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FISHING CALENDAR · NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire Fishing Calendar
New Hampshire has 18 miles of ocean coast (Seabrook, Hampton, Rye, Portsmouth and the Isles of Shoals), the Piscataqua River and Great Bay, and inland lakes like Winnipesaukee plus many trout streams. Closed seasons and limits come from NH Fish and Game's 2026 saltwater and freshwater digests. When-to-fish months come only from NH Fish and Game, NOAA Fisheries and Maine DMR's Gulf of Maine research pages. Where no official source gives months, the fish has none listed.
Government fish & wildlife updates
- NH Fish and Game – Fishing news — NH Fish and Game news releases on fishing: public hearings, rule changes, fish kills.
- NH Fish and Game – Marine news — Marine Division releases: herring closures, dogfish, haddock rule changes, Great Bay notices.
- NH Fish and Game – Trout stocking report — Interactive stocking map and table.
- NH 2026 Saltwater Fishing Digest — The official saltwater limits table, updated as rules change.
- NOAA Fisheries – HMS bluefin tuna actions — Federal bluefin tuna openings and closures for the Gulf of Maine.
Month by month
| Fish | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshwater | |||||||||||||
| Landlocked salmon | NH Fish and Game says early spring and the end of September are the best times to catch salmon. The season is Apr 1–Sep 30, and taking salmon Oct 1–Mar 31 is prohibited. Salmon may never be taken through the ice. Keep 2 a day, 15 in. minimum. Salmon run upstream to spawn in fall.[2][3][5][6] | ||||||||||||
| Lake trout | Right after ice-out they are usually caught trolling near the surface, and they go deeper in summer. Lake trout waters are ice-fishing-only Jan 1–Mar 31 and closed to taking lake trout Oct 1–Dec 31. Keep 2 a day. The minimum is now 15 in. (it was 18 in. in 2025).[2][3][5][6] | ||||||||||||
| Brook trout | Brook trout spawn in fall. Open water: 5 fish or 5 lb a day. Through the ice: 2 a day. Trout ponds are open from the 4th Saturday in April to Oct 15. Wild trout ponds are catch-and-release from the 4th Saturday in April to Labor Day. Rivers and streams are open Jan 1–Oct 15. No official best months found.[2][3][5] | ||||||||||||
| Rainbow & brown trout (stocked) | Stocked every year. Browns feed mostly at dusk and at night. Same trout limits as brook trout: 5 fish or 5 lb a day in open water, 2 through the ice. Check the stocking map for fresh fish. No official best months found.[2][5] | ||||||||||||
| Smallmouth bass | Bass build nests from mid-May, when the water is in the high 50s to low 60s °F. They return to shallow water in fall. Lakes: keep 2 a day Jan 1–May 14 and 5 a day Jun 16–Dec 31. May 15–Jun 15 is catch-and-release only, with artificial lures and flies only.[2][5] | ||||||||||||
| Largemouth bass | All bass spawn in spring, with nest building from mid-May. Same limits as smallmouth, including catch-and-release only May 15–Jun 15.[2][5] | ||||||||||||
| Chain pickerel | Most popular in winter, when many are caught through the ice. No closed season. Keep 10 a day, no size limit. No official best months found.[2][5] | ||||||||||||
| Northern pike | Anglers chase trophy pike through the ice. No closed season. Keep 1 a day, 28 in. minimum. No official best months found.[2][5] | ||||||||||||
| Walleye | Best in the evening and early morning. In spring, try below dams and at tributary mouths. No closed season. Keep 2 a day, 18 in. minimum (Connecticut River rules differ). No official best months found.[2][5] | ||||||||||||
| Yellow perch | Caught year-round. They spawn in April or early May in sheltered coves. Keep 25 a day of each species, 50 total with white perch, crappie, sunfish and horned pout combined.[2][5] | ||||||||||||
| Cusk (burbot) | Most active once the ice forms. They feed after dark, and they go nearly dormant in hot summer months. No closed season (lakes) and no limit. Cusk fishing devices are allowed on approved waters. No official best months found.[2][5] | ||||||||||||
| Inshore saltwater | |||||||||||||
| Striped bass | NH Fish and Game says 30-plus-pound stripers begin entering NH coastal waters by early June. Keep 1 a day, 28 to under 31 in. No gaffing or culling. Non-offset circle hooks are required with bait. Head and tail must stay on (up to 2 skin-on fillets allowed).[1][7] | ||||||||||||
| Atlantic mackerel | NOAA says the Gulf of Maine mackerel fishery runs May through December. Keep 25 a day (50 on for-hire boats), no minimum size.[1][9] | ||||||||||||
| Bluefish | Keep 5 a day (7 on for-hire boats), no minimum size. Circle hooks are required with bait. No official best months found.[1] | ||||||||||||
| Winter flounder | Keep 8 a day, 12 in. minimum. No official best months found.[1] | ||||||||||||
| Rainbow smelt (Great Bay ice fishery) | The Great Bay smelt ice fishery runs from ice-in to ice-out, usually December to March. Most fishing happens around high tide. Saltwater limit: 4 quarts a day, head and tail on.[1][8] | ||||||||||||
| Offshore | |||||||||||||
| Haddock | From Apr 1, 2026 the minimum is 17 in. (down from 18). Keep 15 a day. Closed Mar 1–31. Most haddock are caught in federal waters. NOAA says Gulf of Maine haddock spawn between January and June.[1][4][10] | ||||||||||||
| Atlantic cod | Open only Sep 1–Oct 31. Keep 1 a day, 23 in. minimum. Closed Nov 1–Aug 31. Watch for the Gulf of Maine Cod Spawning Protection Area.[1] | ||||||||||||
| Pollock | No size or bag limit in state waters. In federal waters the minimum is 19 in. No official best months found.[1] | ||||||||||||
| Atlantic halibut | Keep 1 per trip/vessel, 41 in. minimum. Head and tail must stay on. No official best months found.[1] | ||||||||||||
| Bluefin tuna | Bluefin move into the Gulf of Maine starting in May–June and stay into late fall. They are federally managed: you need an HMS permit, and the minimum is 27 in. curved fork length. For 2026, keeping trophy fish (73 in.+) was closed in the Gulf of Maine from Aug 4 to Dec 31.[1][11][12] | ||||||||||||
| Sharks (blue, porbeagle, thresher) | No state limit. Head, fins and tail must stay on until landing. Circle hooks are required with bait. Federal rules apply in federal waters. Shortfin mako is closed all year. No official best months found.[1] | ||||||||||||
Never keep: In NH coastal waters you may never keep Atlantic wolffish, shortfin mako shark, sturgeon, sea-run Atlantic salmon or American shad. In fresh water, round whitefish and river herring have no open season, and shad are catch-and-release only.[1][2]
Bait & rig for each fish
Landlocked salmon
Bait: Not allowed: salmon rivers are fly fishing only.
Lures: Classic wet flies and hair-wing flies (Green Highlander, Blue Charm, Cascade), bombers and riffling hitches on the surface.
Leader: 10–15 lb tippet, 9–12 ft.
Lake trout
Bait: Cut cisco or smelt on the bottom, or a minnow on a jig.
Lures: Spoons, white tube jigs, big swimbaits and blade baits.
Leader: 10–15 lb fluorocarbon.
Brook trout
Bait: Worms where legal.
Lures: Small spinners and spoons, mouse patterns, streamers, nymphs and dry flies.
Leader: 3X–5X tippet (4–8 lb), 7½–9 ft.
Rainbow & brown trout (stocked)
Bait: Salmon roe and nightcrawlers where bait is legal.
Lures: Beads that look like salmon eggs, flesh flies, sculpin and leech streamers, small spinners and spoons.
Leader: 3X–5X tippet (4–8 lb), 7½–9 ft.
Smallmouth bass
Bait: Live crayfish, leeches and minnows.
Lures: Tubes, drop-shot plastics, ned rigs, jerkbaits, crankbaits and small topwaters.
Leader: 6–10 lb fluorocarbon.
Largemouth bass
Bait: Live wild shiners.
Lures: Plastic worms, swimbaits, spinnerbaits, topwater frogs and crankbaits.
Rig: Float rig, Carolina/bottom rig, jig head or simple lure setup depending on depth and species.
Leader: Often 6–15 lb mono/fluoro; heavier leader is useful around abrasive cover or toothy fish.
Chain pickerel
Bait: Live shiners.
Lures: Spinners, spoons, jerkbaits and weedless frogs.
Leader: Usually none; add a short fluorocarbon leader with braid.
Northern pike
Bait: Whole dead herring, smelt or cisco under a float or on the bottom where bait is legal.
Lures: Red-and-white spoons, big inline spinners, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, swimbaits and topwater baits.
Leader: Wire or 60–80 lb fluorocarbon leader, 12–18 in — pike teeth cut regular line.
Walleye
Bait: Live minnows, leeches and nightcrawlers.
Lures: Jigs tipped with a minnow, spinner rigs ('crawler harnesses'), crankbaits and blade baits.
Leader: 6–10 lb fluorocarbon.
Yellow perch
Bait: Live emerald shiners or fathead minnows, worms, and perch eyes or minnow heads in winter.
Lures: Small jigs and tubes, tiny spoons, and two-hook 'perch spreaders.'
Leader: 6–10 lb fluorocarbon.
Striped bass
Bait: Live shad and shiners.
Lures: Bucktail jigs, swimbaits and topwater plugs.
Leader: Usually none; add a short fluorocarbon leader with braid.
Atlantic mackerel
Bait: Small strips of squid or mackerel belly; usually caught on bare rigs.
Lures: Mackerel tree (sabiki) rigs with a small diamond jig on the bottom.
Leader: Not needed with sabiki rigs.
Bluefish
Bait: Cut mullet and live finger mullet.
Lures: Metal spoons, Gotcha plugs and topwater poppers.
Leader: 30–40 lb fluorocarbon (add light wire for mackerel and bluefish).
Winter flounder
Bait: Sandworms, bloodworms, clams and mussels on small long-shank hooks, with a chum pot of crushed mussels on the bottom.
Lures: Not usually caught on lures.
Leader: 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 2–3 ft.
Haddock
Bait: Clams and squid on a two-hook bottom rig.
Lures: Small jigs or teasers with clam; haddock have small mouths.
Leader: 50–60 lb mono.
Atlantic cod
Bait: Fresh clams, herring and squid.
Lures: Diamond and butterfly jigs (8–16 oz) with a red or green teaser fly above.
Leader: 50–60 lb mono.
Pollock
Bait: Herring, mackerel and clams.
Lures: Diamond jigs, soft-plastic shads and teasers; small ones hit flies and spinners near shore.
Leader: 50–60 lb mono.
Bluefin tuna
Bait: Live or dead mackerel, herring and squid.
Lures: Large spreader bars and big topwater plugs.
Leader: 40–100 lb mono or fluorocarbon.
Sharks (blue, porbeagle, thresher)
Bait: Fish or squid baits attract sharks, but baiting should only be used where legal and where the exact shark fishery rules are understood.
Lures: Large plugs, jigs or trolled lures can produce incidental shark strikes; use tackle heavy enough to shorten the fight.
Rig: Simple heavy rig with minimal hardware and immediate-access dehooking/cutting tools.
Leader: Use a heavy abrasion/bite leader and a setup that can be cut quickly near the hook if removal is unsafe.
Local fishing reports — what’s biting now
- On The Water – Coastal NH & Maine Coast Fishing Report — Weekly report built from NH captains. Covers Jeffreys Ledge, Rye, Wallis Sands, the Piscataqua and Winnipesaukee.
- Conway Daily Sun – North Country Angling — Weekly column on northern NH trout fishing and local waters.
- The Fisherman – New England Video Fishing Forecast — Weekly New England forecast including NH and Maine ice, surf and offshore reports.
- FishingBooker – Portsmouth NH charter reports — Trip reports posted by local charters (stripers, mackerel).
Sources
- NH Fish and Game – 2026 Saltwater Recreational Regulations (eRegulations)
- NH Fish and Game – 2026 Freshwater Fishing Digest (PDF)
- NH Fish and Game – Fishing Seasons in NH
- NH Fish and Game – New haddock rules effective April 1, 2026
- NH Fish and Game – Freshwater Fish of New Hampshire (PDF)
- NH Fish and Game – Ice Fishing
- NH Fish and Game – New Hampshire Fishing Reports (Summer 2024)
- NH Fish and Game – Rainbow Smelt Ice Fishery Report (PDF)
- NOAA Fisheries – Atlantic Mackerel
- NOAA Fisheries – Haddock
- Maine DMR – Highly Migratory Species Research (Gulf of Maine)
- NOAA Fisheries – Gulf of Maine trophy bluefin tuna closure (2026)
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every month on this calendar comes from the sources above. Empty boxes mean no official source gives those months. Rules change — check the agency page before you keep a fish.
On the bay, in the mangroves or on the ocean, the everyday struggles get left at the dock — for those few hours it’s just you, the water and peace.