Where to Fish After Ice-Out
A Local's Guide to Spring Fishing in the Lakes Region
Something happens right after ice-out.
The boats start appearing. Not the big ones yet — those come later, when the water warms and the seasonal residents arrive and the lake becomes a different kind of place. These are smaller. A kayak with a rod propped against the bow. A couple of guys in waders working an inlet before sunrise. A kid with a pole sitting at the end of a dock, feet dangling, not going anywhere in particular. Some teens leaning over the bridge on Main St. in Wolfeboro and carefully casting off.
We are not fishers (fisherwomen? fisherpeople? whatever). We want to be clear about that. We know this place, we love it, we watch it closely, and we’ve learned over the years to pay attention to the rhythms that tell you where people who know things go when a particular season opens. Spring fishing is one of those rhythms. It starts within days of ice-out, sometimes before, and it pulls people to the water in a way that feels less like recreation and more like ritual.
This is what we’ve learned by watching, asking questions, and paying attention.
Why April Fishing Is Different
The lakes in April are not the lakes of July. The water is cold — cold enough that landlocked salmon and rainbow trout, species that go deep and quiet in the heat of summer, are still near the surface and actively feeding. The shallower bays have already started to warm, which gets perch and bass moving earlier than you’d expect. The inlets, where rivers push warmer water into the lake, are magnets. This window is real and it doesn’t last long.
Open-water season on the big lakes — Winnipesaukee, Squam, Newfound, Ossipee, Winnisquam — starts April 1st. Some years there’s still ice on parts of the lake when it opens. People fish anyway, working the open sections and the inlets, which is its own kind of thing to witness.
Lake Winnipesaukee
The Broads — the wide central section of the lake — hold cold water longer than the shallower bays, and landlocked salmon and lake trout are the draw in early season. Closer to shore, the Smith River inlet near Wolfeboro and the town docks in Alton are both known for yellow perch, smallmouth bass, and panfish. If you’ve never fished Winni and want a place to start, Alton Bay is a reasonable answer — good access, room to move, and the kind of morning activity that makes you glad you got up early.
The Weirs Beach boat launch is the main public access point on the western side. On a weekend morning in mid-April, it will not be quiet.
Newfound Lake
Newfound is one of the clearest lakes in New England — the kind of water that makes depth hard to judge because you can see so far into it. That clarity and depth mean the lake holds cold temperatures well into spring, which makes it exceptional for lake trout and landlocked salmon early in the season. Trolling is the common technique for going after trout in deeper water; shore fishing at Wellhouse Beach in Bristol gives access without a boat. It’s a quieter drive than the main Lakes Region corridor, and the quality of the fishing matches the quality of the lake.
Squam Lake
Squam opens slowly and quietly, which suits it. The shallow bays on the south and western edges warm first, and that’s where bass and perch become active before the deeper lake catches up. The boat launch in Holderness is the primary public access point; shore spots near Ashland work if you’re fishing without a boat. Squam rewards patience and early mornings. The loons are back by now, and if you’re on the water before the light fully arrives, the combination of mountains and mist and the sound of a loon calling across the cove is the kind of thing that makes people understand why they moved here.
Winnisquam Lake
Winnisquam doesn’t get talked about the way Winni does, which means the boat ramp at the NH Fish and Game launch in Belmont (off Route 140) on an April morning is not crowded. The shallow bays warm quickly, and it’s a productive early-season lake for white perch and rainbow trout. Shore fishing at Opechee Bay in Laconia is accessible without a boat. If you live in or around Laconia, this is the one to know.
Merrymeeting Lake
Merrymeeting is smaller and less traveled than the others on this list, which is exactly the point. Rocky Point and the southeastern shore are the areas to know for early bass and rainbow trout. The boat launch is in New Durham; shore access is limited. This is the lake you learn about from someone who already knows it, which makes it worth including here.
Lake Wentworth
This one we can speak to from direct observation rather than research. The inlet here draws casual fishers throughout spring — kids with rods sitting at the edge, unhurried, catching whatever comes. We don’t know exactly what they’re pulling up. But it’s connected to Winnipesaukee via the Narrows so likely holds similar species - smallmouth bass, perch, and panfish.
We know they keep coming back. That’s usually the only information that matters.
Before You Go
Every serious spring fisher in the Lakes Region has their tackle shop. The people behind the counter at a local shop know what’s actually running in the water right now, not what was running three weeks ago, and not what the internet says should be running. That knowledge is worth whatever you spend on bait.
The shops we see referenced by people who know:
Hole in the Wall (45 N. Main St., Wolfeboro; 603-569-4653) — Full-service fishing shop with live bait (minnows, worms), custom rods/reels, tackle, and boat/kayak rentals.
Wolfeboro Bay Outfitters (Main St., Wolfeboro; 603-569-1114) — Bait, tackle, and local intel for the east-side crowd.
Dive Winnipesaukee (4 N. Main St., Wolfeboro; 603-569-8080) — Carries bait and tackle alongside dive gear.
Alton Bay Bait & Tackle (Route 11, Alton Bay; 603-875-4978) — Go-to for Winnipesaukee’s east shore, especially salmon/trout intel.
Martel’s Bait & Sport Shop (49 Winnisquam Ave., Laconia; 603-528-3474) — Longtime Laconia institution for Winnisquam and area lakes.
AJ’s Bait and Tackle (23 Main St., Meredith; 603-279-3152) — Central location for Winnisquam and Newfound access.
What to buy for spring: Live minnows and nightcrawlers are the most versatile early-season baits for trout, salmon, and perch; salmon eggs (fresh or cured) are particularly effective for rainbow trout and landlocked salmon in April. For bass and perch, small soft plastics, jigs, or live worms work well in shallow, warming bays.
NH Fish and Game regulations matter here. Check current opening dates and any species-specific rules before you go. The 2026 free fishing day is June 6. Some waters open later than the general April 1st date, and regulations around salmon and trout in particular are worth confirming.
What Spring Fishing Actually Is
We said don’t fish. That’s still true. But we’ve been watching people show up at inlets and boat launches on April mornings for long enough to understand that it’s not entirely about the fish.
It’s about being the first person out on a lake that’s been frozen since January. It’s about the particular kind of quiet that exists on cold water before anyone else has arrived. It’s about standing at the edge of a season and doing something that makes you feel like a person who belongs to a place.
You don’t have to catch anything for that to be true.
If you’re new to the region, or thinking about what life here actually looks like across the seasons and not just in July, this is part of the answer. The lake in April, before the boats and the noise and the full summer arrival, is one of the things people who live here protect fiercely. Not because it’s secret. Because it’s theirs.
Here’s to the water waking up.
🧭 Jenn & Andrea
Keys to the Lakes
