Ice fishing in New Hampshire attracts thousands of anglers, young and old, who pursue lake and rainbow trout, yellow and white perch and other panfish, chain pickerel, and occasionally smelt. However, there is a group of anglers who venture out in late afternoon, cut their holes and tend their lines well into the night darkness, sometimes fishing until dawn. Who are these brave people and what are they fishing for? The object of attention is the only freshwater member of the codfish family, which bears resemblance to an eel possessing a broad head and enormous mouth.
New Hampshire is blessed with cold, deep, natural lakes that have sustained the native fauna in their deep basins since the retreat of the glacial ice sheet ten to twenty thousand years ago. The cusk is one of our native fishes, and flourishes right under the noses, or "feet", of many anglers who have never seen or angled for them.
Although cusk are occasionally caught during the open water season, ice-in on our large lakes marks the beginning of the traditional season for the pursuit of cusk. It is this time of year, of cold water temperatures, that cusk become voracious predators on a variety of invertebrates e. With their summer lethargy behind them, cusk move inshore during late fall and concentrations can be found in near-shore areas where water depths of 30 feet or less are found. Cusk are creatures of the night and can be found on soft-bottomed areas of the lakes, although rocky cobble bottoms are most frequented by cusk, in search of their favorite prey - crayfish.
The usual method employed by anglers is night fishing with cusk lines. A cusk fishing line is defined as a device for storing line, which is not free running and will hold enough Dacron or squidding line to reach bottom in the area chosen to fish. The angler's name and address must be plainly marked on each device. On the business end, you must have a sinker or weight one ounce or heavier if using 1 oz. Each angler is allowed six of these cusk devices and the specificied angler must check them by visually inspecting the bait end of the line, at least once every hour period.
Sound confusing? It isn't really, considering this method is a "throwback" to earlier times when limits and methods for angling did not exist. Furthermore, the angler is prohibited from "jigging" or "bobbing" this cusk line in order to attract fish. Only cusk may be taken with these lines. All other species must be released by cutting the line, near the mouth, while the fish remains in the water. Anglers who fish during the day, with tip-ups, usually save the remainder of their bait either minnows or smelt and use them, dead or alive, for their cusk lines live bait has more attraction power.
In Wisconsin, there's always something to fish somewhere, days a year. There are limited open seasons for certain species and waters. Before you head out, check the season dates for your favorite species and favorite waters. Catfish and bullheads can be taken by bow, crossbow or by hand. If you can, bring a friend or a fishing buddy. One tactic that can increase your odds when night fishing from a pier, dock, or boat is the use of lights. Plankton and similar organisms as well as insects are attracted to the lights which draw in smaller fish, eventually leading to predatory fish like bass, catfish and others on the prowl.
For example, fishing deep water for species like swordfish involves putting lots of extra lights on the line to help attract fish. Glow—in—the—dark lures, beads and attractants are a great idea for lots of species at night.
A key factor to consider when night fishing for any species is your bait or lure selection. Work lures that produce a lot of movement and noise. Spinners, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits are great in clear waters and topwater lures are an awesome choice for murky water with all the noise and splashes they produce on the surface, particularly on a moon—lit night when a big fish may be hunting. Depending on your style of fishing, scent can play a huge role in night fishing.
Remember, the factor of visual presentation is vastly diminished with night fishing. If you need to know more about how to fish, try our Fishing Fundamentals page, which provides information about fish, how to fish and where to go fishing And don't forget, a Pennsylvania fishing license is required to fish in PA.
We have a separate FAQ specific to fishing licenses. More information about costs and types of licenses and permits, and fishing regulations and laws is available Visit our Trout page for more trout information. Important note to anglers - Many waters in Pennsylvania are privately owned, the listing or mapping of waters by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission does not guarantee public access.
Respect the privacy and rights of landowners - always obtain permission before entering any privately owned land. Visit our Bass page for more bass information. Fish for bass, Pike, Walleye, panfish, Trout, etc. Start with our County Guide , which includes interactive maps. We also list more Commission maps and guides and other Map Resources that may be helpful in locating places to fish and boat. A great place to start is our Region Report pages, which have fishing reports and information for all of PA.
Our best resource for local stream information and regulations specific to those streams is our six Region Offices. Trout stocking schedules are available online. A good place to start is our list of Fishing License Issuing Agents. Most are commercial businesses that sell some type of fishing gear, many also sell bait. You can even make an online reservation directly from the site.
In addition, you can plan your route, find out about upcoming events, and discover interesting things to do in Pennsylvania. Check out visitPA. Pennsylvania has state parks boasting 7, campsites and rustic and modern cabins available for rental.
There are hundreds of commercial campgrounds and RV parks throughout the state as well. The Pennsylvania Campground Owners Association offers an on-line campsite directory and an order form for a printed copy of a page guidebook.
Boat Access Areas are listed within our County Guide. More boating information can be found in our Boating FAQ. Person patronizing a Class A regulated fishing lake may catch, kill and possess fish without regard to any size, season or possession limit and need not possess a Pennsylvania fishing license.
The same application is used for both Class A and Class B lakes. State records of PA's most popular sport fish are listed online. While it is not a comprehensive list and is not maintained to provide this information, our list of Cooperative Nurseries will give you a good place to start. These nurseries partner with the Commission to stock fish in PA's streams and lakes. Most of them are sportsmen's organizations.
Another good place to look is our Partners and Links Page , which provides links related to fishing and boating. Among them are some of the more well known sportsmen's clubs along with many smaller, local organizations.
Although people frequently associate fish kills with a pollution event, natural fish kills are not uncommon. These can result from a variety of causes including:. Most fisheries management agencies do not recommend deflating the air bladder. Many anglers who practice fizzing are actually puncturing the stomach. In actuality, it is the pressure in the gas bladder that must be released.
While helping a fish regain its ability to return to the bottom of the lake, many fish that are "fizzed" end up dying within a few days of release, from the stress of being caught and handled. There is also the likelihood that when you insert the needle into the side of a fish you will damage internal organs such as the kidney or intestines. When a perch is quickly brought up from depth, the stomach is forced out through the mouth as the gas bladder expands from a decrease in pressure as the fish is brought to the surface.
There are two major different types of gas bladders in fishes: physostomous, in "primitive" fishes and physoclistous, in "derived" fishes. Your understanding of lake trout physiology as related to the air bladder is correct. Lake trout are among the generalized fishes known as Physostomi, which have a direct connection pneumatic duct between the air bladder and digestive tract.
This duct facilitates the direct passage of air in either direction. Physoclistous gas bladders, however, do not open to the mouth, so the fish has to let gas in and out of the bladder using a very complex little patch of blood vessels that absorb or let go of gases from the blood.
Fishes with these bladders include bass, perch, and sunfish. Overall, it is important to remember that floods are natural events that will occur from time to time.
Typically flood events cause some shift in the habitat on streams that were subject to flooding, so anglers should expect to see some changes in the streams they fish. For example, some pools and runs will become shallower and fill in with gravel. Also, some trees that have been in and along the stream bank providing cover for many years may be dislodged.
Conversely, flooding also tends to carve some new pools and runs where shallower areas existed prior to the flood and trees that have fallen along the shoreline may also create some new cover for trout.
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