The week before I left for Florida I went to Moore Reservoir in northern New Hampshire. The goal was to catch a Northern Pike, a species I have never caught. I did the round trip drive in a day. It was over three hours in each direction.
I left early and got to the first of three boat ramps I would launch my canoe at 8:30 AM. When I left my house it was a balmy 39 degrees in the 5 AM darkness. As I drove further north I watched the temperature gauge in my CRV plummet. When I reached the boat ramp it was 26 degrees. I knew I had at least twenty minutes of work to do at my car before I could launch. This was on purpose to slow me down and come up with a game plan. I put my lures on my fishing poles. I made a lunch. I lost my anchor a while back and forgot to buy a new one. However, a makeshift anchor of rocks in a couple socks I had in my trunk worked out nicely. I opened up some hand warmers. I warmed up for a couple minutes in the car. After doing all that, I launched.
Moore Reservoir is an impoundment on the Connecticut River. There are multiple launches on the New Hampshire side not far from where I-93 crosses into Vermont. I had two rods set up. One was with a slow sinking Sebile Swimbait. I used it every few minutes. However, my main lure was a 3/4 ounce Spinnerbait. I had asked advice from Mark Beauchesne a NH fishing guide that spent a career at NH Fish and Game, when I last saw him at the Boxboro Outdoor Expo. He gave me some pointers. I also watched a short video he posted on Youtube.
I fished my first location for a couple of hours. When I first got on the water the view was only fifty feet of gray air. Because of the fog I was careful not to lose my sense of direction. I followed the shoreline counter-clockwise. That way I knew all I had to do was turn around and follow the same shoreline back to the car. About thirty minutes into fishing I caught a fish, but was "disappointed" to have caught a Smallmouth Bass. After the fog lifted, I realized that I was fishing a lake connected to the main reservoir through a culvert. Though connected to the main body of water, I knew my chances were better in the main reservoir. I loaded the canoe on the car and moved west up the New Hampshire shoreline.
My second location was near Moore Dam. This was a cool spot. From the dam the water drops at least a hundred feet into a valley and the water of Connecticut River moves on. The boat ramp was a few hundred yards up lake from the dam. You are not allowed to boat, swim, or fish near the dam so you don't go over. I followed the shoreline for a while casting my spinnerbait toward any structure I could find. I soon realized the shoreline I was fishing was shallow and wasn't going to be productive. On the other hand, the shoreline across the lake about half mile away looked to have downed trees and protruding rocks and an island. I decided to take the long paddle over. The water was flat calm all day. There wasn't any breeze at all. It was perfect for canoeing.
When I got to the other side I wasn't disappointed by the structure. There was plenty to cast at. Within a few minutes, I had another fish. It was a carbon copy of the Smallie I caught earlier. It surprised me to be catching foot long smallmouth on such a big spinnerbait. It made me wonder how many smallies I'd catch if I targeted them. This was only speculation though. I purposely did not bring any bass gear so that I would have to target pike all day even if I didn't catch one. I fished this area for three hours without a pike. I packed up a little after 2 pm and moved to my third and final ramp.
I moved further north up the lake. The boat ramp I pulled up to was one of the nicest I've ever seen. It had a large parking area, a dock for boats to tie to while the driver parked the car. I loved the location too. To my left a half mile out was a large piece of land that extended left far enough that I couldn't tell if it was a peninsular or an island. This piece of land made a huge couple hundred acre cove. I paddled out to the point and worked my way left. As I stopped paddling and reached for my rod, a Bald Eagle that I hadn't seen flew off a dead snag right above me. I worked my way all around this cove. It had a small cove inside this cove. I saw some small fish busting on some surface insects. This was the only sign of underwater life I had seen all day. Despite the calm conditions, I hadn't seen one fish splash in seven hours.
Knowing there was baitfish I got excited and really concentrated on my casts. I worked the cove casting over the baitfish and working my spinnerbait through it. On one of the casts I had a pike follow my lure. I watched it follow it then turn around. It was painful and exciting at the same time. It wasn't a monster but bigger than any pickerel I've ever caught. Maybe in the thirty inch range. Obviously my heart started pumping and every cast became another chance. Ten minutes after my follow, I caught, sigh, another Smallmouth.
Spoiler alert! I never caught a pike that day.I worked my way back to the car but it was not to be. I fished until 4:30. I had a long ride home. I know this is going to sound like a lie, I really enjoyed my day. Despite the cold start, and fishing in thirty degree temps most of the day, I was never really cold. When it warmed up in the afternoon (to the mid-forties) I was very comfortable. The scenery was great (once the fog lifted). I didn't catch the fish I wanted, but I did catch three fish. I knew in advance that I had at best a 50/50 chance of catching a pike. If I didn't catch one, I knew I'd have over a three hour ride home to pout about it. But the truth was, I didn't pout. It was a fun day. Instead of beating me down, Moore Reservoir made me want more. I will be back there next May for sure. I will take a couple days away from bird migration and Stripers. Catching a Pike has moved high up my East Bucket List and I really want to catch one, and I fell in love with Moore Reservoir!
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