When the north wind blows and the temperature drops into the teens, it doesn’t take long for the Granite State lakes and ponds to freeze over. And as soon as the ice is safe, say 3 inches or so, brave Upper Valley anglers break out the augers and drop a line into the frigid water.
Before the new year could be rung in, Mascoma Lake had already seen plenty of action.
On Dec. 29, I ventured onto the frozen surface of my home lake, baby-stepping on the slick ice, making for a cluster of anglers who were enjoying the bright sun and low-wind conditions. As I walked, I could hear the pinging sound under the 8-10 inches of ice — a reassuring echo that accompanies a body of water making fresh ice.
My first stop was a red portable ice shelter where a father was fishing with his sons. The portable houses are quickly supplanting the traditional stick-built bobhouses. They fold up into a duffel bag, are easy to move and do not restrict anglers to one location for the entire winter. Of the five structures that had been raised on the lake, four of them were of the portable variety.
Inside the shelter were twin 10-year-old brothers, Conner and Aidan Hemmerling, of Enfield. So far, they had landed a chunky pickerel, a decent brown trout and a huge white perch.
Their father, who preferred not to give his name, extolled the virtues of the portable shelter, because he likes to fish all over the region. Although today he was going for anything that would bite, he prefers certain lakes for different species, including Crystal Lake for rainbows and Newfound Lake for lake trout.
Moving on, I encountered Lebanon’s Chris Chaisson. He didn’t have any sort of bobhouse. Except for the fish finder he had positioned on the edge of the ice hole, he was running a pretty low-tech operation.
Chaisson was after smelt, jigging flutter spoon tipped with a piece of nightcrawler. He already had two smelt in the bucket. Since I fish Mascoma only in the summer, I had no idea there is such a prodigious smelt population there. I made a mental note to try to find the smelt schools when I’m out for bass.
Chaisson held a rod and reel that couldn’t have been more than 2 feet long. Smelt have a light, tapping strike, so he has to pay attention.
“A flimsy rod is best,” he says. “If the rod is too stiff, you’ll miss a lot of fish.”
As he spoke, he watched the fish finder. Suddenly, he tensed and pointed to a straight line that had appeared on the screen about 25 feet down. He explained that the line meant a school of fish was moving right under us. He reeled up his lure to the right depth.
After a quiet moment, the end of the rod twitched and Chaisson set the hook. He brought up a 6-inch smelt and put it in the bucket. Later in the season, he assured me, the smelt would get bigger.
Smelt are considered by some to be a bit oily and strong-tasting, but Chaisson finds them to be good table fare.
“Just cut the heads off, gut them and fry them,” he said. “The bones crisp up so you can eat the whole fish.”
Later in the season, he will move into shallower water and bounce a jig off the bottom for big perch.
I finally approached three gentlemen who had set up two portable units and were fishing together. Enfield resident Chris Burbeski was all smiles as he jigged through the ice.
“As soon as I see someone out here that isn’t falling through the ice, I come out,” he said. “In December, I can also get that last few days out of my fishing license.”
When I asked Canaan’s Jackson Hokk what he was fishing for he replied, “Anything that bites.”
Enfield angler Dan Bowlin was also using a flutter spoon. He had just landed a 4-inch yellow perch and was eager to catch another. The perch were hovering around 46 feet down.
About this time I realized that, in my haste to reach the action, I had not dressed for a day on the ice. My fingers were stiff, and the ink in my pen wasn’t flowing as freely anymore. So I returned to the car and blasted the heater.
Over the years, I have not really embraced ice fishing, mainly because I never catch anything when I go. However, now that I had seen other anglers pulling nice fish up through the ice, I may be compelled to give it another go.
I just have to remember to dress more warmly.