SALMON: Salmon are the prized fish here in the Lakes Region. In the spring when the fish are on top of the water, large trolling streamers, spoons and live bait rigs catch the most fish. Small tube jigs work well when fishing from shore. Smelt are the prefered live bait but salmon will take the occasional worm. As the water warms, salmon move to more deeper parts and downriggers and lead core line become neccessary gear. Trolling flies and spoons continue to work well, but generally in a smaller size. During mid-summer, trolling through the thermocline gives an angler the best chance to hook up. As fall draws near, and the water begins to cool, the fish again move up in the water column, coming back near the surface. September can be an excellent month to hook a big fish. Salmon fishing runs from April 1st to September 30th. It is illegal to take a salmon through the ice, even to remove the hook.

LAKE TROUT: Fishing for lakers is similar to fishing for salmon, just in deeper water. Lake trout grow the biggest of all the species in the area, and fish over 20 pounds are caught each year. Fishing for lakers in the winter borders on being a religion. Fishing through the ice is the best chance to hook a monster because the angler can stay in a pre-determined depth of water. Big bucktail jigs with a strip of sucker fish on the hook is the standard for catching lakers, but any big jig can produce a monster. Bouncing the jig off the bottom, coupled with a lot of paitience, is the key to catching a big laker.

BROOK TROUT: The Northeast is known for it's brook trout fishing, and here in the Lakes Region they are in abundance. Small streams and rivers are the best place to catch these beautiful fish. During the spring, they are most active and will hit most any bait that drifts past their nose. Trout worms hooked with a small #10 or #12 hook works well, as do small flies such as the Griffiths Gnat. Also small spinners and spoons will cause a brookie to bite. Brook trout need cold water to survive, so in the summer they will hang out under shady banks, or where a spring fed stream enters the river or pond. Brookies are in their most splendid colors in the fall as they prepare to spawn. Trout are heavily regulated and many bodies of water are closed to all fishing during the winter. Anglers must read the rule book carefully to ensure that they are legally fishing a body of water. There are, however, many bodies of water that are open year round for those who want to catch a brook trout.

RAINBOW TROUT: Rainbow trout are not native to New Hampshire and have trouble spawning in our more acidic waters. Because of this a well developed stocking plan permits anglers to catch these fish year round. Fishing for rainbows in the spring and summer is the same as fishing for salmon. During the winter these fish are caught in shallow water. Anglers set their tip-ups in only 3 to 5 feet of water, in an area that has a sandy or gravelly bottom. Small shiners, smelts, worms and paste baits are used.