Seasonal Tips | Great
Lures | Lakes
Newsletter w/ Smallmouth Tips
Seasonal Tips | Great
Lures | Lakes
Newsletter w/ Smallmouth Tips
The smallmouth bass season in New Hampshire runs from January 1st to October 15th. From May 15th to June 15th no live bait fishing is permitted and all bass must be released immediately due to spawning regulations. There is a 2 fish limit from January 1st to May 14th and June 16th to June 30th. From July 1st to October 15th there is a five fish limit. ~ Some of the best smallmouth bass fishing in New Hampshire can be found in the Lakes Region - with the crown jewel of all the 270 lakes - Lake Winnipesaukee, being one, if not the best. I caught the biggest smallmouth of my life on Winni in early June 98' on a size #3 Mepps Agila Long. Other lakes that I've fished and recommend are Newfound Lake, the Squam Lakes, and Stinson Lake in Rumney.
Good smallmouth spots can be found around downed trees in water, rocky
islands, large boulders or other obstructions in
rivers, rocky points, under docks with rocky or weedy bottom.
I like to start shallow and work my way deeper until I find where the smallies
are holding.
All the classic bass lures will catch you smallmouth - plastic worms, crankbaits, bass flies, spinners, etc. My favorite happens to be the spinnerbait due to its versatility - you can troll them deep, cast them into weeds, buzz them on the surface. I recommend white and chartruese in stained water, transluscent colors in clear, and black for nightime. Strike King makes some good spinnerbaits and last fall I caught many smallmouth and chain pickerel on a 1/4 oz white with silver sparkle spinnerbait. I can also recommend the Stanley Wedge for "slow rolling" . For cold water smallmouths the "Silver Buddy" is a highly recommended lure -Northern Bass Supply carries these. Tube baits are another highly effective lure for springtime bass. And if you don't have any Slug-O's from Lunker City I recommend you get some! I've caught many nice fish on the 4.5'" rainbow colored Slug-O. I recommend you get yourself some polarized glasses if you are going to fish any "soft jerk-bait" like the Slug-O or the Bass Assasin Shad. Bass usually hit these baits during the initial fall and having a pair of polarized glasses really helps. They don't need to be $100 dollar glasses. Wal-Mart carries polarized glasses that run around $15 and believe me, they do the job.
For smallmouth related info check out the web's best fishing site,
bronzeback.com.