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Lake Winnipesaukee Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

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.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
242 cfs
Air / High
56 / 56 F
Wind
WNW 4 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01081000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Lake Winnipesaukee rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The release below the dam is running 242 cfs, falling. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 4 mph, rising pressure near 1027 hPa and a high of 56. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:18 AM-11:18 AM and 9:48 PM-11:48 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Landlocked salmonGood

Spring after ice-out and the fall cool-down are the surface seasons, with fish near shore and at stream mouths feeding on smelt: troll or cast streamers and smelt imitations.

Lake troutGood

Spring and fall bring lakers into 10 to 30 feet of water (Michigan DNR), within reach of casters and shallow trollers; fall is also spawning time over rocky shoals.

Tomorrow: Similar at 59 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 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 from Winnipesaukee River at Tilton (outlet).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01081000.

365593821242 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 89 years of October 23

At 242 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 01081000 (Winnipesaukee River at Tilton (outlet)) is at the 34th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 89 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 291 cfs; the highest was 2,610 cfs and the lowest 54 cfs.

p10 106median 291p90 745

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 01081000; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp56 F
High / Low56 / 35 F
WindWNW 4-10 mph
Pressure1027.2 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:09 / 17:48
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Which day to fish Lake Winnipesaukee this week

The best day on Lake Winnipesaukee this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 2 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Tough

Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Solunar majors
9:18 AM-11:18 AM and 9:48 PM-11:48 PM
Minor period
3:40 AM-4:40 AM
Sun
07:09 to 17:48
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Partly cloudy, 7 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake Winnipesaukee: 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. Spring after ice-out and the fall cool-down are the surface seasons, with fish near shore and at stream mouths feeding on smelt: troll or cast streamers and smelt imitations.

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. Spring and fall bring lakers into 10 to 30 feet of water (Michigan DNR), within reach of casters and shallow trollers; fall is also spawning time over rocky shoals.

When to come: the Lake Winnipesaukee 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 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 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 Lake Winnipesaukee today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Landlocked salmon led the card at good. High of 64 F, wind to 14 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Landlocked salmon led the card at good. High of 59 F, wind to 10 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Landlocked salmon led the card at good. High of 67 F, wind to 7 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. 2026 rules for designated Lake Trout and Salmon Lakes: lake trout, landlocked salmon and trout 15-inch minimum; combined trout limit 2 a day and lake trout 2 a day; salmon season April 1 to September 30; ice fishing only January 1 to March 31; trout, lake trout, salmon and whitefish closed and trolling banned October 1 to December 31. Winnipesaukee adds tributary-mouth and Paugus Bay/Weirs Channel closures.

Access

Fish and Game's special-rules table lists ramp access for Winnipesaukee. Check that a launch is open to non-residents before you go: some town facilities are restricted.

About this water

A 44,424-acre lake (NH Fish and Game) in Belknap and Carroll counties, New Hampshire, managed as a Lake Trout and Salmon Lake.

Fishing Lake Winnipesaukee: the full guide

A designated coldwater lake

New Hampshire Fish and Game lists Lake Winnipesaukee at 44,424 acres, bordering Alton, Gilford, Laconia, Meredith, Moultonborough, Tuftonboro and Wolfeboro, and designates it a Lake Trout and/or Salmon Lake. Landlocked salmon are stocked annually in 15 New Hampshire waters, Winnipesaukee among them, while the lake's lake trout are one of the state's native populations, along with Squam, Newfound and the First and Second Connecticut lakes.

The season on a Lake Trout and Salmon Lake

The rules for designated lakes shape the year. From January 1 to March 31 fishing is through the ice only and salmon may not be kept. From April 1 to September 30 all species are open, except that no smelt may be taken from March 15 to June 15. From October 1 to December 31 trout, lake trout, salmon and whitefish are closed and trolling is prohibited. When trolling on Winnipesaukee, each rod may carry only one lure, fly, tandem fly or bait, with a single-point hook when using bait.

Areas with extra closures

Fish and Game closes the water within 500 feet of the Gunstock River, Poor Farm Brook, Melvin River, Merrymeeting River, Mink Brook and the Smith River (the outlet of Crescent Lake), and 500 feet either side of the Main Street bridge in Wolfeboro, to all fishing from October 16 to December 31. Paugus Bay between the railroad trestle and the Lakeport Dam in Laconia, and the open water at Weirs Channel, are closed to all fishing from October 1 to March 31. The USGS gauge on this page is on the Winnipesaukee River at Tilton, below Lake Winnisquam, so it tracks outflow rather than the lake level.

Common questions

Is Lake Winnipesaukee stocked with salmon?

Yes. New Hampshire Fish and Game stocks landlocked salmon every year in 15 waters, including Lake Winnipesaukee. Its lake trout are a native population.

When can I keep landlocked salmon on Winnipesaukee?

From April 1 to September 30. Salmon may not be taken through the ice, and trout, lake trout and salmon are closed from October 1 to December 31.

What is the size limit for lake trout?

Under New Hampshire's 2026 rules for designated Lake Trout and Salmon Lakes, the minimum length for lake trout is 15 inches, with a daily limit of 2.

Is fishing good at Lake Winnipesaukee right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Lake Winnisquam9 miMerrymeeting Lake12 miSquam Lake14 miOssipee Lake16 miPemigewasset River19 miNewfound Lake22 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 01081000 β€” Winnipesaukee River at Tilton (outlet)
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 43.6000, -71.3500 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 6, 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 6, 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.