NH WEEKLY FISHING REPORT – September 23, 2010

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NH WEEKLY FISHING REPORT – September 23, 2010

Friends! It’s our last fishing report for the season. Thanks for reading, and for your good feedback over the last several months. Take care & we’ll see you in the spring.

Saltwater Angler Registry: https://www.countmyfish.noaa.gov

Stocking is done for the season. Look for fall stocking info and previous reports at http://www.fishnh.com/Fishing/fish_stock_current.htm

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><> North Country

What have we learned from the 2010 fishing season? That would seem an appropriate question to ask as I write the final fishing report -- and it is a great question but inaccurately implies that opportunities to catch fish have past. In reality, we are entering one of my favorite times of the year to fish. Water temperatures are cooling and daylight is decreasing, but fish are still behaving in a way that allows a skilled angler to have an awesome time on New Hampshire's waterbodies.

I recently had an opportunity to survey smallmouth bass in Lake Umbagog by means of electrofishing. Without getting scientific, electrofishing is exactly what it sounds like: using electricity to catch fish. It is a very effective method of sampling and takes all of the guesswork out of fish habitat preference. I found the bass to be a little deeper than I thought, with most of them coming from 8 to 12 feet of water. Most of the fish were around manmade structures like docks. While there was a ton a baitfish in aquatic vegetation, there were no bass there. I learned just as much about where fish were spending their time as I did by not finding them in other spots. For example, drop-offs, submerged rock piles and overhanging trees had no fish. I was very surprised. I was able to raise a few bigger bass on the windy sides of natural points.

If I were to fish the lake with rod and reel, I would throw spinner baits in choppy water of 10 foot depths. I would fish them slowly and change colors frequently. As tempting as it may be to fish topwater, I would stick to deeper diving baits like lipless crankbaits and suspended jerkbaits. Fish are still feeding, obviously, and I would try dark colored jigs and tube baits. I would enjoy the last few weeks in the boat, realizing the next time I visit Umbagog for bass fishing opportunities, I may be standing on three feet of ice. – Andy Schafermeyer, Regional Fisheries Biologist

><Lakes><Monadnock><Southeast><Seacoast><> Federal Aid: A User-Pay, User-Benefit Program

Researching and managing fisheries and teaching people about aquatic ecosystems are funded by your license dollars and by the Federal Aid in Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program. Your purchases of fishing equipment and motorboat fuels make a difference to New Hampshire's fisheries. Visit http://www.wildnh.com/SFWR_program/sfwr_program.htm.