Fishing Report March 31, 2025

It was another quiet week, with most everyone waiting for lakes and ponds to become ice free for salmon and lake trout fishing. We did get reports of stocking trucks rolling and holdover striped bass in Massachusetts. April 1 marked the opening day for salmon and lake trout in many Maine and New Hampshire waters, as long as you can find open water to target them in. New Hampshire Lake trout managed lakes do not permit ice fishing after March 31, so many have put their ice fishing gear away and are prepping for open water.

Maine:
Greg Cutting at Jordan’s Store in Sebago reported a few brave souls fishing Sebago, but last weekend’s snow put a damper on things a bit. “What is going on? I thought spring was here, and now we have more snow on the ground. They put the docks in at the state park on Sebago, and then it snowed. You should still be able to get in there, but I don’t know how far out you can go. You can still launch at Nassan’s Beach, but it is privately owned, so folks can call the store and I will put them in touch with the owners. A couple people went out for lake trout. One group caught 29 fish, jigging small paddletails. They caught some 5 and 6-pound fish. That’s about it this week. Hopefully we get some nicer weather,” he said.

CJ Harmon of Burnt Meadow Guide Service in Brownfield furnished the following report: “Last week we launched the boat on Sebago Lake for a test run and equipment check. The water temps fluctuated between 33 and 35 degrees, and we definitely marked more fish in the warmer water at the mouths of the rivers. We focused more on covering water to get an idea of what’s going on since the ice went out than fishing. There still ice on most bodies of water here in southern Oxford County so this week we will be back on Sebago Lake trolling for salmon and doing some jigging for the lake trout. Please use caution right now on the water. There is random debris from run off and the occasional chunk of ice floating around out there so keep an eye out and be safe!”

New Hampshire:
Tim from Tim Moore Outdoors' Lake Winnipesaukee Fishing Guide Service on Lake Winnipesaukee was still waiting for ice out and the arrival of his new Lund boat. “I don’t have a lot this week. I, like many others, am just getting open water gear ready, making updates and improvements to existing gear, and waiting for the ice on Lake Winnipesaukee to melt. I have seen some folks fishing all the open water areas on the lake for salmon now that the season is open. The wind seemed to keep some of the crowds at bay and there are quite a few salmon being caught,” he said.

Dana Berry at Berry’s Bait in Alton Bay didn’t have much to report, as they too were waiting for local ice to melt and the opening of salmon season. “There have been some people fishing the Merrymeeting River. I haven’t heard much about their catching this week. Most people are waiting for tomorrow (April 1) though. Alton Bay has open water almost all the way to the bandstand. I know a lot of the bridges and town docks will have people fishing on them. Wolfeboro town docks, Long Island bridge, and Governor’s Island bridge are all popular opening day spots,” she said.

Alan Nute at Winnisquam Country Store in Tilton was happy to see salmon season opening. “Happy salmon season! We have smelt and I expect to be busy this week. I have already had a few people fishing some of the streams. We just need some decent weather. Things are looking good. For open water opportunities, downtown Laconia, under the bridge on Winnisquam is open if you can get to it, and all the usual bridges and town docks. Winnisquam is looking pretty dark, so I don’t think it will be long there,” he said.

Massachusetts:
Pete Santini at Fishing Finatics in Everett was all about the trout. “All the ponds, Waldon, White’s, Horn, Jamaica, and Sluice, are all stocked and hopping. That’s the best game in town right now. All the typical lures, worms, and PowerBait are working. There are some holdover stripers at the Mystic River dam. Haddock opens this week too,” he said.