Little Lake Sunapee

[Steamtrain]

Anything on the internet says Little Lake Sunapee is not worth ice fishing. I haven’t been skunked this season and I’m going to try it tomorrow.
Scouting of this body of water suggests very little ice fishing activity with a majority of action just of the state boat ramp.
If I’m lucky I’ll catch a fish and blow this place up
I’ll report back after the outing but probably not in a timely manner.

[Lcabait]

I have had good luck along the right side off the boat launch with garlic scented eggs

[MadSledder]

Well Steam, still busy filleting fish or what? The world needs to know!

[Uppervalley Kid]

If memory serves me, in the fall of some where around 2014-2016 the state put some retired brood stock in Little Sunapee. I had a very nice one on the ice in winter of 2017. However, these fall brood stockings haven’t been reported since and those fish are likely long gone. State reports a spring stocking and cookie cutter rainbows can be caught year round, in limited numbers. I have been seeing a trend of declining quality in stocked trout in this area. Maybe its just the state putting more into numbers than size? Personally, I would rather catch 1-2 nice trout over 4-5 dinks but thats me.

[Steamtrain]

Great day of fishing but not very exciting catching.  Two of us fished 10 tipups, 6 with shiners and 4 with eggs, from 10am to 2:30pm just out in front of the boat ramp.  All 5 flags on the day were baited with shiners and in about 8 fow. We landed 2 yellow perch, 7" and 9".

[bassin212]

Good for you for going out there and giving it a shot

[Steamtrain]

Still haven’t found a honey hole but getting closer. I went back out again today in the nice weather, some clouds were forecast for the afternoon but none went over me.



Fished 5 tip-ups with shiners in about 9 fow. These resulted in a bunch of flags with two 9 inch and two 12 inch yellow perch landed.



Fished all afternoon and into the evening, started picking up my tip-ups at 6:20

[Steamtrain]

Ran out of bait yesterday and this looks like it might be my last day of ice fishing this season so going to skip the bait shop and just jig Mascoma this afternoon.
If I can find a place to park.

[Steamtrain]

Weather was too nice not to get out today so I headed over to Mascoma to jig. Boat ramp parking lot was jammed full and there was a pop up on the spot I was going to target so I headed over to the “ice fishing beach" and dragged past the crowd. Lots of trucks on the ice today. I didn’t start hitting fish until I got under 25 fow. Landed an 18 inch pickerel, 2 small fallfish and and every yellow perch in the area under 7 inches. Only used a buckshot glow with nightcrawler the whole day.

[800stealth]

Sounds like a good way to spend a few days, nice report.

[Steamtrain]

Went out again this afternoon to Mascoma. Only jigged and caught a thousand yellow perch, all 6 inches or less.

[Steamtrain]

Pics from yesterday

[Steamtrain]

Going to head east from my place in a day or 2 and fish heading that way, probably Newfound at the state boat ramp access, doubt I’ll make it as far as Waukewan. Friday to Massachusetts to the Swift to meet a friend. Don’t worry, I have access to a vehicle that gets 33mpg.

[Steamtrain]

Nothing on Newfound today, nothing. It was very beautiful and quiet out there today, only human sightings while fishing were a couple on a snowmobile. Unfortunately the spot I marked last night on the gps for fishing today had a bunch of cusk traps already set in the area. Kept moving and punching holes, had a tip up with eggs right along shore a few times in different spots, no flags. For jigging today I learned that steep drops on the bottom below don’t show up on the sonar that great. And ended up only marking 2 fish for the day. No chumming.
Tried this combo:



Maybe the beach at Sunapee tomorrow

[Steamtrain]

Headed back out to Little Sunapee today. Access at the boat ramp is getting questionable, I won’t be heading back out there again this season. Easy dragging today so I covered more area than previous visits to this lake. Ran 5 tipups with eggs along the shore, no flags.  Tons of little yellow perch on the sonar at all but 3 holes, I stayed at those 3 holes the longest.  Caught a bunch of small yellow perch jigging but nothing else on the jig rod.

[Steamtrain]

Hit Mascoma for a few hours of jigging yesterday, stayed until the rain picked up around 5 pm. Bunch of small yellow perch, in the same area I fished last time. 
18 inches of ice and 2 shanties still on the water. If the ice holds on mascoma I might get out on it again before storing the ice gear for the season.
Still a ways out from throwing the canoe on the Connecticut for smallies.

[Steve H.]

Good to see you're keeping at it Mike.  We'll meet up for stripers in a few months, if you want.