This week, Fish and Game's Mike Racine has compiled warmwater fish sampling information from 11 waterbodies across the southwest portion of the state. Check the sampling team's findings and you may just find your next warmwater hotspot.
We have a few last slots left in the intermediate fly-fishing weekend for women coming up September 28 - 30 at Purity Spring Resort in Madison, N.H. Some fly-fishing experience is required. Applications at www.nhbow.com or call (603) 271-3212.
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Study the samples and find your next fishing spot! By Mike Racine, Fisheries Biologist, Region 4/Keene
When we weren't up on Lake Winnipesaukee tagging bass this month, our warmwater sampling crew visited 11 waterbodies, taking us from the Connecticut River to the Merrimack River and a few ponds in between. Thundershowers forced us to stay in the office a few nights. We were also slowed down by electrical problems affecting our lights and other components on our electroshocking boat. Worn-out rubber seals on our water pumps made us scratch our heads as to what the problem could be. Finally, numerous snapping turtles in our nets were a treat to untangle and added to our workload by shredding the nets.
All in all, however, our sampling efforts went smoothly thanks to the numerous volunteers and Fish and Game staff. Thanks to volunteers Michael Haggan, Ed Massuco, Adam Dubriske, Gregg Spicher, Caroline Shannon, Brian Mulvey and Michelle Brown from Massachusetts, Peter Spaulding, Josh Spaulding, Peter Kirchmann, Keene State College student Eric LaFontaine, Keith Kurowski, and Brad from Pillsbury State Park. Also thanks to Antioch College graduate student and biological aide Timothy Dexter and intern Nick Lewis. Fish and Game staff Scott Decker, Gabe Gries, Mike Racine, Joel Bader and his son Brock, and Matt Carpenter also provided field assistance.
Here are some observations from this season's sampling expeditions:
We traveled about one mile upstream in the 18-foot electroshocking boat. On most waters we travel in a circle around the pond and never get over 2 mph. Heading upstream for some distance going at faster clip reminded me that the dinged prop needed to be replaced. If I had only remembered this fact earlier.
We had only been to this section of the river two years ago during the day and had seen plentiful baitfish and panfish. Our nighttime electroshocking survey this summer provided similar results -- the Connecticut River is one of our most productive waters in the state. Baitfish were everywhere and were found in significant numbers. Baitfish species sampled included golden shiners, spottail shiners, common white suckers, fallfish and tessellated darters. Panfish were also abundant and included sizeable common sunfish, yellow perch, bluegill and redbreasted sunfish. We also pulled in largemouth bass (largest at 17") and smallmouth bass (largest at 15"), one 20" walleye, bullhead, rock bass and one 24" northern pike.
Gilmore Pond (Jaffrey)
Although our electrofishing boat enables us to effectively sample fish communities, it is not effective on all shoreline configurations. The ineffectiveness of the boat as a sampling tool was evident on Gilmore Pond. This waterbody is relatively devoid of structure. A very small part of the shoreline has some boulders, but the rest of the waterbody is hard-packed mud that gradually drops off to a depth of 30 feet. Very few bass were sampled with the boat along the shoreline. However, when the electricity was off and we motored over water that was deeper than 6 feet -- the effective depth of the shock -- we could see bass hunkering on the bottom. We saw more bass in deeper water when the electricity was off than when we shocked the shoreline. Anglers may consider fishing "deep" for bass. The few bass we did sample were in excellent condition and were large fish (largest largemouth bass was 21"). We also saw more rubber worms/soft baits on the along the shoreline than in any of the nearly 50 waters throughout the state that I have been involved in sampling. In between netting fish we netted as many of these lures as we could to get them out of the water. We also sampled yellow perch, bluegill, common sunfish, rock bass, and bullhead.
Gould Pond/Emerald Lake (Hillsboro)
This small waterbody is located in the Emerald Lake District and has a 10 mph speed limit. The ramp has become shallow due to spring rains depositing sediments. Boaters should stay to the right (when looking out at the lake) when putting their boats in. We sampled a variety of baitfish including nominal numbers of common shiners, fallfish, and golden shiners and a large number of all size common white suckers. We also sampled moderate levels of bluegill, common sunfish, chain pickerel, and redbreasted sunfish. Largemouth bass were the most numerous fish in our sample as we captured about 30 catchable sized bass ranging from 8"-18." Yellow perch were also very numerous in the 5"-7" range. We stock this waterbody every year with rainbow trout and brown trout. As expected, we did not sample any of these fish, as our electrofishing efforts work the shallow shoreline during the middle of the summer when trout are holding up in deeper water.
Access ramp at Grassy Pond
Grassy Pond (Rindge) Grassy Pond has a gravel ramp suitable for most boats. Parking and turnaround are adequate. Our sampling efforts using the electroshock boat were cut short due to rain. However, when only doing less than half the work on Grassy Pond that we usually do in a typical night, we saw many common sunfish, largemouth bass (most bass were 8"-12", maximum size 17"), and yellow perch. Catch rates for the largemouth bass and yellow perch (most were 6"-8," 10" maximum) were some of the highest we have had. Anglers should expect to steady action. Baitfish was comprised of numerous golden shiners and the occasional lake chub and we also sampled on 12" bullhead. All in all, I was impressed with this fishery.
Lake Massasecum (Bradford)
This waterbody has access off of Rte. 114. Pay attention to the parking situation here -- boaters must park their vehicles and trailers on the other side of Rte. 114. Anglers should also understand that there are ongoing attempts to contain milfoil in the north end. Booms are placed on the north end to keep boaters out of the milfoil bed to prevent milfoil from spreading. Anglers should also check their boats and trailers for attached milfoil fragments when leaving this waterbody. Our sampling efforts began at the milfoil beds and ended at the boat ramp, to cover most of the western shoreline. Common shiners, chain pickerel, common white suckers, redbreasted sunfish, and smallmouth bass were sparse, whereas largemouth bass and yellow perch were numerous. Most bass were 7"-12" in length. The largest bass sampled was over 17". Most yellow perch were younger fish that were several inches long. However, a modest number of yellow perch reached 10".
May Pond (Washington)
Part of Pisgah State Park, May Pond offers anglers a "remote" feel even it is accessed from either Rte. 31 or from the campsites. This undeveloped waterbody, if you don't count campsites as developed, does not allow motors. The concrete boat ramp along Rte. 31 has limited parking and turnaround. The fishery is comprised of 6 species: largemouth bass (19" largest fish), yellow perch (average size 5", maximum size 9"), several bullhead (9"-12"), golden shiners, one redbreasted sunfish, and chain pickerel. Anglers can expect to have to work a little harder for their catch on May Pond.
Merrimack River (Concord)
We accessed the Merrimack River with our electroshocking boat from the paved, public launch by the Concord Technical Institute. This launch has adequate turnaround and parking and is suitable for any sized boat. We sampled the setbacks across from the ramp and we also shocked the mainstem of the river from the ramp to a couple hundred yards past the Rte. 293 bridge. Although the Merrimack River is similar in size to the Connecticut River, the fishery in the Merrimack did not appear as productive. But that's not to say the Merrimack River doesn't offer fishing opportunities. The setbacks were loaded with panfish and golden shiners in numbers comparable to the Connecticut River. We sampled many edible size (5"-9") bluegill, common sunfish, yellow perch and redbreasted sunfish, plus the occasional black crappie. We also sampled rock bass and bullhead. Many largemouth bass and smallmouth bass young-of-year were sampled, but no adult smallmouth bass and few adult largemouth bass were sampled in the setbacks. This was surprising to us. The mainstem proved tough to effectively shock because of the steep bank enabled the fish to "dive" out of the electric field. We did, however, sample largemouth bass around the bridge pylons and missed a few smallmouth on the steep banks.
Sunset Lake (Greenfield)
This waterbody is similar to Gould Pond in size, shoreline development, and fish community except that in Sunset Lake we sampled fewer yellow perch and one bullhead. The narrow ramp is deep enough to launch any sized boat, although the small size of the waterbody and the Department of Safety's restrictions will limit your speed: "SAF-C 402.78 - (a) No person shall operate a motorboat on Sunset Lake in Greenfield at a speed exceeding 10 MPH. However, this restriction shall not apply between 4:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. or sunset, whichever occurs first, on Monday through Saturday, both inclusive, and further provided during the restricted hours, motorboats shall not be operated at a speed exceeding 30 MPH." We were able to sample nearly the entire shoreline. We sampled common sunfish, redbreasted sunfish, and chain pickerel in modest numbers. We sampled a high number (35) of largemouth bass ranging from 8"-16." We also sampled several smallmouth bass ranging in length from 8"-14."
ANGLERS - HELP STOP THE SPREAD OF "ROCK SNOT"
If you're fishing New Hampshire's rivers, keep a sharp eye out for the aquatic nuisance algae known as "Didymo" or "rock snot." This nasty invader has been discovered in the northern reaches of the Connecticut River and potentially is on the move in New Hampshire. Dydimo can infest new areas by even just one cell of the alga breaking off and drifting downstream. It is very easily spread by waders, fishing gear, paddles and any equipment that touches the bottoms of streams in infested areas, so it is critical to check and clean your fishing gear. Do your part to protect New Hampshire's waters.
If you observe Didymo in New Hampshire, contact Amy Smagula at the N.H. Department of Environmental Services: 603-271-2248 or asmagula@des.state.nh.us.
REMINDER FOR LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE BASS ANGLERS:
N.H. Fish and Game continues to count on help from anglers for an ongoing study of the movement of largemouth and smallmouth bass after bass tournament release. Angler captures of tagged bass are the major source of information for this study. Bass are being tagged upon release from tournament weigh-ins at Ames Farm Inn on Lake Winnipesaukee, identified with a numbered yellow tag at the base of the fish's dorsal fin. IF YOU CATCH A TAGGED BASS - PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE THE TAG!!
Bass Movement Study contact: Gabe Gries, Fish and Game Warmwater Fisheries Project Leader: NHFG Region 4, 15 Ash Brook Court, Keene, NH 03431; phone 603-352-9669; fax 603-352-8798; or email ggries@nhfgd.org.
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