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New Hampshire

New Hampshire Fishing in New Hampshire

Fishing in New Hampshire presents both saltwater and freshwater fishing giving you all time memorable angling experience. The state has 1087 lakes, ponds and reservoirs to choose your favorite fishing from.

fishingSaltwater Fishing

There are a number of varieties of saltwater fishes available in the waters of Atlantic Ocean, namely, striped bass, bluefish, Atlantic mackerel, winter flounder, rainbow smelt, Atlantic herring, Atlantic salmon, Sea-run brown trout (salters), ocean pout, tautog, skates, dogfish, monkfish, summer flounder, yellowtail flounder, Atlantic codfish, Haddock, Pollock, longhorn sculpin, cunner, shad, tomcod, white perch, windowpane flounder, cusk, redfish, wolffish and hake.

Stripped bass can be caught from shore as well as from boat while casting, drifting and trolling. 8- to 10-foot surf rod and reel spooled with 30-pound test or a medium to heavy spinning rod and 12- to 20-pound test line and baits like spoons, poppers, lead-head jigs and swimming plugs are used. For catching bluefish, fly-fishing, spinning or trolling with bait are good methods. For Atlantic mackerel a medium spinning rig spooled with 15-pound test line is good for casting using a single 1 to 1-1/2 ounce mackerel jig, or any small jig or shiny metal lure will do the job. For flounders, light to medium tackle rods equipped with 1 or 2 ounce weights and long-shank flounder hooks attached to ‘spreaders’ work well.

Besides these, a number of shellfish and clams are available, for which a license is required. Great Bay, Little Bay, Bellamy River, and nearshore and offshore Atlantic Coast are open for the fishing of softshell clam, razor clam, surf clam, American oyster, and blue mussel.

There are boating access sites as well as shore fishing access sites.

Odiorne Point State Park

Some of the boating access sites are Pierce Island, Odiorne Point State Park, Rye Harbor State Park, Hampton Harbor State Park, Exeter Town Landing, Stratham Town Landing, Newfields Town landing, Chapman’s landing, and so on.

Some shore fishing access sites are Salmon Falls River, Bellamy River – Scammell Bridge, Piscataqua River – Bloody Point, Back Channel – New Castle Bridge, Little Harbor – Fort Stark, Little Harbor – Wentworth Bridge, Little Harbor – Odiorne Point State Park, and so on.

fishingFreshwater Fishing

Tremendous variety of freshwater fishes is available in the waters of the state making the fishing in New Hampshire a fun. Right from American eel, black crappie, bluegill, brook, brown, lake and rainbow trout, to carp, chain pickerel, burbot, fallfish, landlocked salmon, largemouth and smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, northern pike, you will get everything you longed for.

Some major freshwater fishing sites are:

Central Region: Winnipesaukee, Silver (Lochmere), Winnisquam, and Opechee lakes and Merrimack and Winnipesaukee rivers, Balch, Meredith, Belleau, Great East, Wickwas, and Hermit lakes.

Southeast Region/Merrimack Valley: Merrimack, Contoocook, Suncook, Little Suncook, Exeter, Lamprey, Cocheco, Piscassic, Isinglass, Nashua, and Salmon Falls rivers, Bear Hill, Big Island, Great, Greenwood, Country, William, Willand, Ayers, Brindle, Wheelwright, Winkley and Spruce ponds, Massabesic, Canobie, Beaver, Bow, and Harvey lakes, and Arlington Mill, and Bellamy Reservoirs.

Southwest Region/Monadnock Region: Connecticut River, Bellows Falls Dam, Scott, Meetinghouse, Powdermill, Clement, Halfmoon, Cheshire, Grassey, Center, Island, Wilson, and Waterloom ponds, Contoocook, Monomonac, Highland, Todd, Swanzey, Baboosic, and McDowell lakes, and Pisgah, and Weare reservoirs.

Great North Woods: Connecticut, lower Connecticut, Androscoggin, Mohawk, Magalloway, Ammonoosuc, and upper Ammonoosuc rivers, Nash, Clear, Indian, Perry, and Simms streams, Little Diamond, Joe Coffin, South, Little Bog, Trio, Munn, Sessions, Big Dummer, Streeter, and Cedar ponds, Profile, Echo, Francis, Christine, Umbagog, Partridge, Burns, Mirror, and Forest lakes, Moore, and Pontook reservoirs.

Top of all these, the Granite State offers a wonderful ice fishing too. So you can go for fishing in New Hampshire all year round! So what are you waiting for?