Ice-Out Watch Begins
By Tim Moore
Contributing Writer
“Weird” is a good word to describe this winter. It felt more like spurts of winter, interjected with periods of spring, but rarely felt like full-on winter. The ice conditions on Lake Winnipesaukee were equally as weird. Late fall started out cold, looking like we would have a typical winter. Then, things took a turn for the worse. Warm weather came back and only left for brief periods. Now here we are in March, when we should be looking at the remaining ten days of ice fishing season, counting the days until ice-out so that we can get our boats in the water to catch salmon.
The ice fishing season on Lake Winnipesaukee is from January 1 through March 31 each year. There have only been three March ice-out dates on record, meaning that most years there is enough ice to fish on through the last day of the ice fishing season. As soon as the ice fishing season ends, most anglers turn their attention to ice-out watch. Ice-out is declared when the MS Mount Washington cruise ship can safely navigate to all five of its ports.
The salmon and lake trout season on Lake Winnipesaukee is from April 1 through September 30. Most years the lake is still ice covered through much of April, but ice-out is almost all salmon anglers can think about once spring nears. On average, ice-out is declared near the end of the third week in April. Last year’s ice-out date was April 24 and in 2018 it was April 26. With the current weather and temps, some speculate that ice-out will be declared on or around April 1. I’m not sure about April 1, but I do believe it won’t be much later than the first week in April.
With the ice fishing season on Winnipesaukee only three months long, some are surprised when I say I’m glad when it ends. Don’t get me wrong, I love to ice fish. However, it’s a grind. It’s more work than any of the other fishing I guide, and on years like this one, with inconsistent weather and ice thickness, it’s exhausting. Finding unpressured areas to fish and keeping clients safe and comfortable takes a ton of time, energy, and resources. On years like this year, getting my boat in the water and trolling for salmon is a refreshing break, but the weather still presents its challenges. They say that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Well, as a professional fishing guide, I’ve learned to make a mean lemonade.
Tim Moore is a full-time professional fishing guide in New Hampshire. He owns and operates Tim Moore Outdoors, LLC. He is a member of the New England Outdoors Writers Association and the producer of Tim Moore Outdoors TV. Visit www.TimMooreOutdoors.com for more information.
