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Lakes & Ponds: General Rules

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General Fishing Rules apply to most lakes and ponds in the state. Follow the seasons, bag limits, length limits, and important notes listed with each species in the chart below.

Lakes & Ponds With Special Rules

The Lakes & Ponds With Special Rules section has information on lakes and ponds with Special Rules. These waterbodies have rules that may differ from, or be in addition to, the General Fishing Rules for Lakes & Ponds.

Go to Lakes & Ponds With Special Rules. If you find the waterbody you intend to fish in the table, look to the right for the waterbody’s designation under the “Special Rules” column. It will either be a Lake Trout and/or Salmon Lake, a Fly-Fishing-Only Pond, a Trout Pond, a Wild Trout Pond, or a miscellaneous special regulation water.

This page (see below) has information on season dates, bag limits, length limits and other species information for these special waters.

Interstate Waters: See Interstate Waters section.

Lake Trout and/or Salmon Lakes

Several waterbodies are managed for lake trout and/or landlocked salmon, and are open year-round subject to restrictions listed below. For information on bag and length limits for species other than trout and salmon in this waterbody, see Lakes & Ponds: General Rules below.

The taking of brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, lake trout, trout hybrids, and salmon between two hours after sunset and one hour before sunrise is prohibited.
Minimum Length:

Brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout and their hybrids: 15 inches.
Lake Trout: 18 inches
Landlocked Salmon: 15 inches.
The head and tail must remain intact while on or leaving the waters of the state.

From January 1 to March 31:

Fish may be taken by ice fishing only;
The combined daily bag limit for all trout species, including lake trout, is 2 fish;
Closed to the taking of landlocked salmon (salmon season is from April 1 to September 30);
Two (2) ice fishing devices are allowed per person. Single hook with single hook point for bait, or an artificial lure or flies shall be used to take fish through the ice;
Six (6) cusk fishing devices may be used to take cusk (see Cusk Fishing).

From April 1 to September 30:

The combined daily limit for lake trout, salmon, brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout and their hybrids is 2 fish;
Open to the taking of all species, except no smelt may be taken from March 15 to June 15.

From October 1 until December 31:

Closed to the taking of lake trout, salmon, brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout and shad (whitefish).

From April 1 through December 31, no person may take fish through the ice, from the ice, or from any object supported by the ice.

Trout Ponds

Designated Trout Ponds are managed for trout, and are open to fishing for all species from the fourth Saturday in April through October 15. Fishing for any species is prohibited from October 16 until the fourth Saturday in April the following year. For information on bag and length limits for species other than trout, see Lakes & Ponds: General Rules below.

The taking of brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, lake trout, trout hybrids and salmon between two hours after sunset and one hour before sunrise is prohibited.
Trout ponds open this year on April 27. Closed to salmon October 1 and to all species October 16.
The daily combined limit for trout is 5 fish or 5 pounds, whichever limit is reached first.
The use or possession of live fish, or their eggs, for bait is prohibited. The use of salmon eggs, however, is permitted.

Fly-Fishing-Only Ponds

All rules listed above for Trout Ponds apply. In addition, fish may be taken only by fly-fishing (fishing by trolling or casting with only fly rod, fly reel, and fly line combination with an artificial fly or cast of artificial flies attached, and does not include the use of spinning, spincast, and casting rods and reels and lead core lines).

Wild Trout Ponds

All rules listed above for Trout Ponds apply, except:

Open season dates are from the fourth Saturday in April through Labor Day (April 27–September 2, 2013);
All fish shall be immediately released;
Only single hook, barbless artificial lures and flies shall be used.



Want answers about your favorite lake’s water quality? Join the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) Volunteer Lake Assessment Program (VLAP) and find out! Be a VLAP Volunteer! Volunteers provide critical water quality data to DES by collecting water samples from lakes that they live near or fish most. This data helps DES to determine if lakes are meeting water quality standards and if lake restoration projects are required. For more information about your favorite lake or how to join VLAP, contact Sara Steiner, VLAP Coordinator, at (603) 271-2658 or sara.steiner@des.nh.gov.

Want answers about your favorite lake’s water quality?

Join the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) Volunteer Lake Assessment Program (VLAP) and find out!

Be a VLAP Volunteer!

Volunteers provide critical water quality data to DES by collecting water samples from lakes that they live near or fish most. This data helps DES to determine if lakes are meeting water quality standards and if lake restoration projects are required.

For more information about your favorite lake or how to join VLAP, contact Sara Steiner, VLAP Coordinator, at (603) 271-2658 or sara.steiner@des.nh.gov.

General Fishing Rules for Lakes & Ponds
SPECIES	Season	Bag Limits & Minimum Lengths	Important Notes
Black Bass (Smallmouth Bass & Largemouth Bass)	Ice-out to May 14 and June 16 to June 30	2 fish daily limit; no length limit.
	May 15 to June 15	Catch and release only.	Artificial lures and flies only.
	July 1 to ice-in	5 fish daily limit; no length limit.
	Ice-in to ice-out	2 fish daily limit; only 1 fish >16 inches	See exceptions for Clement Pond/Joe Silvia Lake, Grassy Pond, Gregg Lake, and Warren Lake.
Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout and their hybrids	Open water (ice-out to ice-in)	5 fish or 5 pounds daily limit, whichever is reached first; no length limit.	Many waterbodies with trout have special rules—see details at the top of this page. Designated trout ponds and fly-fishing-only ponds open Apr. 27 and close Oct. 15. Lake Trout and Salmon Lakes are closed to taking trout from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31.
Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout and their hybrids	Through the ice	2 fish daily limit; no length limit.	Designated trout ponds are closed to ice fishing.
Lake Trout	Jan. 1 to Sept. 30	2 fish daily limit. Minimum length 18 inches. Daily bag limit for lake trout and salmon is 2 fish (2 lake trout, 2 salmon, or 1 of each).	Lake Trout and Salmon Lake rules are listed at the top of this page. Stinson Lake (Rumney) and Tarleton Lake (Piermont) are General Rules Waters that have lake trout.
Landlocked Salmon	April 1 to Sept. 30	2 fish daily limit. Minimum length 15 inches. Daily bag limit for lake trout and salmon is 2 fish (2 lake trout, 2 salmon, or 1 of each).	Most waterbodies with landlocked salmon are designated as Lake Trout and/or Salmon Lakes; see details at the top of this page. Taking landlocked salmon from Oct. 1 through March 31 is prohibited.
Pickerel	No closed season.	10 fish daily limit; no length or weight limits.	See illustration in Fish Identification section.
Northern Pike	No closed season.	1 fish daily limit; minimum length 28 inches.	See illustration in Fish Identification section.
Walleye	No closed season.	2 fish daily limit; minimum length 18 inches; no weight limit.
White & Yellow Perch, Black Crappie, Sunfish, Horned Pout	No closed season.	25 fish each species daily limit; no more than 50 fish total combined; no length or weight limits.
Rock Bass	No closed season.	No daily limits; no length or weight limits.
Carp	No closed season.	10 fish daily limit; no length or weight limits.	In addition to angling and ice fishing, carp may be taken by bow and arrow with a cord attached from the Connecticut River, Merrimack River and Mascoma Lake.
Cusk	No closed season.	No daily limits; no length or weight limits.	See Ice Fishing.
American Shad	No closed season.	Proposed rule change to catch-and-release only beginning in 2013. Contact Inland Fisheries Division at 603-271-2501 or visit fishnh.com.
Shad (Whitefish)	No closed season.	2 fish daily limit; no length or weight limits.
Smelt	For smelt angling rules and waterbodies open to the taking of this species by dip net, see Freshwater Smelt.
Suckers	No closed season for angling, ice fishing or traps.	No daily limits; no length or weight limits.	Suckers may be taken for personal use with two traps, not more than 50 inches long, 30 inches wide, with an opening no smaller than 3½ inches in diameter. All traps or holding boxes will have the name and address of the owner.
Suckers	March 1to May 31	No daily limits; no length or weight limits.	Suckers may be taken by hand dip nets not over 18 inches in diameter, drop nets not over 48 inches in diameter, spears or bow and arrow with cord attached. Suckers taken by spear or bow and arrow must not be left in, or adjacent to, the body of water.

Water Supply Reservoirs

The waters listed below are partially or wholly closed to fishing because they are public water supply reservoirs. Contact NHDES Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau (603-271-7061) for more details.

Babbidge Reservoir (Roxbury), Bradley Lake (Andover), Canaan Street Lake (Canaan), Hanover Reservoirs (Hanover), Gilman Pond (Unity), Massabesic Lake (Manchester/Auburn), Rochester Reservoirs (Rochester/Strafford), Round Pond (Barrington), Upper Beech Pond (Wolfeboro), Woodward Pond (Roxbury)

Regulations in red are new this year.

Purple text indicates an important note.