Spring Fishing Season Opens in New Hampshire

Sure, its April fools Day but I've marked this day on the calendar for a different reason. It's the start of the spring fishing season in New Hampshire. 

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department says that even though there is considerable ice on the big lakes in the state, there should be enough open water to get out there and start fishing again. "Ice out" is forecast to occur around mid-month.

Technically, April 1 begins the season for landlocked salmon and lake trout. New Hampshire Fish and Game manages 14 lakes for landlocked salmon: Big Dan Hole Pond, First and Second Connecticut Lakes, Conway Lake, Lake Francis, Merrymeeting Lake, Newfound Lake, Ossipee Lake, Big and Little Squam Lakes, Sunapee Lake, Lake Winnipesaukee and Winnisquam Lake.

Other good sites to visit include the Long Island Bridge in Moultonborough, Governors Island Bridge in Gilford, Smith River inlet at Wolfeboro Bay, and Meredith and Center Harbor town docks. At these locations, everything from smelt, shiners and worms under a slip bobber to small jigs will take salmon, as well as rainbow trout. NH Fish and Game has a Freshwater fishing digest available online.