or two more trips to Winnipesaukee this winter.  Though with the current cold spell we’re having there should be some fishable ice closer to home for the next few weeks.

Ice Fishing On Lake Winnipesaukee

Had a pretty good day on the ice this week at Lake Winnipesaukee in Moultonborough, New Hampshire.  Managed to catch a nineteen inch Lake Trout and several Yellow Perch.

I arrived at AJ’s Bait and Tackle in Meredith at 9am Monday morning.  Purchased a dozen large smelt and a dozen shiners,  The guy at the shop recommended two spots with easy access, Levitt Park in Meredith and Long Island in Moultonborough.  I decided to try Levitt Park because it was the closest of the two.  The scenery was great but not the fishing. I got skunked.  

The next day I decided to give Long Island a try. There was open water nearby which could lead to more oxygen being available to the fish.  This spot looked promising. The ice was safe, at least eight inches thick.  After a few hours of no luck in the deeper area, I moved to a spot where the water was only 10 feet deep.  Almost immediately the tip-up flag went up and I soon landed a nineteen inch Lake Trout.  Over the next hour more flags popped up as schools of Yellow Perch moved through.  All the hits were on large smelt.  Nothing would touch the shiners.  

The Lake Trout is on my New Year’s Resolution Species Wish List.  I can check that one off.  

2017 Species Wishlist Update/ Ice-fishing

Scratch one off the the list of species I shouldn’t have missed in 2016.  Went on the first ice-fishing trip of the season to Dunn Pond in Gardner, MA and caught a Black Crappie.  The fishing was slow and I only managed to catch the one fish.  Might have fared better had I remembered to pack the earthworm container in the cooler.  Earthworms are the prime ice fishing bait for both Rainbow Trout and finicky panfish.  

Black Crappie (aka Calico Bass)

I liked the spot and plan on returning (with the earthworms!).  Dunn Pond is stocked with trout and has a nice variety of warm-water species.  The pond is part of a state park.  A large parking lot kept clear of snow makes for easy access.  Best of all there is a large waterfront visitors center with heated bathrooms, vending machines and a large stone fireplace to warm up by. 

Dun Pond State Park Visitors Center

2017 New Years Resolution (Or My Species Wish List)

The species I shouldn’t have missed in 2016.

Winter Flounder

Skate

Black Crappie

Tiger Trout

The Plan - 1. Try kayak fishing in the Spring for Winter Flounder in Barnstable Harbor or Plymouth Harbor. 2. Fish at night off the Cape’s north side beaches for Skate (and Striped Bass) . 3) Try ice fishing for Black Crappie in Beaver Pond in Franklin and some other ponds in southern New Hampshire.  4) Might have a shot at Tiger Trout by fishing the larger lakes in the mid to lower Cape.

New species to target 

Mahi

Red Drum

Black Drum

Sheepshead

Grouper sp.

Walleye

Zander

The Plan - 1. Could get lucky with Mahi this year on Brown’s Ledge during late Summer.  
2. Planning a trip to Cape Fear, North Carolina in May. That’s where I hope to get Red Drum, Black Drum, Sheepshead and Grouper. 3. Might bag a Walleye if I go ice fishing in Western Massachusetts. 4. Zander, the European version of the Walleye will be targeted during a trip in September to the Azores. This trip will also give me a shot at catching Groupers.

Species that I haven’t caught in a while that will be targeted in 2017.

Brown Bullhead

Weakfish

Spotted Seatrout

False Albacore

Lake Trout

Landlocked Salmon

The Plan - 1. Best bet for Bullhead is night fishing with dead baitfish or nightcrawlers.   2. North Carolina for Weakfish and Spotted Seatrout. 3. Could try using the Kayak on a not so windy day to reach the False Albacore during September.  4. Probably will do some ice fishing in Northern New England to go after Lake Trout and Landlocked Salmon.

2016 - Species List

One of the most satisfying aspects of fishing is the pursuit of different species.  My goal is to catch as many species as I can in one year.  This approach is similar to the activities of birdwatchers.  My birdwatching past is what inspired me to take a species diversification approach to fishing.

Here's the list for 2016.  It includes nine new species.  One of these, a young 22 inch Halibut was caught locally while Haddock fishing on Stellwagen Bank.  Another, the Green Band Wrasse was caught in the Virgin Islands. The the rest came from the Azores and include: Axillary Seabream, Black Tail Comber, Ornate Wrasse, White Seabeam, Two Banded Seabream, European Perch, and Northern Pike.

Missing from this year’s list are Winter Flounder, Skate, Black Crappie and Tiger Trout all of which were frustratingly hard to find.  I hope to remedy this in 2017!

All species are listed by a common name followed by the scientific name.  The number indicates how many were caught during the year.

1. Atlantic Mackerel, Scomber scombrus (51)

2. Axillary Seabream Pagellus Acarne (5)

3.Black Sea Bass, Centropristis striata (202) 

4. Black Tail Comber, Serranus atricauda (13)

5. Bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix (15)

6. Blue Runner, Caranx crysos (3)

7. Cod, Gadus morhua (61)

8. Cunner, Tautogolabrus adspersus (47)

9. Cusk, Brosme brosme (1)

10. Fluke, Paralichthys dentatus (14)

11. Green Band Wrasse, Halichoeres bathyphilus (1)

12. Haddock, Melanogrammus aeglefinus (104)

13. Hake, Urophycis chuss (3)

14. Halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus (1)

15. Menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus (22)

16. Northern Kingfish, Menticirrhus  saxatilis (5)

17. Ornate Wrasse, Thalassoma Pavo (1)

18. Pollock, Pollachius virens (16)

19. Puffer, Sphoeroides maculatus (2)

20. Sculpin, Myoxocephalus scorpius (22)

21. Scup, Stenotomus chysops (123)

22. Sea Raven, Hemitripterus americanus (1)

23. Sea Robin, Prionotus carolinus (22)

24. Smooth Dogfish, Mustelus canis (2)

25. Spiny Dogfish, Squalus acanthias (12)

26. Striped Bass, Morone saxatilis (135)

27. Tautog, Tautoga onitis (5)

28. Two Banded Seabream, Diplodus Vulgaris (6)

29. White Seabeam, Diplodus Sargus (1)

30. Whiting, Merluccius bilinearis (1)

31. Bluegill Sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus (9)

32. Brook Trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (6)

33. Brown Trout, Salmo trutta (17)

34. Chain Pickerel, Esox niger (21)

35. European Perch, Perca fluviatilis (2)

36. Largemouth Bass, Micropterus salmoides (47)

37. Northern Pike, Esox lucius (1)

38. Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Lepomis gibbosus (17)

39. Rainbow Trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (29)

40. Smallmouth Bass, Micropterus dolomieu (6)

41. White Perch, Morone americanus (21)

42. Yellow Perch, Perca flavescens (119)