New Hampshire packs a complete saltwater program into eighteen miles of coast: Hampton Harbor's tide-ripped inlet, surf beaches with June stripers, and head boats sailing to Jeffreys Ledge for haddock. Small water, zero waste.
Reports current for Friday, October 23
Every one of the 15 New Hampshire waters we cover has a live read this morning. None reaches 4 out of 5 and 15 are slow. Water runs 47 F to 64 F. Pressure is rising on most of them, which costs a point in our model when the sky is clear.
Best right now: Androscoggin River 2/5, Connecticut River 2/5, First Connecticut Lake 2/5
Live verdicts from this morning's reports.
New Hampshire's eighteen miles of coast, condensed: a working harbor, tide-ripped jetties, and party boats sailing to Jeffreys Ledge.
New Hampshire's largest lake: a designated Lake Trout and Salmon Lake where Fish and Game stocks landlocked salmon every year and lake trout are native.
Androscoggin River: from Errol Dam to the Maine line, a New Hampshire river stocked with brook, brown and rainbow trout.
Squam Lake: a 6,791-acre New Hampshire lake managed under Fish and Game's lake trout and salmon rules, with new 2026 lake trout limits.
A 4,450-acre New Hampshire lake trout and salmon lake in the Bristol area, with a Fish and Game launch beside Wellington State Park and a fall closure at the river mouths.
The Connecticut River on the New Hampshire–Vermont line: one set of bi-state rules, open all year, with fly-fishing water at Pittsburg.
Sunapee Lake in New London, Newbury and Sunapee: a New Hampshire lake trout and salmon lake stocked with landlocked salmon every year.
New Hampshire’s tidal estuary: Great Bay holds stripers, flounder and one of New England’s wildest shorelines.
The White Mountains’ river: the Saco runs trout and smallmouth from Crawford Notch to the Maine coast.
The Pemi: New Hampshire’s central river runs trout and smallmouth from Franconia Notch to the Merrimack.
First Connecticut Lake: a Pittsburg lake that New Hampshire Fish and Game manages for both lake trout and landlocked salmon.
Ossipee Lake: a stocked Carroll County lake that New Hampshire Fish and Game manages for both coldwater and warmwater fish.
Lake Winnisquam: a 4,214-acre Lakes Region lake that New Hampshire Fish and Game manages for both coldwater and warmwater fish.
Umbagog Lake: a 7,850-acre interstate lake on the Maine-New Hampshire line, unstocked, with salmon, brook trout and smallmouth as its main fisheries.
Merrymeeting Lake: a deep, low-nutrient lake in New Durham that New Hampshire Fish and Game stocks and manages for lake trout and landlocked salmon.
Species activity across the state's covered waters. Peak of the year: October.
1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.
Seasonal surface curve for this state's dominant water type (estimated).
| Water | Type | County | Live gauge | Peak month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton fishing report | Coastal | Rockingham | modeled | Apr |
| Lake Winnipesaukee fishing report | Lake | Belknap | USGS | Apr |
| Androscoggin River fishing report | River | Coos | USGS | May |
| Squam Lake fishing report | Lake | Grafton | modeled | Apr |
| Newfound Lake fishing report | Lake | Grafton | modeled | Apr |
| Connecticut River fishing report | River | Grafton | USGS | May |
| Lake Sunapee fishing report | Lake | Sullivan | USGS | Apr |
| Great Bay fishing report | Coastal | Rockingham | modeled | Apr |
| Saco River fishing report | River | Carroll | USGS | Apr |
| Pemigewasset River fishing report | River | Grafton | USGS | Apr |
| First Connecticut Lake fishing report | Lake | Coos | modeled | Apr |
| Ossipee Lake fishing report | Lake | Carroll | modeled | May |
| Lake Winnisquam fishing report | Lake | Belknap | modeled | Apr |
| Umbagog Lake fishing report | Lake | Coos | modeled | May |
| Merrymeeting Lake fishing report | Lake | Strafford | modeled | Apr |
New Hampshire's coastline is the country's shortest, and its fishery compensates with density: the Hampton-Seabrook estuary flushes bait past fishable jetties every tide, Great Bay behind Portsmouth runs its own striper-and-smelt calendar, and the offshore grounds (Jeffreys Ledge inside 20 miles) support a groundfish fleet out of Hampton and Rye. Every stand on the coast is minutes from every other: tide timing beats travel planning.
Spring: mackerel swarm the harbors (catch them, drift them), stripers arrive mid-May behind the herring. Summer: bass in the inlet currents at dawn and dusk, flounder in the backwaters, haddock limits on the ledge. Fall: the southbound run brushes the beaches through October, tautog picking on the rocks. Winter: smelt shanties on Great Bay's arms and rod repairs. One license covers the coast: the fish do the commuting.
Hampton Harbor's inlet and jetties are the heart: stripers on dropping tides, mackerel in spring. Add the state pier, the 1A bridge, North Beach's groins, and the party boats to Jeffreys Ledge: all inside ten minutes of each other.
For tide-driven striper fishing without crowds, yes: the inlet fishes like a miniature canal and the estuary behind offers kayak water in any wind. Pair it with Plum Island next door for a full North Shore weekend.