New England Sportsman First Ice Fishing Outing

Lake Massabesic, NH

View the RealPlayer8 Video of the Outing

A mid January day with hazy sun and mild temperatures provided comfortable conditions for the first annual NES ice fishing outing held on Lake Massabesic in Auburn NH.

The ice was a solid 12 inches thick and snow covered as we accessed the lake at the Auburn launch. This area is shallow and weedy with a gradual sloping shelf. About 300 yards offshore there is a gradual drop off to about 20 feet.

Pickerel, perch and crappie were caught throughout the day, mostly on tip-ups, but a few were fooled by jigging meal worm tipped Swedish Pimples. Redfin's redfin shiners were very popular this day. These small shiners are native to NH and are caught by Redfin in a minnow trap. This angler has a theory that a bait's aroma has an important part in catching fish through the ice, and these native redfin shiners just could not be passed up by cruising fish.

Register guide Allan Butler was eager to assist those new to ice fishing. By the time the third flag went up those folks were running and hauling up fish like the old time veterans. Many thanks to Allen providing his expert advice and tutoring.

Some of the twenty anglers who attended where Allan Butler, Mike & Debbie Edwards, Chris C, Hamma, Robin M, Redfin and Mike Christy.