Summertime Slackers...

[BugChucka]

When the dead of summer hits in NH my friend and I decide to change gears. If things went well, spring would have already provided us with some good trout/salmon fishing...a much needed benefit after a long winter. But by the time the humidity and blazing noon sun start controlling the days and the trout are stressed and lurking in the depths, we start what is our alternative season. When I was young it didn't matter where I was fishing or what I was fishing for, and that feeling has returned... well, for the most part.

New Hampshire has some of the greatest fishing diversity one could ever ask for. Pick a day in May and one could fish for trout and salmon, hop to a bass, pickeral, panfish pond, and then skip over to the coast to do some striper fishing. It's amazing. At times it quite honestly fatigues me mentally to feel like there's so much going on and such little time. But in the dead of summer with the hot sun is bronzing my exposed skin, the stress has all but dissapeared.

In the dead of summer if we're not on the coast we'll be targeting both large and smallmouth bass, maybee some pickeral, and whatever else we can land. Usually an old yellow canoe is strapped to the usual off-road rigs we drive, noiselly disrupting quaint New Hampshire towns. The fishing is informal...yet at the same time taken very seriously. We fish ponds and stretches of rivers that others could care less about, but where we've had countless battles with beastly smallmouths and sly pickeral and built a lasting friendship. We don't wake up at the crack of dawn for mixed bag fishing but sometimes opt rather to get drunk the night before and waste the night away discussing a dark rocky shoreline where a monstor bass was lost 4 years ago in an epic battle. The flies we tie and use are sometimes a little too gaudy or overly creative but "that's a fly the big guy would go for" we tell ourselves.

One of us casts to likely spots as the other puffs on a smoke and takes in the tranquility between soft strokes of the paddle. Sometimes our casting arms get worn out and we can't find a fish all day and other times it's non stop. But either way...it doesn't much matter. And when the summer's night starts falling, the crickets start chirping, and the noise of an old man's tablesaw ceases...our day is done. And as our canoes wake disrupts the glass like surface as we head for shore, all we can talk about is heading North cuz' "I really need to catch a trout..."..................."yeaup."

Wishing evryone a great season of fishing!

[Ken B]

Has anyone ever fished for pike on the lower part of the Conn? I hear they've done some electroshocking and have raised up some monsters.

Ken

[fessiewig]

You don't have to go to the "lower part" of the Connecticut to catch Pike. I believe the NH State record Pike came out of Moore Dam (on the Connecticut) in Littleton.

[BugChucka]

How easy is it to catch pike???? What's a good day of fishing considered in terms of numbers?

[Ken B]

I've never fished for pike here in NH but I have on a few canoe trips out on the Boundary Waters. They are pretty easy to catch, at least out there. I used my clousers that I tied for striper fishing. The biggest I caught was one that went close to 15 lbs. I find it hard to cast the wire leaders but I saw some new "tie-able wire at KTP that looked like it would do the trick. One thing, make sure you have some good pliers!

Ken B

[Warden's Worry]

If you are really interested in learning about pike fishing, check out a book called, "Pike on the Fly." Great book that will teach you just about everything you need to know about it.

In a nutshell, head out to waters you know hold pike just after ice-out...and for several weeks after....and work the shallow bays. They move into shallow waters to spawn during this time and feed voraciously. Rabbit strip flies in bright colors (orange is best for me) and tarpon flies work really well. Also work the areas where the flats give way to drop offs.

While I have yet to try it in NH or Maine, I have fished the St. Lawrence many times and had some great trips....Just last year, my friend boated a 52" muskellunge on a white rabbit strip home-tie and an 8wt. (while I looked on) Most unbelievable fish I've ever seen....Fish of a lifetime for sure.

Cheers,
WW[/img]

[BugChucka]

Anybody ever fish the Connecticutt for them?

[Solid]

Sorry to dredge up such an old post, but I would really like to get out and try hooking one of these devils this spring. My older brother is an ice fishing maniac and lives in Minnesota. He is always telling me about the monster pike they are catching through the ice and it is driving me crazy. I also saw a fishing show (I don't remember who's it was) and they were catching them on the fly as well, so I think I want to head to the CT river and try my luck. Does anyone on this board still target these fish??

[Steamtrain]

hey solid
sorry i don't target pike

but if i did i would research where they are iced fish for in the area
i do know that they are very catchable with flies in the early spring, when they move into the shallows to spawn

good luck
mike

i've caught pike while wading and then retreated to where the water was below my goodie bits

[Steamtrain]

hey hegel

have you ever caught a pike out there in spoofford or anywhere else?

[wet_fly_action]

I'm no pike expert by a long stretch but I did tie into one on the Ipswich this fall on my 4wt setup. Battled it for a long time and was very close to landing it before getting broken off on some submerged roots. Maybe if I hadn't been too lazy to change the 6x tippet after switching from midges to a streamer..... maybe.....
They are really aggressive fish. Fishing early/late season should guarantee that they and the trout will be the only active fish. You may not even have to go really big in terms of flies as this one hit a #10 streamer. Seems to me you could fish like you were after bass and pickerel and hope to run into one of the big boys.
I conservatively estimate this fish to have been 30+ inches. If anything, it explains why I wasn't catching any of the holdover trout i was hoping for.
I hope to try this spot again in the spring with some pike-oriented tackle.
I may be wrong, but aren't there a few in Massabesic too?

[HarryM]

Does anyone on this board still target these fish??

I know of a guide, Wayne Derby of Northern Land Guide Service who targets Pike. Not sure where, but I think in the Moore Resevoir in Littleton. You can find details on Wayne at the NH Guides Assoc. website at www.nhguidesassociation.com I think there is even a picture posted on the website with a client of his holding a Pike.

[Mountain Angler]

It has been quite a while since I have fished for pike, but I did at one time fish the Conn. with some regularity. There was a great little camp ground in Orford called the Pastures where we stayed. There was a boat launch right next to the camp ground. When we first started doing it we fished from a canoe with a little two horse motor. It is a pretty big river in this stretch so a motor is a good thing to have. My buddy latter got a bass boat and this was even better. There are some good sized oxbows in this part of the river and the pike hang out in them. From time to time we would catch some fair sized fish. The bass fishing was pretty good too. I was a spin guy in those days so most of the big fish came to plugs. However, right after I started fly fishing for real I did catch a few on big streamers. I have always wanted to go back there and try it again.
Fairlee, VT is right across the river and there was a real nice old fishing tackle/fly fishing shop there. I think the guy died, but the last time I was there it was still open. The guy also sold old books as well. That is pretty much my definition of the perfect shopping experience – fly tackle and old books – what more could any one want. By the way Wetherell mentions this place in Vermont River.

[Hegel]

Stemtrain and Solid,

If spring pike are what you seek, then head over to Spofford. I've caught two rather large pike in the Echo Cove section of the lake. I used weighted (dumb bell eyes) downy leaches in black and purple. But remember to use a tiger-wire type leader. Even small-mouth fishing in that end of the lake during the summer I will regularly lose flies / leaders to the damn pike. They're a bit of a nuissance actually.

I recommend an early morning strike. My father and I usually head out around 5:30 or 6:00am and just wait, watch and listen. The pike hunt the little perch at that end of the lake. Spring mornings are perch carnage festivals. It's fun to watch them get nailed by the big fish. It's a bit like watching a blue fish hit a bunker (WHAM!)

I've used both my saltwater 8wt. rig and also a 5 wt. rig. I think that you would be fine with anything 5 or higher. The down side to pike fishing is, however, in my experience, once the fish is hooked they're not much of a fight. It's a bit like reeling in an old tire. And, pulling them into a boat you realize just how damn ugly these fish are! - sort of like snakes that have been covered in mud and mustard and dabbed with a few fins here and there. Also watch your fingers. They've got a pretty impressive set of chompers!

If you've got any more questions, just ask! Good luck!

-Hegel-

[lowwall]

Never caught one but saw them caught a few times. The Charles River Trebble Cove Area , Wher the Pike Passes over holds them. FairHaven Bay on the Sudbury River has them as well. We used to ice fish for them. We would use 6" Shiners and suckers. Caught lots of big bass but I never caught a pike , budy caught one in the 40" range!
Trick through the ice was to set your trap only a 1ft from the bank. Actually saw a trap explode , fish took off the spool was stuck and the fish took the whole trap through the hole.

I Plan on tarketing them this spring, as well as doing more warm water fishing in general.

Mike

[Rick]

http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Newsroom/News_2004/News_2004_Q2/Pike_042204.htm

Here's a link to a nice article on NH F&G website. I am thinking of possibly trying my luck this Spring as well.

[Solid]

Wow, I was not expecting this much interest! Well, I have to show up my brother and let him know these monsters live here as well. I think my 6wt will be just fine, thinking an intermediate line would be awesome...

[mtnzone]

rumor has it that the andro below and above pontoock is seeing some pike as well... I guy comes into the shop to purchase some of larger streamer flies we tie for him.....i havent personally tried it yet but this upcoming summer I am itching to give it a try......

[Relheok]

SOLID.... Did you ever have luck on this?

[Chuckmeister]

When the dead of summer hits in NH my friend and I decide to change gears. If things went well, spring would have already provided us with some good trout/salmon fishing...a much needed benefit after a long winter. But by the time the humidity and blazing noon sun start controlling the days and the trout are stressed and lurking in the depths, we start what is our alternative season. When I was young it didn't matter where I was fishing or what I was fishing for, and that feeling has returned... well, for the most part.

New Hampshire has some of the greatest fishing diversity one could ever ask for. Pick a day in May and one could fish for trout and salmon, hop to a bass, pickeral, panfish pond, and then skip over to the coast to do some striper fishing. It's amazing. At times it quite honestly fatigues me mentally to feel like there's so much going on and such little time. But in the dead of summer with the hot sun is bronzing my exposed skin, the stress has all but dissapeared.

In the dead of summer if we're not on the coast we'll be targeting both large and smallmouth bass, maybee some pickeral, and whatever else we can land. Usually an old yellow canoe is strapped to the usual off-road rigs we drive, noiselly disrupting quaint New Hampshire towns. The fishing is informal...yet at the same time taken very seriously. We fish ponds and stretches of rivers that others could care less about, but where we've had countless battles with beastly smallmouths and sly pickeral and built a lasting friendship. We don't wake up at the crack of dawn for mixed bag fishing but sometimes opt rather to get drunk the night before and waste the night away discussing a dark rocky shoreline where a monstor bass was lost 4 years ago in an epic battle. The flies we tie and use are sometimes a little too gaudy or overly creative but "that's a fly the big guy would go for" we tell ourselves.

One of us casts to likely spots as the other puffs on a smoke and takes in the tranquility between soft strokes of the paddle. Sometimes our casting arms get worn out and we can't find a fish all day and other times it's non stop. But either way...it doesn't much matter. And when the summer's night starts falling, the crickets start chirping, and the noise of an old man's tablesaw ceases...our day is done. And as our canoes wake disrupts the glass like surface as we head for shore, all we can talk about is heading North cuz' "I really need to catch a trout..."..................."yeaup."

Wishing evryone a great season of fishing!

Sounds very familiar:-D