KTP Fishing Report

May 5, 2025
Spring is many anglers’ favorite time of year to fish, and for good reason. We are hearing great reports of trolling for trout and salmon, better flounder bites around Boston Harbor, and striped bass moving into southern New England in greater numbers. Every day is like a new day with many species shaking off the winter lull and feeding aggressively. Bass fishing is also picking up, as are white perch, and black crappie. Trout are being stocked pretty much statewide now.

Maine:
Greg at Jordans Store in Sebago reported good fishing on Sebago and other area lakes. “Apparently, I am the only one with smelts in the area and the fish must be hitting them. They are driving from all over to get them. It seems like it’s an early bite. By around 9am the salmon bite slows down. You can still catch fish, but the early bite is hottest. The lake trout are biting all day. A lot of guys are trolling in the morning and switching to jigging for the afternoon. There are good salmon outside the rivers. The smelt should be running the smaller brooks on the western shore this week. They are falling out of the bigger rivers now. They usually start running in the brooks on this side of the lake right after they fall back out of the Crooked and Songo. Nassan’s Beach has been popular out over the deeper water. There have been a lot of guys fishing for wild brook trout. It’s a little early, but that should start warming up soon. Some guys fished largemouth and smallmouth in a club tournament on Hancock and they caught a bunch of big largemouth. The smallest bag weighed in was around 18 pounds for five fish,” he said

Greg at Jordans Store in Sebago says that the fishing is great on Sebago lately. So good that he isn’t hearing much from other waters in the area. “The fishing is great! There’s a lot of guys fishing and they’re catching some really nice salmon. Even the lake trout are super chunky. There are still quite a few people jigging them. Every once in a while, I can see some guys stop out in front of the store and jig for a while. None of my customers are really fishing anywhere else right now. I see why. I’m also hearing of some white perch showing up over at the Songo Locks,” he said.

CJ Harmon of Burnt Meadow Guide Service in Brownfield furnished the following report: “The fishing is great right now, this week we caught brown trout, splake, lake trout and salmon. Slow trolling using lake trolls, dodgers with sliding bait rigs and live bait is our preferred method when we target any of these fish. The water temps are getting to that magical 50 degrees on most the smaller ponds like Hancock and Trickey, while Sebago is still hovering at that 40-degree mark. May is always a great month of trolling for the coldwater species so get out there and keep your rod tip up and your line tight!!”

New Hampshire:
Tim from Tim Moore Outdoors/Lake Winnipesaukee Fishing Guide Service on Lake Winnipesaukee says that the fishing has been great, with a lot of salmon coming over the rails of his new boat. “This week was another very productive one. I have transitioned to all hardware, with a mix of spoons and flies catching well. AJ’s Tommy Gun spoons in Blood and Guts, Governor Aiken, and Smelt colors have been great. Blood and Guts and Winnipesaukee Smelt streamer flies are also good lately. I’m fishing mostly down around 12 feet,” he said.

Alan Nute at Winnisquam Country Store in Tilton reported some productive fishing on Winnisquam and Winnipesaukee. “Things seem to be picking up a little bit. The water temperature is up, and the fish are down a bit. Ten-to-fifteen feet down seems to be the magic number and I’m seeing more fish caught on lures and flies now. We are starting to see some double digit catches too. Blood and Guts spoons are starting to take off. Whites are doing good, the Wonderbread and Bikini color in spoons, and white flies are still catching good.Water temps are up in the 50s now. The next warm spell should kick more fish away from the shorelines,” he said.

Dana Berry at Berry’s Bait in Alton Bay said that the state ramp next door has been busy, and the trolling anglers are doing well on Winnipesaukee. “I feel like it slowed down just a bit, but there are a lot of people still catching, just not as many people fishing. It could be the weather though. A lot of people have switched over to fishing hardware more than smelt now. We are selling a lot of AJ’s Top Gun and BB Gun spoons in his new Blood and Guts color. Pearl has been good too. Erik’s Flies have also been selling well. Blood and Guts, Maynard’s Marval, and Grey Ghost have been popular flies. I still have some smelt, but when these are gone, we will be finished carrying them for the season,” she said.

Les Eastman at Eastman’s Fleet in Seabrook published the following report: "Yesterday wasn’t great weather-wise, rough morning and the LAM had lots of kids that were getting sick. They came in early, and we gave out free tickets for another trip. All the other boats stayed out and did about the same, as it’s been just more difficult with the rough weather. Not the case today, flat calm and beautiful out. All boats out and I’ll report when I find out later today. Sold out tomorrow (Sunday), Monday we have 4 spots on the marathon and 15 left on the All Day, all other boats are chartered. T/W/T there is plenty of room. 15:35hrs fish report, like it’s been, didn’t talk to Capt. Phil on the LMA, but LAM did well, like it’s been but bigger haddock. SCL did better than it’s been today, 5-7 low guys, with bunch of guys that limited and a picture-perfect day weather wise, unlike yesterday when the morning was horrible weather, ended up nice but rough morning. 17:00hrs, rare report from one of the 6-pack boats. Capt. Ralph on the Melanie Jeanne just about limited, 97 big haddock for six guys and himself, just eight shy. –Capt. Les"

The NH Fish and Game Department published their spring 2025 fishing forecast online: “One word that will likely sum up the expected fishing conditions, is dry. The drought conditions facing most of the state will likely continue through the spring, which will impact fishable waterbodies. Anglers should plan for this and strategize accordingly.”

“There is some good news for anglers this spring, however. Long term forecasts indicate temperatures will be closer to normal and cooler in nature. Cooler air temps and water temps keep fish in the shallows and feeding. It also looks like there will be lots of days with overcast skies, which traditionally produce top notch fishing. Although there won’t be a lot of rain, there will be days where you can expect light drizzle, which is another great time to fish because this excites the food towards the top of the water.”

“Spring Fishing Tips: Dry conditions, especially in the spring, do not necessarily mean poor fishing. Your approach to lakes and ponds at this time of year will be largely unaffected. Cooler temps mean fish will be in the shallower waters, which also means it is a great time of year (if not the best) to fish if your only option is fishing from the shore. Continue to look for structure and weed beds, even if the shoreline is a little lower. When fishing dryer rivers and streams, target the deeper pools where fish are likely to be hanging out. Places where there is good running water, or “run-offs,” are also good because the water is cool and aeriated for fish and their food.”

“Spring is among the best times of year to catch trout, especially rainbow trout, in New Hampshire. This species fights hard and is pretty enough to make a great addition to your social media page before throwing it back. Stocked ones can still be found shallow in ponds and rivers making them a great spring target fish. Use salmon eggs or a gold spinner lure to drum up success. If you’re lucky enough to have a boat, or at least a friend with one, trolling for rainbows with a spoon or fly is almost guaranteed to bring you success, just experiment with depth depending on what temperature the water is.”

“And for those who like to chase warm water species, catch-and-release-only season for bass opens on May 15 and runs through Father’s Day. See you on the water!”

Massachusetts:
Pete Santini at Fishing Finatics in Everett reported great flounder fishing. “The flounder bite has kicked off good. It’s on! They’re getting them off Deer Island, Spectacle Island, Peddocks Island, and Lynn Harbor. Some good-sized ones too. Bass are in the rivers and there are more showing up every day. People are catching them on rubber shads and poppers. Trout fishing is great in Horn, Waldon, Whites, Spot, and Jamaica Ponds are all loaded up with nice trout,” he said.