New Hampshire Ice Fisherman Nabs State Record White Sucker
OutdoorHub Reporters 04.13.15
The ice may be melting, but one New Hampshire angler managed to get in a record fish just before the end of the season. On March 29, seasoned ice fisherman and fishing guide Tim Moore caught a five-pound, 4.96-ounce common white sucker on Lake Winnipesaukee while fishing for perch. Just last week, Moore told OutdoorHub that the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department confirmed it as the new state record.
“In late March we catch loads of lake trout and smallmouth bass on the tiny Epoxy Drop jigs we were using so when I hooked the white sucker I had no idea what it was,” Moore wrote in an email. “At various times during the 5 minute fight I guessed lake trout, smallmouth bass, and white sucker, but I really had no idea what it was.”
When he brought the fish out of the water, though, Moore knew he had a record on his hands. In fact, Moore previously held the state record for white sucker back in 2012, so this would be the second time that he is entered into the state record books for that species. The fish he beat out was a four-pound, 13.28-ounce sucker caught by Jooson Kim in 2014.
“The main purpose of this trip was to relax after a very busy season of guiding and hopefully gather some good quality photos for next winter’s early-season promotions,” Moore recalled about the March fishing trip, which he took with a friend. “I was fishing with a 28” Jason Mitchell Gen7 combo and my favorite Epoxy Drop tipped with worm. We were catching white perch with relative consistency when I saw a large red line appear on my Vexilar. The fish bit without hesitation and I set the hook. I had been losing more fish than usual that day so I didn’t mention that I had a big fish right away. However, after two hard runs of screaming drag I joked to Chuck to get the net.”
When the head popped up, Moore’s fishing companion remarked simply that he might have gotten his record back. Sure enough, when they weighed the fish, it was more than enough to unseat the previous state record. Yet as someone who had lost the record just to regain it again, Moore said that he has no illusions about how long this new one will last.
“Someone was fortunate enough to beat the record last April. I’m sure someone will beat my current record eventually,” Moore wrote. “At least I hope they do, breaking and holding fishing records is a lot of fun. It wouldn’t surprise me if someone beat it this spring during the spawning run. That’s when white suckers are most susceptible to angling.”
With a fishery like New Hampshire’s, Moore said he does not need to wait long. The angler added that Lake Winnipesaukee boasts some of the largest white perch in North America, which is what drew him to the lake in the first place. Earlier this year Moore caught a two-pounder that he submitted to the International Game Fish Association for a four-pound test line class world record, which is still pending.
“In Winnipesaukee alone, at various times of the year, an angler can expect to catch lake trout, trophy-sized smallmouth bass, yellow perch, landlocked salmon, rainbow trout, black crappie, and more. New Hampshire also has an excellent northern pike fishery with giants breaching the 40” mark caught all the time,” Moore said.
You can watch Tim work his magic on the Winnipesaukee ice in this episode of his outdoors show, Tim Moore Outdoors TV.
