Bob Harris with a 4½ pound landlocked salmon taken on a Meredith Special tandem streamer while trolling Wolfeboro Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee. (Al Raychard photo)

Fish and Game says that more than 20 inches of ice remain on the large lakes as of March 21st, although much of it is relatively weak "snow ice". The big lakes will likely remain ice covered until at least the typical "ice-out", approximately mid to late April. However, due to the heavy snow and rains this winter, water flow throughout the Winnipesaukee River system has been and still is high, with feet of snow left to melt in the Lakes Region. Thus the action for "drop-down" landlocked salmon and rainbow trout, through the dams, should provide hot action this season. Locations to fish should include Lakeport Dam (Opechee Lake), the Winnipesaukee River through Laconia to Dixon Point at Lake Winnisquam, and the Lochmere Dam at Silver Lake.

In addition, with heavy current, runoff and help from dock aerators, the classic Lake Winnipesaukee shore fishing locations such as the Merrymeeting River and inlet area at Alton Bay, the Weirs Channel (in Laconia), the Long Island Bridge (Moultonborough), Governors Island
Bridge (Gilford), Smith River inlet (Wolfeboro Bay and Meredith) and the Center Harbor Town Docks should all provide good pre-ice-out action. At these locations, everything from smelt or shiners, under a slip bobber, to small jigs will take salmon as well as rainbow trout. 

The use of various streamer flies are also effective to use from shore locations where casting can be accomplished. Use single-hook streamers for casting in size 4, 6 and 8. You should have a variety of baitfish streamer patterns as well as a few of the more colorful attractor patterns with you. For baitfish patterns, consider using these single hook streamers: Gray Ghost, Black Ghost, Green Ghost, Nine-Three, Ballou Special, Winnipesaukee Smelt, Magog Smelt, Black Nose Dace, Joe’s Smelt, Supervisor and the Colonel Bates.

There will be times when the salmon won’t show much interest in attacking baitfish fly patterns, thus the reason you’ll also want to have some attractor patterns with you. These are the more brightly colored streamers that tend to aggravate salmon into hitting. A few good patterns to choose are the: Maynard’s Marvel, Red Ghost, Yellow Zonker and the Mickey Finn.

Eventually, the ice in the lakes will give way allowing us to catch early spring ice-out landlocked salmon by trolling. Trolling has always been my favorite method of catching salmon because it gives you the opportunity to search a far greater amount of water. By trolling, salmon are caught using everything from spoons, such as the D.B. Smelt, Sutton Spoon, Mooselook Wobbler, Top Gun and Smelt Gun, to traditional trolling streamer flies. When using streamers for trolling, consider using tandem streamers. If they are available, look for mini-tandem streamers, those that are tied to a total length of 2 to 21/2 inch. The larger and longer length tandem streamers (3 to 4 inches) are more effective later on when the salmon go deeper. Again, choose a variety of baitfish and attractor patterns.

Another early season favorite fishing method is using live smelt or shiners on a sliding bait rig. Most early season salmon are caught from the surface to about 15 feet down with everything from planer board set-ups to flat lines trolled 50 to 150 feet behind the boat. When the wind kicks in, drifting live smelt and shiners in the waves can also be effective.

A help in having success is finding warmer water (even a degree or two), windy shorelines, inside turns and bays, shallow flats near deeper water, tributary inlets and schools of smelt. The smelt will be found in shallow waters at this time of year as they are swimming shorelines and tributaries to spawn. These are all keys to improving success. A previously unsuccessful effort to find salmon can quickly change to provide several fish in less than an hour. Find them and offer a convincing presentation. 

In order to ensure the future of high-quality landlocked salmon fisheries, New Hampshire Fish and Game reminds anglers that they should take care when releasing salmon as the percentage of hook-wounded fish continues to climb in all of the lakes. Hook-wounded and scared salmon are significantly shorter and poorer in body condition than their non-hook wounded counterparts of the same age. Using rubber nets and proper release techniques help. For example, do not "shake" fish off the hook. Releasing lightly hooked healthy salmon, while choosing to harvest previously hook-wounded fish, are some ways to minimize the negative effects of hook wounding, thereby increasing the number of trophy salmon available in the future.

So my friends, get your gear and boats ready and let’s hope this will be a great year for fishing fun.