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First Connecticut Lake Fishing Report

Updated Mon, Nov 9, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

First Connecticut Lake: a Pittsburg lake that New Hampshire Fish and Game manages for both lake trout and landlocked salmon.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~44 F est.
Air / High
39 / 42 F
Wind
W 7 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Monday
9
November 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

First Connecticut Lake fishes cold and honest: earn your bites in the deep stuff. Today brings cloud cover, wind W around 7 mph, rising pressure near 1002 hPa and a high of 42. Water sits around 44 F for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:09 PM-1:09 AM and 10:45 AM-12:45 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Lake troutGood

Winter: Vermont says most of its lake trout fishing is done through the ice, and Michigan anglers jig spoons tipped with cut bait in deep Great Lakes bays.

Landlocked salmonSlow

Right after ice-out salmon are near the surface; through the ice, Maine IFW advises fishing the first 15 feet below it. Wild fish spawn in tributaries from mid-October to late November.

Tomorrow: Similar at 39 F with likely rain: fish ahead of the front. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Tue, Nov 10, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

New Hampshire requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $45.00 for residents. What a New Hampshire licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing landlocked salmon here? Check the size and bag limits with NHFG before you keep anything. The season dates for New Hampshire, read off the agency, are on the New Hampshire seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovNov, ~44 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp39 F
High / Low42 / 32 F
WindW 7-16 mph
Pressure1001.5 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 37%
Sunrise / Sunset06:34 / 16:22
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~44 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish First Connecticut Lake this week

The best day on First Connecticut Lake this week looks like Thursday Nov 12, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Thursday, Nov 12 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Nov 9 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
11:09 PM-1:09 AM and 10:45 AM-12:45 PM
Minor period
6:50 AM-7:50 AM
Sun
06:34 to 16:22
Moon
New Moon, 0% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 13 mph
Rain chance
37%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on First Connecticut Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Landlocked salmon illustration

Landlocked salmon

Spring and fall near the surface, deep in summer, and under the ice in winter

Landlocked salmon are Atlantic salmon that complete their whole life in fresh water, feeding mainly on rainbow smelt in cold lakes of Maine and the Northeast. Right after ice-out salmon are near the surface; through the ice, Maine IFW advises fishing the first 15 feet below it. Wild fish spawn in tributaries from mid-October to late November.

Lake trout illustration

Lake trout

Spring and fall in shallow water, deep in summer, and through the ice in winter

Lake trout are slow-growing chars of large, deep, cold lakes, native from Alaska and northern Canada to New England and the Great Lakes, and introduced in many western lakes. Winter: Vermont says most of its lake trout fishing is done through the ice, and Michigan anglers jig spoons tipped with cut bait in deep Great Lakes bays.

When to come: the First Connecticut Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Landlocked salmon
Lake trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 44 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovNov, ~44 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks First Connecticut Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Sun, Nov 8

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Lake trout led the card at good. High of 36 F, wind to 9 mph.

Sat, Nov 7

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Lake trout led the card at good. High of 49 F, wind to 10 mph.

Fri, Nov 6

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Lake trout led the card at good. High of 58 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

New Hampshire requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

New Hampshire fishing license. Lake trout: Jan. 1-Sept. 30, through the ice only Jan. 1-March 31. Landlocked salmon: April 1-Sept. 30, never through the ice. Ice anglers may use 2 lines. For daily limits and minimum lengths, see the NH Freshwater Fishing Digest.

Access

Public launches on Route 3 by the dam (trailer parking 6 a.m.-9:30 p.m.), across from the Cabins at Lopstick, and at the end of Camp Otter Road (limited trailer parking), per the Town of Pittsburg.

About this water

A lake of more than 2,800 acres in Pittsburg, CoΓΆs County, New Hampshire, the first of the Connecticut Lakes chain named by the town.

Fishing First Connecticut Lake: the full guide

Managed for two coldwater fish

NH Fish and Game lists First Connecticut Lake among the lakes it manages for lake trout and landlocked salmon, which puts it on the state's two-line list for ice fishing. The Town of Pittsburg describes the lake as more than 2,800 acres with depths over 160 feet.

Seasons that differ by species

On lake trout and salmon waters, NH Fish and Game opens lake trout from January 1 to September 30, with fishing through the ice allowed only from January 1 to March 31. Landlocked salmon season runs April 1 to September 30, and salmon may never be taken through the ice: the department advises cutting the line close to the salmon's mouth instead of pulling it out.

Three launches

The town lists three public launches: on Route 3 by the dam, the best choice for larger boats, with trailer parking from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; one across from the Cabins at Lopstick; and one at the end of Camp Otter Road, where trailer parking is limited.

Common questions

Can I keep a salmon caught through the ice?

No. New Hampshire never allows salmon to be taken through the ice; release it by cutting the line close to the mouth.

How many lines can I fish through the ice?

Two. First Connecticut Lake is on NH Fish and Game's two-line list because it is managed for lake trout and landlocked salmon.

Where can I launch a boat?

The town lists launches by the dam on Route 3, across from the Cabins at Lopstick and at the end of Camp Otter Road.

Is fishing good at First Connecticut Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Androscoggin River23 miUmbagog Lake25 miMooselookmeguntic Lake26 miKennebago Lake27 miRangeley Lake29 miRapid River29 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 45.0956, -71.2668 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.