Umbagog Lake Fishing Report

Current Fishing Report: Good To Excellent

Smallmouth bass fishing is currently experiencing good results using the latest high-tech fish finders and forward-facing sonar. Especially anglers who fish from a boat, are improving their catch rate. Even when fishing is slow, it's easier to catch them when you know exactly where they are holding. The advent of new lures and equipment has also improved success for anglers fishing from the bank. Savvy anglers, who study smallmouth movements and patterns, continue to catch nice fish, even without the new technology.

SPRING. Water temperatures have risen into the 50's, and smallmouth are moving from deep wintering spots to shallower water, just outside spawning areas. They are feeding aggressively in 2 to 8 feet of water at this time, and are typically caught on jerkbaits, crankbaits, tube baits, Ned rigs, and crayfish imitating plastics. Once water warms into the high 50's, they move create nests in gravel or sand areas, then lay their eggs. Some of the better spawning areas include protected, shallow flats and points. Females then move to deeper water and males remain to guard the eggs, and then the fry. After a couple weeks, the males also move into 15 to 20 feet deep, and feed aggressively. Crankbaits, tube baits, Ned rigs, plastic worms, spoons and swimbaits are catching smallies during this period.

SUMMER. During the warmer months, Smallmouth bass typically feed shallow early and late in the day, in 5 to 12 feet of water. They are often caught on topwater, crankbaits, swimbaits, Ned rigs and tube baits. Smallmouth bass here feed on crawfish, golden shiners and small sunfish. They prefer rocky or gravel bottom areas, as this is where crayfish live. Popular Summer holding areas include rip rap shorelines, as well as rocky points, humps and structure near the thermocline. During the hotter parts of the day, they are being caught on points, humps, and ledges around 10 to 22 feet deep. Often these deeper fish tend to school, so finding them can deliver some fast action.

FALL. Once Fall arrives smallmouth move into coves and bays, 8 to 18 feet deep. They thrive in the cooler, shallow water, which is an ideal environment for them. Locals report that tube jigs, and drop shot rigs with small worms or shad shaped plastics, are popular in 10' water or deeper. Worms, jigs, deep-diving crankbaits, swimbaits, and slow-rolled spinnerbaits, are also successful when bass are shallow to mid depths. Later in Fall, smallies move to 10 to 20 feet deep.

WINTER. Winter isolates smallies around deeper structure, points, flats and creek channels, often suspending in open water above these features. Before, during and after ice fishing season, they can generally be found from 15 to 35 feet deep. Jigging spoons, tube baits, drop-shot worms, jigs and Ned rigs tempt smallmouth to bite in deep water. I like to work these deeper haunts very slowly in cold weather, as the bass are somewhat sluggish. Here they hold, feeding less frequently, awaiting warmer water to return in Spring. Smallmouth fishing can be very good on cold, windy, cloudy and rainy days.

Current Fishing Report: Good To Excellent

SPRING. Once the ice melts, anglers report catching northern pike in the shallows on flashy lures. For many decades the Johnson Spoon has been a deadly bait for northerns, especially when tipped with a white, or bright colored trailer. Jerkbaits, big spinners, swimbaits all catch northerns here. As the water warms, noisy topwater baits like the Whopper Flopper are a good choice. Once water temperatures reach around 40 degrees, they move into even shallower areas with vegetation, to spawn. Ideal depths range from 2 to 8 feet. Big pike stage on points, shallow flats and inside coves. The mouths of Magalloway River and the Rapid River are classic spawning grounds. After spawning they linger in the shallow bays for a short period. Once water temperatures rise into the 50's, they move to deeper weedbeds and shallow structures 4 to 12 feet deep, adjacent to even deeper water.

SUMMER. Northern pike scatter all around the lake, rather than gather in groups. This makes them difficult to locate. Early Summer, during the day they are holding shallow around weed beds in 4 to 10 feet of water. Late Summer finds the in 10 to 20 feet deep on ledges, reefs, rock piles, islands and channel edges. Some of the larger specimens are suspending in open water, just outside shallow feeding areas. Trolling or drift fishing produces some nice catches, using spoons, big spinners, cut bait, and deep diving crankbaits. Early and late in the day, they move shallow to feed and can be caught around most weedy shorelines, in 4 to 8 feet of water. A good option is the weedbeds off Big Island and Black Island. Spinnerbaits, noisy topwater lures, and Johnson spoons with curly-tail grubs, catch nice pike when they are shallow.

FALL. As the weather starts turning cold, water temperatures cool fastest in the shallows. This brings schools of bait into shallower water, and northerns follow this food source. They hang around weedbed edges, main-lake points, reefs, and rocky shorelines to ambush prey, early in Fall in 8 to 15 feet of water. This is a prime feeding time, as they prepare for winter. After feeding, they hold on drop-offs and structure. Later in Fall, 5 to 10 feet deep is their preferred depths. It is also a good time to catch a trophy pike.

WINTER. Pike remain active in Winter, often congregating in or near remaining weedbeds, especially along the edges. Other structure options include long points, reefs, ledge drop-offs, and rocky humps, ideally nearby deeper water. Ice fishing for northerns last winter was quite good, with some big northerns caught on spoons and baited jigs. When ice season starts, look for them in 5 to 12 feet of water. They are typically caught using baited tip-ups, keeping the bait around 4 feet above the bottom. The ice fishing season was good here last winter, and should be again this year. At times, when oxygen is depleted in deeper water, northerns suspend directly under the ice, where maximum oxygen is available. Other times they hold on structure in deeper water.

Current Fishing Report: Good To Excellent

While fish finders and sonar have been a crucial tool in finding salmon in the past, the use of new technology is helping anglers catch more landlocked salmon. Forward-facing, and side scanning, sonar is assisting anglers in locating and catching these big salmon. Catch rates have improved, especially when they hold in deeper water. Once located, these big salmon are being caught in greater numbers while trolling, casting or jigging.

SPRING. Locals report that getting on the lake soon after ice-out, provides the best opportunity of good salmon fishing, as they are relatively shallow, from the surface down to 10 feet. Once ice-out is complete in Spring, landlocked salmon become more active and feed on schools of smelt in 5 to 20 feet of water, often near the shoreline. At this time they begin moving to inflowing tributaries. Trolling shallow with spinners, flatfish and super dupers is the most popular method for catching them during Spring.

SUMMER. Anglers most often target landlocked salmon by trolling open water. During the warm Summer months, salmon migrate to deeper, cooler water, usually between 15 and 40 feet deep. Trolling with lead core line or downriggers allows for use of most lures and bait at these depths. They forage on a variety of prey, including alewives, smelt other baitfish.

FALL. Cooling water temperatures have brought salmon back near the surface and closer to shore, in 10 to 25 feet. They are naturally drawn to the vicinity of inlets or outlets, where they prepare to spawn, generally from the middle of October to late November. They create nests in shallow gravel, where they lay their eggs. Fly fishing, or casting flatfish, spinners, jerkbaits and spoons is popular and effective during these shallow-water periods. Later in the season they feed around 2 to 10 feet deep.

WINTER. In Winter, landlocked salmon here are typically caught in 15 to 30 feet deep early in Winter, and deeper during Midwinter. After ice out, they feed aggressively, following channel and structure contours. Jigging spoons, colorful ice jigs, or live bait catches the majority of these salmon while ice fishing here.