Fishing Report March 23, 2026

Most people consider the 2026 ice fishing season to be over, but there are still a few anglers looking to take advantage of the great March fishing. We caution everyone to be very careful out there if you head out ice fishing. The latest freeze/thaw cycles have opened up large holes and fissures that have skimmed over and are now covered with snow. Areas that look safe may not be. Treat this time the same as early ice and check wherever you go, every time you go.

Maine:
Greg Cutting at Jordan’s Store in Sebago said there are still people fishing Sebago and the fishing has picked up. “There have been guys out front of the store here this weekend. I walked out one day and there was still a foot of good ice out here. The lake trout are biting well. One group of guys were targeting suspended fish and catching about 30 fish a trip. Those suspended fish will almost always bite, but I don’t ignore the fish on the bottom. I’m guessing we have at least two weeks before there is enough open water to get a boat in,” he said.

Vern at Cobbossee Bait was on his last week before going to self-serve, but there were still a lot of people fishing and ice conditions were holding strong. “Contrary to popular belief, there are still people fishing. People are still pike fishing. We still have 12 inches of ice on Cobbossee. We’ve got snow on it now, so you can’t see the bad spots. People need to be really careful if they head out. There were people on pretty much every single lake on Sunday morning. I couldn’t believe it. I had close to 50 customers. Far more than the previous week. There will be quite a few people fishing this coming weekend, but we are winding down. Thank you to everyone who came in this winter. It sure was nice to have good ice,” he told us.

New Hampshire:
Tim from Tim Moore Outdoors/Lake Winnipesaukee Fishing Guide Service on Lake Winnipesaukee was in between catching up on much needed rest and recovery, putting away ice fishing gear, and starting to get his open water gear ready. “I have heard of a few die-hard anglers heading out onto Winnipesaukee to salvage the what’s left of the season, mostly for rainbows in shallow water, but after last week’s rain, the ice is sketchy. Anyone venturing out this week should be very careful. I am hearing that old bobhouse holes that had opened up huge with the rain had refroze, but not very thick. A dusting of snow can make things treacherous this time of year. I have heard of smaller panfish ponds heating up, which is typical. This is the best time of year to ice fish. This is the only time of year I wish the ice would go away,” he said.

Alan Nute at Winnisquam Country Store in Tilton said there was a fare amount of anglers heading to the local panfish ponds for crappie and yellow perch. “I’ve heard of a few rainbows being caught, but a lot of the shorelines where the rainbows will be hanging are opening up. I’ve seen some impressive crappie catches in the last few days. There are a ton of small ponds with decent ice that hold tons of crappie. They bite good this time of year and taste even better,” he said.

Lon Berry at Berry’s Bait in Alton Bay told us that the shop has been dead for the most part. “There is quite a bit of open water out here in the bay. The mouth of the river is open all the way out to the boat ramp and around the Mount Washington dock has opened way up. We have been changing the store over to open water. I’ve heard of a few guys getting out, but for the most part, everyone is done. There should be a good amount of open water for April 1st,” he said.

Ki at Dover Marine/Covered Bridge Sports said that there was almost nothing going on in his area. “We have had hardly any fishing customers this week. The only people coming in are the ones fishing the rivers, but they’re pretty blown out now with all the rain and snow melt. The Cocheco looks like chocolate milk. I’m waiting to hear from some of my saltwater customers who like to head out this time of year for redfish and cusk. Haddock will open soon. I’m sure there will be plenty of people heading out on their own boats or the party boats,” he told us.

Eastman’s Fleet in Seabrook is running trips for redfish and cusk, and posted the following report over the weekend. “Still good, not as good as the last 2 days with Fishark charters, remember they are all pros and half the people (makes a difference). That report is from the LMA, haven’t heard from the LAM but they were in the same area. We are sailing in the morning (Sunday 0700), the forecast is all over the place so we’re hoping for the best. Not much question about Monday, Tuesday, going to be crappy. Openings Wednesday and beyond.”