A recent catch from Lake Winnisquam has New Hampshire Fish and Game Department fisheries biologists sounding the alarm about illegal introductions of fish into the state's lakes. It was Labor Day 2009, and Barry Arseneau was trolling on Lake Winnisquam for trout and salmon when he hooked a big fish. He fought this monster for nearly 20 minutes before finally getting it to the boat. At first, seeing a fish of this size, he thought he had caught one of the huge lake trout for which Winnisquam is noted. But a quick look confirmed that it was instead a large Northern pike, lip-hooked on a DB Smelt lure fished 30+ feet down. A fish of this size caught in New Hampshire, or anywhere, is a real trophy, yet this fish had been illegally transported to the Lakes Region and illegally stocked into Winnisquam.
The northern pike, a large female, was 40 inches in length, with a 17-inch girth, and it weighed 18 pounds, 5.76 ounces. Given the difficulty of moving a fish this large and keeping it alive, it is possible that this fish had been illegally transported to the lake some years prior and had matured in the Winnisquam system. Oddly enough, John Viar, a N.H. Fish and Game Department fisheries biologist, had also caught a northern pike from Lake Winnisquam during May of 2009, just north of the site of Arseneau's catch. FULL STORY
