Lake Opechee Fishing Report

Fishing Report for 08/02/2011

Rating: Excellent (5/5)
Shallow water fishing is where it's at! Look for weedbeds and scattered cover in water less than 7 feet deep. I saw some fish arches on drops in 12-16 feet of water but nothing seemed to work, Fast-moving spinnerbaits and crankbaits really worked shallow. The thicker the cover, the better, but they were aggressive and hitting!

Temperature: 72 °F
Water Temperature: 79 °F
Wind Speed: 1 mph

Fishing Report for 06/16/2011

Rating: Excellent (5/5)
No post-spawn blues here! All of the bass have come off the beds, and the pattern today was crankbaits in isolated cover in 6-8 feet of water. I followed out two points and got five keepers in two hours. Look for rocks, trees or patches of weeds along main-lake structure and there be the bass.

Temperature: 75 °F
Water Temperature: 69 °F
Wind Speed: 2 mph

Fishing Report for 05/26/2011

Rating: Not Good (2/5)
Tried a few things - mainly crankbaits and spinnerbaits, with zero luck. The weather has been funny, with lows, then highs, and fronts, etc. Saw a few bass cruising the shallows, but no active feeding.

Temperature: 78 °F
Water Temperature: 59 °F
Wind Speed: 12 mph

Fishing Report for 05/19/2011

Rating: Average (3/5)
Got a few small smallmouth (nothing worth writing home about). The cold snap we're in has the fish in a funk. Crankbaits in bright colors fished with a medium retrieve seem to do the trick.

Temperature: 58 °F
Water Temperature: 61 °F

Fishing Report for 09/16/2010

Rating: Not Good (2/5)
Again, no luck. I could see the fish on my sonar hanging in holes between 12 and 20 feet deep, but nothing would get them to bite. A variety of soft plastics and crankbaits came up empty. I looked shallower, but I didn't see any activity, not even little balls of baitfish. When the wind picked up, it made maneuvering the boat too difficult, but if I had to garner a guess, I'd say hit the windward shore hard with crankbaits and lipless crankbaits.

Temperature: 63 °F
Water Temperature: 66 °F
Wind Speed: 12 mph

Fishing Report for 09/15/2010

Rating: Not Good (2/5)
Tried from shore - I got no bites, not even sunfish. I tried some nightcrawlers, a few different soft plastics, spinnerbaits, and a crankbait. Nothing. There have been a few fronts moving through, and things cold cold and windy the last few days. I would suspect if the weather holds for a few days the bite should be back by Friday.

Temperature: 59 °F
Water Temperature: 65 °F
Wind Speed: 14 mph

Fishing Report for 09/01/2010

Rating: Good (4/5)
Fishing was good - the bass were in the weeds and on the cover in 3-6 feet of water - nothing deeper, and I didn't try much shallower. Soft plastic creatures and tubes were what was working, and spinnerbaits picked up bass and pickerel. Probably another good day or so, then the hurricane figures to mess things up for a bit.

Temperature: 88 °F
Water Temperature: 78 °F
Wind Speed: 1 mph

Fishing Report for 08/31/2010

Rating: Not Good (2/5)
Tried the smaller lake - same results. It was windy, so the usual pattern develops by fishing along the shore where waves are crashing - crankbaits and soft plastics along points and drop-offs to about 10 feet deep. If that doesn't work, spinnerbaits pulled over and along weedbeds and patches of grass almost always produces. But today, nothing. To be fair, I was here for 2 hours, so maybe I just didn't wait long enough.

Whatever the case, if I had to give advice, I'd say stick with the same plan - points and breaks along or near the shore that has waves crashing against it.

Temperature: 80 °F
Water Temperature: 74 °F
Wind Speed: 13 mph

Fishing Report for 08/07/2010

Rating: Good (4/5)
The bass were holding tight to cover, and the yellow perch were suspended over deeper water. Nightcrawlers were working well for the smaller fish, and soft plastics worked slowly tight to cover worked for the bass.

Temperature: 67 °F
Water Temperature: 74 °F
Wind Speed: 2 mph

Fishing Report for 07/13/2010

Rating: Good (4/5)
The bite is back on! Look in water deeper than 10 feet, and if you find a drop with cover on it in about 15-20 feet of water the bass will be there. Deep crankbaits, tubes and spinnerbaits are working extremely well now...

Temperature: 76 °F
Water Temperature: 78 °F
Wind Speed: 2 mph

Fishing Report for 07/10/2010

Rating: Not Good (2/5)
Tried the little lake post-storm, but to no avail. The skies cleared, and it really didn't cool off that much - but then the rain came again in another couple of hours. I think the past week of 100-plus temperatures and bright blue skies, coupled with the drop in tmeperature of 20 degrees last night and today, has made the fish go deeper and be a lot less active. Deep, bottom hugging baits were ineffective, and I had one weak strike on a tube near where the river empties in to the lake. Hopefully, things will improve with the passing of the front.

Temperature: 76 °F
Water Temperature: 77 °F
Wind Speed: 5 mph

Fishing Report for 07/02/2010

Rating: Not Good (2/5)
Again, tried everything I could think of, and one small yellow perch. I went shallow, deep, in-between, around docks, weeds, trees, you name it, I was there. The wind has been so bad the last few days, and today is no different. 14-15 MPH with gusts over 20, it's just dangerous to go out on any of the lakes around here. I stayed out for an hour and called it quits. Weather is supposed to get nice for the weekend, hopefully the wind dies down, and the fishing should be good.

Temperature: 67 °F
Water Temperature: 72 °F
Water Level: +5 feet
Wind Speed: 15 mph

Fishing Report for 06/30/2010

Rating: Not Good (2/5)
Again, slooooow. I couldn't find any baitfish clumps on the sonar, and the bass were scattered everywhere. The cooler and unstable weather has really gotten things out of whack. I got one smallmouth bass on a spinnerbait in 2 feet of water, and missed another on a crankbait. My recommendation would be to have 3-4 rods rigged with a crankbait, spinnerbait, tube and topwater and move quick from place to place to entice some kind of a reaction bite.

Temperature: 64 °F
Water Temperature: 72 °F
Wind Speed: 11 mph

Fishing Report for 06/29/2010

Rating: Terrible (1/5)
Same as Winnisquam, I thought I'd give the little lake a try. Fish were holding the bottom in 20 feet of water, but I also got some hits on the sonar in 6-7 feet of water. I tried crankbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and tubes to no avail. I had to use marker buoys to keep oriented because the wind was getting so bad I would be blown 50 yards off my spot in the matter of one cast. The cold fronts haven't helped, and hopefully once the weather stays stable for another day or two the bite will pick up.

Temperature: 80 °F
Water Temperature: 76 °F
Wind Speed: 13 mph

Fishing Report for 06/24/2010

Rating: Average (3/5)
I thought eh bite would be better, as a line of storms was coming in, but not so much. Still pretty poor, unless you sit for a long time with your bait on the bottom in about 14-17 feet of water. Where the Winnipesaukee River comes into the lake is OK for some small Pumpkinseeds and bass, but for the most part, the fish are still deep and inactive. And the cooler air from the storm and rain today hasn't helped, either.

Temperature: 81 °F
Water Temperature: 74 °F
Wind Speed: 10 mph

Fishing Report for 06/23/2010

Rating: Not Good (2/5)
Tried nightcrawlers, shallow cranks, deep cranks, lipless cranks, tubes, worms - you name it, it got thrown in water ranging from 4-24 feet, in all kinds of cover. And nothing. I could see fish hugging the bottom, but the bite was off. Same situation as Winnisquam - I would think if the weather stays stable it'll pick up by the weekend.

Temperature: 74 °F
Water Temperature: 73 °F

Fishing Report for 05/22/2010

Rating: Excellent (5/5)
Fishing is great - there are some bass (largemouth and smallmouth) up on beds, but most are wandering around weeds and other cover in 3-8 feet of water. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits and some plastics will be productive.

Temperature: 72 °F
Water Temperature: 64 °F