It’s hot, but don’t tell the fish that. They don’t seem to know it. What should be a slightly slower time for many seems to be banner fishing for almost everyone. Mid-summer is a time when many species seek solitude of deeper cooler water and are generally less active, but many anglers are figuring out that species such as lake trout, salmon, and rainbow trout are actually more predictable during the summer. Cold water species will seek the more stable 55-degree water that is found near thermoclines. Warmwater species are well-adjusted to this time of year and water temps, so bass, pickerel, and pike are a staple for many. Striped bass are thick this year, but there is now a ton of competition in the form of pogie schools. With so much food around, the stripers have become pickier about what and when they eat.

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MAINE

Greg Greg Cutting at Jordan’s Store in tells us that there are still a staggering amount of people fishing, but luckily, he’s been able to restock much of his fishing gear. Greg mentioned that the lake trout he told us about last week had in fact been confirmed at 39.2-pounds. He says the fishing has been pretty good, with some anglers turning to vertical jigging lake trout. He told us that those who are doing it are catching good numbers of togue, but he has yet to hear any big fish reports. Greg says 90 – 100-feet of water is where most of the lake trout have been caught jigging. “Look for the bait and you’ll likely find lake trout,” he said. Greg also told us that he’s had some frequent reports from anglers having very good success for brown trout in Hancock Pond using small Rapalas.

Dave Garcia at Naples Bait and Tackle in Naples says Upper Richardson Lake is getting a lot of attention. “Well, I guess everything is really happening up north where that guy caught that state record togue,” he said. Reports of the new Maine state record (39.2-pounds) lake trout traveled fast, and anglers are hoping to see if there is another mammoth to be caught there. Dave also reports very good warm water fishing. He says pickerel and northern pike reports are coming in daily. Dave says a weedless Daredevil thrown into shallow water in smaller ponds should produce plenty of pickerel, and the Androscoggin River is producing some big northern pike

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NEW HAMPSHIRE

Full-time New Hampshire fishing guide Tim from Tim Moore Outdoors reports some very good fishing on Lake Winnipesaukee lately. “Salmon numbers are down this year, but the fish we do catch are VERY nice. The rainbows and lake trout seem to be making up for it though. We haven’t caught any huge lake trout, but we have had days trolling streamer flies in 50-feet of water where we couldn’t keep four lines in the water,” he said. Tim was happy to report that the lake trout jig bite continues to improve as smelt are moving into deep water and the white perch fry have moved out over deep water as well. He says they have been able to jig a few lakers every time out, and the numbers of fish moving into the deep (over 100 feet) water seems to increase almost daily. Tim ans his clients have been doing very well vertically jigging his Signature Series Nervous Minnow from Daddy Mac Lures. He says the 1.4-ounce smelt (blue) is the hot color.

Alan Nute at A.J.’s Bait and Tackle in Meredith tells us that the fishing is “pretty steady” on Winnipesaukee right now. He says he is selling a lot of attracters for downriggers, as they seem to be helping anglers catch their share of salmon, lake trout, and rainbow trout. Alan says flies are working well for all three species and suggests bright colors. For spoons, Alan suggests silver/copper, watermelon, pink/silver, and just pink.

Tom Caron at Tall Timber Lodge on Back Lake in Pittsburg furnished the following report on his website: “It’s back to the river, as the Hexagenia hatch on Back Lake has largely gone by, sadly. Actually, the river is a pretty good place to be these days, as the water is still cold and the fish are there in numbers.”

“The Trophy Stretch of the Connecticut River has been providing some excitement for anglers recently, and it is probably the stretch with the most fish. It has been stocked heavily and recently by NH Fish & Game, so there’s no excuse to not catch fish. …”

“But, there is an excuse. There’s a fair number of like-minded souls that will be out there doing the same thing. Arrive early and move around to explore new water if you have to, and always be courteous. The worst thing in fishing is getting attitude out there on the water.”

“The flies? It still sounds like nymph rigs are doing the most damage, and the possibilities are endless here – keep switching it up until you find what they like. Small is better too, and now might be the time to move from 5X to an even lighter tippet. The flow is the same – 155 CFS, pretty easy wading in most spots.”

“The water is colder below Murphy, but we’re hitting the sweet spot as the temp nears 50 degrees. The water flow is still at 300 CFS, which is a bit low. We are still below average for rainfall this season, so we badly need rain to freshen things up. Looks like we’ll be getting some over the next four or five days.”

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MASSACHUSETTS

Martha at Surfland Bait and Tackle on Plumb Island tells us that there are still plenty of fish around, but the pogies are there and the big stripers “have gotten fussy” with plenty of food around. “Judging by all the boats on Joppa lately, I’d say there are some big fish there,” she said. She says tube and worm is working well during the day, and eels or Slug-gos do best at night. Martha says she suspects boat traffic and excess of bait in the water plays a big part in slower fishing, especially on weekends. She says anglers who can get to the deeper water from the jetty are also doing well. Martha says still no bluefish reports, but there are still some flounder reports on the southern end of the island.

Pete Santini at Fishing Finatics in Everett says the fishing in and around Boston Harbor is very good this summer. “There are a lot of big bass between the BG Buoy and Graves Light early in the morning,” he said. He also noted the mouth of the Mystic and Charles Rivers. He says there are still some fluke in the Pines River and that every piling in Boston Harbor has tautog on it. Pete says there are bluefin tuna “everywhere” too! He says the Northwest Corner, Southwest Corner, Graves Light are seeing regular tuna schools. Pete says many striped bass anglers are getting spooled by not-so-random schools of tuna moving through.

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