KTP Fishing Report

March 17, 2025
Well, it seems that for the most part, ice fishing has wound down or ended in most places. It was a great winter for most, but when the warm weather and rain arrived, it took out a lot of ice, or at least eroded it to the point of being unsafe. Many shops and guides have begun looking to spring fishing. Many are busy changing over their shops, getting their boats and kayaks ready, and putting away ice fishing gear. Our Gear Up for Spring Storewide Sale Event kicks off March 20 - 23. Stop in and get those spring fishing and outdoor items.

Maine:
Greg Cutting at Jordan's Store in Sebago told us that the ice out in front of the store on Sebago was looking pretty bad. "Well, I've made the switch to open water. The ice out front here is definitely not fishable. They fished the south end of the lake and did really well over the weekend, but I'm sure there will just be a few brave souls out there after the warm temps and rain. It won't be long before the main lake is open. Then we have to wait for the boat launches to open. There are a lot of smelt in the lake, so that's a good sign. Sebago will probably be the first thing open, but we're still a couple of weeks away from that," he said.

CJ Harmon of Burnt Meadow Guide Service in Brownfield furnished the following report: "The week started out great this week with great ice conditions and stellar fishing, but things turned very quickly. Our Ice deteriorated very quickly and we advise extreme caution if you are going to try to get that one last trip in! Fishing became very tough as well when the weather changed. The crappie and perch were schooled up together but they were pretty negative and intolerant to a lot of fishing pressure. Finding the weed edges in shallow water and being patient was the key to success this week. You just had to wait for the fish to roam through."

"It was a great ice season for us with lots of successful trips and happy clients! We are excited to start getting the boat ready and all our gear prepared for the open water season. We will be fishing smaller ponds targeting brown trout, splake and rainbow trout, lake trout and salmon on Sebago Lake, and of course we will still be chasing our big, beautiful Maine crappie!"

Vern at Cobbossee Bait in Winthrop, like many others, said that ice conditions deteriorated rapidly. "The warm weather has definitely put a hurt on the ice. There will be ice fishing for ice savvy people only. If you aren't experienced, I recommend staying off the ice. There are still places that have 12 inches of ice, but you need planks to get on. There is still some ice fishing north of Kennebec County. Other than that, the fishing has been pretty good. We've even been able to find a few smelt to get ready for the spring fishermen," he said.

New Hampshire:
Tim from Tim Moore Outdoors'Lake Winnipesaukee Fishing Guide Service on Lake Winnipesaukee had just wrapped up his ice fishing season and was already looking ahead to open water and trolling for salmon, after a bit of a rest. "What a much-needed actual winter. I wouldn't call it traditional, but far better than the past three. I guided 54 ice fishing trips with 150 people in 7 weeks. We had a blast. I've seen better fishing in other years, but we caught a ton of lake trout and quite a few white perch, including some giants Winnipesaukee is known for. When the ice started to go, it sure did go fast. Some of the frozen cracks and pressure ridges were already opening up on Friday and Saturday. By Sunday they were borderline dangerous. I even had a report of someone seeing a local fire department airboat, which only comes out for rescues during late season. My new boat is sitting at the dealer waiting to be rigged, and for ice-out. I'm excited to get it on the water and continue creating memories," he said.

Dana Berry at Berry's Bait in Alton Bay told us that things have come to a screeching halt. "The open water around the town docks has extended all the way over to the runway. We had a few folks in over the weekend, but it was really slow. The ice got pretty bad pretty fast. A few people were still going for lake trout. Tip up suckers and large shiners have been popular this weekend. We have already started switching over to spring gear. It looks like there will be some open water around docks and bridges for April 1 salmon anglers," she said. Alan Nute at Winnisquam Country Store in Tilton reported that the ice fishing season is just about over. "It's going fast. We went from having a lot of snow and ice to almost no snow and the ice is getting bad fast. I think the smelt I have in stock will be for April 1. The northern lakes got this warm weather too, so I don't know how the ice held up there. I'm just making lures and getting ready for trout and salmon. All signs point to a really good year," he said.