FOR EXCITEMENT AND SUCCESS, JUST SAY

© CHARLES WILLEY PHOTO

88 May/JuneMay/June 20042004 •• WWILDLIFEILDLIFE JJOURNALOURNAL ishing for black bass — largemouth and trip, and visit and Game’s website for lots more F information on warmwater management and bass — is a popular and grow- fishing in . — Gabe Gries, Fisheries Biologist ing sport, with thousands of anglers spending II/Warmwater Project Leader, Region 2 countless hours bass fishing in New Hamp- Where to Fish? shire each year. The Granite State boasts more than 250 Location, location, location — the real estate mantra should waterbodies that contain one or be yours as well when deciding both bass species; a 1996 survey which waterbody to fish for bass. showed that bass anglers were Do I feel like probing weedlines, the most satisfied with their fish- timber, or other heavy cover for ing experience out of any group bucketmouths? Or scouting open, of fishermen. What other reason rocky shoal areas for smallies? © ETHAN GORDON PHOTO do you need to begin or continue Or should I look for a place where fishing for bass in N.H.! They I can fish diverse habitats and are a great fish and a lot of fun to have a shot at catching both spe- catch. cies? Am I interested in catching Unlike brook and pick- numbers of bass, targeting tro- erel, black bass are not native to phies, or a combination of quan- the state. According to Jack Noon tity and quality? What type of in his book, The Bassing of New access will I need — full boat- Hampshire, smallmouth bass launch facilities, canoe/cartop, were introduced into N.H. in walk in/, or shoreline 1865, followed by largemouth ? What type of angling bass in the 1930s. These fish experience do I want — an iso- quickly flourished and can now lated, quiet, small pond, with few be found reproducing naturally other recreational users, or an throughout the state. Bass are expansive lake with many op- not stocked. tions, amenities and other people? Black bass are the largest Obviously, many of these factors members of the sunfish family, work together; for example, related to pumpkinseed and blue- ponds off the beaten path with gill, and spawn in the spring. primitive access sites tend to re- Smallmouth bass generally pre- ceive relatively little fishing pres- fer lakes and streams with cool, sure and much less recreational clear water and rocky bottoms, traffic. But all of these factors while are found make a big difference in your in warmer, weedy lakes and ability to fish effectively, your streams — though there are many Act fast! A striking bass chose the wrong lunch. The potential catch and the overall waterbodies in N.H. that contain angler will now reel the fish in for his own lunch — or enjoyment of your bass-angling thriving populations of both spe- gently release for another day. experience. cies. Crayfish, small fish and Some excellent sources to help insects are important food items for bass; largemouth are also you decide where to fish are the New Hampshire Atlas and known to eat water snakes, mice, frogs and — believe it or not Gazetteer by DeLorme and Clark’s Fishing Guide, along with — the occasional duckling. Fish and Game’s statewide Boating and Fishing Access Map Read on for some practical tips to try on your next bass- continued on next page

BY GABE GRIES, ANDREW SCHAFERMEYER, JOHN VIAR AND MARK BEAUCHESNE

WILDLIFEILDLIFE JJOURNALOURNAL •• May/JuneMay/June 20042004 99 continued from previous page Recommended New Hampshire Bass Waters by Region and Freshwater Fishing Guide. You can also contact a Fish and Game regional fisheries biolo- WATER BODY TOWN LARGEMOUTH SMALLMOUTH gist or check our website for information (see sidebar). We can’t make the fish bite — but, Region 1 – Northern N.H. fisheries survey work, our own recreational an- Mirror Lake* Whitefield X Umbagog Lake* Errol X gling experiences, and our many contacts can Littleton/Dalton X provide you with the knowledge you need to Cedar Pond Milan X X make the most of your trip. For instance, if taking Martin Meadow Pond Lancaster X X children to learn how to bass fish, you may want Region 2 – Central N.H./Lakes Region to make a quiet location and a high catch rate the Wentworth Lake* Wolfeboro X top priorities. If you need a depth-contour map or Balch Pond* Wakefield X a general description of the extent and type of * Gilford/other X X* weed cover available, or just want to know how Squam Lakes* Holderness/other X X* busy a particular waterbody may be in the middle Wickwas Lake* Meredith X of summer — we can help. — John Viar, Bristol/other X Ossipee Lake and bays Ossipee/other X X Fisheries Biologist, Region 4 New Durham X Winnisquam Lake Sanbornton/other X X Bassin’ Basics Goose Pond Canaan X X Bass fishermen traditionally rely on medium- Webster Lake Franklin X X heavy to heavy action rods, in part because fish must Little Sunapee Lake New London X Pleasant Lake New London X sometimes be dragged through thick or rough cover Lovell Lake Wakefield X X — but also because the sheer size and fighting power Great East Lake Wakefield X X of the fish sometimes demand it. That said, lighter- Region 3 – Southeast N.H. weight equipment increases the intensity of battle. Harvey Lake* Northwood X An appropriate fly rod for bass fishing should be Big Island Pond* Derry X* X between a five and seven-weight setup. When fly- Bellamy Reservoir* Madbury X casting, the most important match is sometimes Bow Lake Strafford X X choosing a rod size that can throw the larger and Pawtuckaway Lake Nottingham X X heavier flies associated with bass fishing. Northwood X X Swain’s Pond Barrington X One key to bass fishing is finding the fish. Auburn X X Their movements can be yearly, monthly, daily Windham X X and even hourly. A hopeful angler must consider Kingston X water temperature, depth and cover. A careful Turtle Pond Concord X examination of one of these factors will usually Robinson Pond Hudson X Mendums Pond Barrington X X pinpoint fish. Sometimes you must look for fish Northwood X X indirectly by identifying a food source and track- Northwood Meadows — ing it — you can see how an electronic fish-finder State Park Pond Northwood X can be a valuable piece of fishing equipment. In Wheelwright Pond Lee X X general, bass can be found in near-shore areas Nashua X during the spring, early summer and fall. As water and oxbows Concord/other X X temperatures warm in the summer, bass typically seek out deeper, cooler water. During this time, if Region 4 – Southwest N.H. you find deep-water structure such as rocks or Wilson Pond* Swanzey X sunken logs, you will generally find bass. McDowell Lake* Peterborough X Otter Lake* Greenfield X A successful bass angler is one who can move Highland Lake* Stoddard X* X around and employ different strategies and pre- Forest Lake Winchester X sentations. Bottom line: if bass fishing is slow, Lake Warren Alstead X X change something! Choose a different location, Lake Skatutakee Harrisville X X change lures (style, color, size, etc.), or target a Rindge X Hopkinton Lake Hopkinton X different depth. Amherst X You can get some of the most important infor- Haunted Lake Francestown X mation about unfamiliar bass water by word-of- Island Pond Stoddard X X mouth. Ask about recent catches and proven bait Gregg Lake Antrim X X preferences, and piece together weather trends Lake Horace Weare X X River Hinsdale/other X X and overall catch rates relative to effort. Before I venture out into unfamiliar bass wa- * particularly good for high catch rates ter, I prepare in the following ways: My first NOTE: This is just a sampling of local bass waters. Contact a Fish and Game regional office for more ideas. inquiry is into the access points offered on the waterbody. This will help me decide if I should

1010 May/JuneMay/June 20042004 •• WWILDLIFEILDLIFE JJOURNALOURNAL bring the , the canoe or the float tube. I’ll also gain a good understanding of what type of angling pressure might exist. Next, I take a look at my Freshwater Fishing Di- gest, to learn of any special regulations. I also try to talk to fellow anglers who have fished this waterbody before and might be able to give me tips on what lures to use and where to fish. When possible, I like to print out a depth- contour map of where I’m headed. Armed with this kind of © ERIC ENGBRETSON PHOTO information and the right gear, I’ve got a great chance of hooking into a fighting bass at my new fishing stand-up style jig head has tentacles that tantalize Think like a bass: spot. — Andrew Schafermeyer, bass. stumps, rocks and Fisheries Biologist, Region 1 The past few years I’ve seen an increase in other irregular popularity of the soft, stick-like plastic baits, espe- Jig, Grub, Popper, Jerk! bottom cover provide cially for new bass anglers; these do-nothing baits bass habitat, When you think of bass fishing, the first thing come in many sizes and colors, and seem to catch especially as waters that comes to most people’s minds is fast, shiny fish when nothing else will! Stick baits are impreg- warm. metal flake boats. While a boat can be important, nated with salt, which acts as a scent and flavor it won’t catch fish: YOU catch the fish, with trigger. This bait’s action is very subtle: it falls with strategy, skill, practice, luck — and the right a wobble, and darts around randomly, an action that choice of bait. drives bass wild. The technique is simple — cast the With thousands of choices in colors, sizes and bait out, let it sink, then take a bite of your sand- types of lures, making the right choice can be a wich... lift the rod, reel the slack and repeat. Because daunting task — but there are a few lures that I just of the way bass hit this lure, the strike can be difficult can’t go without. By far the versatile ball-head jig to detect, so pay close attention to your line. Any and curl-tail grub combination has caught me more sign of slack or movement, set the hook. fish than any other bass lure. I crawl the grub along I only use circle hooks on stick baits, because the bottom, imitating a crayfish. My friend, fishing they keep fish from getting gut-hooked. By de- guide Curt Golder, describes this technique as “tick- sign, circle hooks set themselves — don’t jerk the ling the bottom.” The grub can also be bounced rod to set the hook, just start reeling when you along the bottom as you retrieve it; or it can be detect a strike. The hookup ratio is very high, with presented faster, with a lift-and-fall action, to imitate very few fish hooked deep. a swimming baitfish. I prefer the two-inch lure, with One method that really gets my blood flowing colors to closely match the bottom color of the lake is fishing for bass with suspending jerk bait. or pond I’m fishing. (After all, the crayfish and These hard-bodied baits have neutral buoyancy, baitfish need to blend in or they get eaten.) Of to maintain a position in the water column. I like course, there are exceptions to the rule — purple is to cast this bait as far I can, then bring it back with a trusty bass-catcher. Tube baits or “squids” are a sharp, jerking motion, with hard snaps of the rod great crayfish imitations, fished just like a grub. A continued on next page

To download the Freshwater Fishing Guide and other popular fishing publications, check the Fish and Game website at www.wildlife.state.nh.us. To contact our regional offices: Region 1 (North Country), Lancaster; [email protected]; (603) 788-3164 Region 2 (Central/Lakes Region), New Hampton; [email protected]; (603) 744-5470 Region 3 (Southeast/Seacoast), Durham; (603) 868-1095 Region 4 (Southwest N.H.), Keene; [email protected]; (603) 352-9669 Headquarters, Concord; [email protected]; (603) 271-3211

WILDLIFEILDLIFE JJOURNALOURNAL •• May/JuneMay/June 20042004 1111 continued from previous page tip. Jerk, jerk, pause. Jerk, jerk, jerk, pause. This technique comes into play in early spring, as soon as the The soft is almost 50 years old, water temp hits 45 degrees. and has the distinction of catching more bass Spinner baits are often misunderstood. than any other bait out there. One popular setup How can that big thing catch fish? Well is the Texas . Try it yourself: — they do! These lures come in a multitude of styles, sizes and colors, and all of them have their time and place. One of my favorite spinner baits is a single Colorado blade, which can

© USF&WS DUANE RAVER ILLUSTRATION be fished slowly. For a bait-casting reel, a double willow leaf is a popular choice. Thread a bullet-type non-lead sinker onto your line (it will slide on the line), then tie If the corner of the I saved the best for last: the topwater — also called “popper” or “chug” — is by far the most on a 2/0 offset hook. jaw extends beyond exciting lure on the market today. Lures that walk the center of the eye, side-to-side will call bass from a distance or up from you’ve caught a the depths — bass literally explode out of the water largemouth bass for these lures. Their use requires a little more (bottom). Otherwise finesse. Cast the bait out, let the rings disappear. If it’s a smallie (top). the bass has not hit the lure yet, use your rod tip to pop the lure and let it rest. Keep trying this until you get a strike. Sometimes the bass prefer a more aggres- sive pop, pop, pop, stop. Just keep experimenting. Sink the point of the hook into the middle of I have hundreds of lures and I can’t live with the end of the worm, then pull it out the side out any of them; but, I had to choose a handful, of the worm at about ¼ inch. they would be the jig and grub, the popper, spin- ner bait, the sinking soft-plastic stick bait and the suspending jerk bait. I make no guarantees of improved success by using these types of lures — these are just personal choices. The only true way to have success is to get out there and go fishing! — Mark Beauchesne, “Let’s Go Fishing” Coordinator Bunch up the worm, and insert the hook point back into the side of the worm so that the point is hidden. Gabe, Andy, John and Mark have worked at N.H. Fish and Game for a collective 26 years.

Make sure your worm hangs straight.

Fishing a is for the patient angler. Mark’s top tackle Cast out and retrieve with a gentle lift-and-fall picks. He says, motion, a foot or so at a time. Work the worm “if you have these, along the bottom, and don’t worry about hanging you’ll catch bass.” it up. The bass will thump the worm — you will feel it or see your line jump. Keep your eye on the line and feel for a real tug. Now, reel down the slack, set the hook hard, cross its eyes! Remember, the hook needs to penetrate the worm and the fish’s mouth.

© NHF&G MARK BEAUCHESNE PHOTO © NHF&G MARK BEAUCHESNE PHOTOS

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